Hi everyone...
Just wondering if any of you have experienced chest pain and/or ache across your chest area. I seem to have this some days and it comes and goes... I know that cardiac symptoms can be associated with Chiari but sometimes its scary and hard to deal with it.
Any information or suggestions would be so appreciated.
Look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Thanks
I do have chest pains. I have been diagnosed as having diastolic dysfunction, one of the chambers of my heart does not fully relax, it stays compressed. I am on medication for this since it causes my resting pulse to be in the 90s. Ideally it should be in the low 70s. I have found that rhythmic breathing will slow my heart rate down and decrease my pain. The technique is very simple. Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds, inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds, repeat as needed. Never try to force air in or out of your lungs. If this feels strenuous or forced, then stop immediately. Never try this during exercise or exertion. The heart rests between beats and this technique encourages that natural rest. It's a technique I learned in biofeedback. I find that this technique will help my chest pain and it helps prevent me from putting nasty nitroglycerin under my tongue.
My father has 'white coat syndrome' a diagnosable fear of doctors which causes his already high blood pressure to rise. By using this technique he can manage lower his blood pressure in measurable amounts. My mother has had two open heart surgeries and her cardiologist has encouraged this technique as well.
I get this in the past month cause of the pneumonia. It just feels like chest wants to burst
I have this too. In my case I can not solely rule it to being the CM. IT can be quite worrisome when it combines with the numbness I get. what I have done in the past (when primary diagnosis was POTS, pre CM/SM days) I kept a log of at a minimum of BP when I awoke, during any exertion, meal times, and when I went to bed. If I experienced any chest pain I would take my BP when I noticed, rate the pain on the 0-10 scale, note what I was doing and any other symptoms like pain in jaw or down left arm, etc... after this I would continue to monitor every 10 -15 minutes until 1 hour past without any pain. I now it is a lot of work but it has helped my cardiologist and PCP adjust my meds when needed. I have a basic template that I could send you if you would like and have some examples on it as well.
Hope all else is well.
Mike
Chest pain is a "new" symptom for me after 16 years dealing with the serious symptoms of Chiari. I have had heart palpitations before over the years but chest pain has just been popping up for the last year or year and a half. I have pain in my sternum when I have 'too much activity' and it swells sometimes. I also have pain under my right breast. I have had everything checked out with ultrasound and other tests and everything is 'normal' It was very scary when it first started happening but I have learned to live with it like the rest of my pain symptoms. If you google costrochondritis and Chiari you'll bring up other people who have it also. The other piece of this is that CCF flow happens in conjunction with your heart beat. When your heart beats it sends CCF up the spinal cord and then washes over the brain. So heart palpitations and chest syptoms often go along with Chiari. You should ask a doctor though because chest pains can indicate all kinds of serious problems. It's not something to take lightly.