Question:
Upper Pain/ Under Breastbone

For the past 3 days I have had severe pain from the bottom of the middle of my breastbone to my stomach. Three nights ago it started while I was leaving work. The pain was so severe, that I thought I was having a heart attack. I was dizzy and felt sick and thought that I was going to pass out. The pain was so bad it took my breath away. I thought it might be indigestion. The pain was so sever that it hurt to walk. Especially downstairs to the train. After a few minutes the severe pain went away but I am still in pain/sore. My upper stomach to breastbone hurts to the touch (If I push hard on it) Although the pain that I experienced has subsided, I still don't feel great. My upper stomach area still hurts to touch and also hutrs when walking. I have tried pepto, Rolaids and neither has helped. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar? Thanks in advance!    — Bea .. (posted on March 31, 2004)

March 31, 2004
It sounds like something I kept having for a while there but I'm not sure.. I was having a real problem with air pockets which would cause that type of reaction.
   — Rebecca W.

March 31, 2004
Hi there, you just described the worst gall stone attack I ever had a few years ago. My daughter even called an ambulance thinking it was a heart attack. The area stayed sore for a couple days and I felt really tired. I had that happen a couple times over a month before I could get it removed. Call your doc and have them check it out. Good luck
   — debbie11092002

March 31, 2004
Sounds like something I experience pre-op last June. Turned out to be an esophageal spasm related to GERD. If you have it again, go to the emergency room while it is in progress and find out what it is. Don't want to alarm you but it could be gall bladder, spasms or even a heart attack. Heart attacks don't present in women the same way they do in men so I wouldn't mess around with any extreme pain in the chest area. Hope it was nothing serious though.
   —  SCbabe B.

April 1, 2004
Hi Bea, <br> I have had a similar problem. I e-mailed my surgeon's nurse about it. You didn't say which side of your breast bone the pain is on, and that can make a difference.<br> My pain was on the left side. I knew it was not heart related...I have had a heart attack and the pain just was not similar. Also, as a nurse, I know that cardiac pain generally does not worsen with movement. (I mean, walking, bending, etc....heart pain can and does get worse with <i>exertion</i>.)<br> My doctor felt that I have an ulcer starting, and told me to take Prilosec (OTC) until I see him at my next appointment...unless the pain gets much worse, or I start passing blood. (Bright red if vomited, black tarry stools if passed through the bowels.) The Prilosec has eased my pain greatly, although I still have pain with some foods. <br> By all means, get in touch with your surgeon. There are multiple things that are possible, and he's the best one to find the culprit!<br> Hope you feel better soon. (((((HUGSS)))))<br> Linda
   — Linda S.

April 1, 2004
Sounds like gallbladder to me...if you still have one. I started having pain similar to yours and ended up having lap galbladder surgery 2 weeks later. If it comes down to surgery...then dont worry about it. The surgery was a piece of cake! And I felt TONS better afterwards!! Hope this helps!
   — Valerie03

April 1, 2004
I agree with the last post (Valerie) sounds like a gallbladder attack. I get them every now and then. Horrible pain. My surgeon removes the gallbladder at the time of surgery.
   — micki569

April 1, 2004
Boy, did you get a variety of answers! This situation is a tough one because it really can be due to any of several different things. This has occurred to me on three seperate occasions. The third so bad that it happened 4 times in the course of about an hour and I ended up in the ER rather than calling my surgeon as I had previously. Initially the surgeon had told me that it could be my response to dumping and wasn't very concerned about it. The second time, my GP told me the same thing and not to worry about it, but that was very hard to do, as the second was much worse than the first, and I actually think I almost lost consciousness.I thought it must be my heart. With the lack of protein, as hard as I tried to get it in, and the stress of having lost 170 lbs in 6 months. The third time I was absolutely sure I needed to go to the hospital and I had to be dying ! hot, grunting for breath, sweaty,shaking, delerious, in pain with every breath, and I felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest. It was the worst pain of my life, and I've given birth! Of course I didn't die and by the time I got to the ER the pains had ceased. They did the ekg, chest xrays, etc, and decided it wasn't my heart, called it "unspecified chest pain," a catch phrase if ever there was one, and sent me home, to come back later for a follow-up with my GP. Now I feel a little like a walking time bomb. There is some soreness around the breastbone still, and without knowing what it is or what to do about it, I'm still pretty scared. It wasn't until later, in the support group, that I found out it could be esophageal spasms and that if so, there is something they can give you to ease that. I plan to at least demand that medication in case it happens again, because in my case, that pain was so bad, I'd just as soon start carrying a gun almost ! :) Long story, I know, but I wanted you to know that you're not alone and that you really need to see your doctor about it right away, whatever it may turn out to be. There is a chance that they might be able to diagnose it and do something about it.Don't wait, like me, and have it happen over and over, and end up having to be whisked to the ER in the middle of your kid's regional spelling bee!!! You never know when it can happen again.
   — christied

April 1, 2004
PS I don't have a gallbladder, it was taken out with surgery. Just my 2 cents, becaue I don't know what a gallbladder issue can feel like, obviously, but the majority of people I've cared for in hospitals have described gallbladder pain coming more from their side, dear the bottom of the ribs. In any case, you should have it checked out.
   — christied

April 1, 2004
Bea (unless something is wrong with my computer) your profile does not indicate if you had surgery or when? After I had my surgery I had a pain much like the one you described, and admire your courage to be able to go to work with it. Turns out I had pull a muscle in the upper stomach just below the chest. My surgery was a breeze but this pain was unbearable and made me have a lot of second thoughts for 11 painful enduring days. Call the surgeon and described similar symptoms just like yours. He said it sound like a muscle pulls and I would have to wait until it healed. I hated him for 11 days, of course best person to check with is your doctor or surgeon.
   — Anna M.

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