Severe Chest Pain in Sternum Area

bbuttroo · June 10, 2008

I had my surgery over a year and a half ago. About 8 months ago I had a severe chest pain right at my sternum. The first one lasted about 3 hours. It is like someone takes a clamp and just squeezes, I take a vicodin (doesn't help). Emergency room the first time said a stomach spasm, not a Gastro doctor. Since then I have had many episodes like this, lasting from 1/2 to 2 hours long. I can feel it come on about 1 minute before it starts and know it is going to happen and when it's over it is almost instant. Sometimes it happens after I eat about 15 minutes later, sometimes a couple of hours after I eat. Sometimes after I drink something cold. I have Fibromyalgia and IBS. I have had several upper GI's. Dr. thinks could by Hyatial Hernia, but nothing conclusive. I don't have any other symptoms, only the severe pain. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience. May have to have an exploratory in July, to see what is going on.

sophiekitty · June 10, 2008

Do you still have your gallbladder? When I was having gallstones that's where my pain was and when it was over the pain would go away instantaneously.

kamica · June 10, 2008

I had the same symptoms with a hernia. Good luck

bbuttroo · June 11, 2008

I wondered about both possibilities, hernia or gallbladder. But I don't have any nausea or other symptoms. Just the pain. What about spasms of the stomach, has anyone had anything like that?

sophiekitty · June 11, 2008

When I had the gallbladder problem, I didn't have nausea. I just had the pain in the sternum area that radiated to my back. It was a horrible burning pain. I thought I was having a heart attack. I could not find a comfortable position, not sitting or lying down. I've never been in so much pain as the pain from gall stones passing. I know other people who had gallstones and were nauseous and threw up, but I never had any of that. Just the burning pain. The strangest thing to me was that I would have all this pain and all of a sudden it just stopped. I guess at that point the gall stone passed through and the episode was over. Towards the end of that experience, I couldn't wait to have surgery to get my gallbladder out. Good luck in finding our the cause of your pain.

tinybelle · February 13, 2009

what did this turn out to be? I am having that pain.. feels like I need to pop my chest.

bbuttroo · February 13, 2009

Well since I first wrote this I have had the band removed. Even though I mentioned to the doctors about possible gallbladder, they did not look to see if it was the gallbladder. It ended up not being the band, because I was still having pain after the band was removed, it was my gall bladder. I have also now had my gall bladder removed and the stones that were stuck in the ducts. Unfortunately once a band is removed you can not get it put back in, or have bypass surgery because of scar tissue. So now I am back to trying to diet, etc. One thing though after the band was removed I still had a pouch, just not as much restriction down below, the pouch will probably stretch out eventually.

Good Luck to everyone.

tinybelle · February 14, 2009

thanks for the update.. I had my gallbladder out way before the band, so I know it's not that... I think maybe a hiatial hernia? or maybe a slippage. I go to dr on Tuesday, guess I'll see then.

Goo luck with the dieting.