Chest Pain | Arthritis Information

I have been having pain the the center of my chest. Feels like a ballon inflating and then a pain. It happens several times per day. Seems to happen more when I bend over or sleep on my stomach. Had a complete cardio work up today and no heart problems. Just wondering if anyone else with RA experience this. I started Humira in June and it seems to have started when I started the medication. It does seem to be getting worse. I am glad it is not my heart but wonder if RA or Humira could be the culprit. Anyone else experience this?by complete cardio work up.. what do you mean?

I have felt some tightness and some pain in my chest area.
I had an EKG, chest x-ray and several blood tests. All came back normal.Rab,

Opioids do that to me for some reason. Does it help to burp? Next time you get it, jump up and down for a minute or two. If you burp you'll know it's just trapped gas. Acidic drinks also do that to me. Oh, some times having someone pound on my back helps.

LEV

it could well be soda for me.. hadn't thought of that.

I went to see an internal medicine doctor today and he prescribe prilosec (sp?) You girls may have been on to something I get chest tightness from muscle issues in my chest. I also seem to get some inflamation. Not sure where it comes from? Maybe over flow from my shoulders?

I have fibro but this last flare I could not lie on my back as it felt hard to breath because of the fluid on my chest.

Hmmm? I was reading something about something that said it effected the pectoris majors and minors but my memory is drawing a blank as to what I was reading about.

There is something called chostochronditis that you could google and see if that helps explain anything. It gets worse when you lift things or lay down. Editing to say thoratic outlet syndrome is actually the condition that is made worse when laying down and lifting. So many things to remember with RA. I do think you can get thoratic outlet syndrom with chostochondritis.

So it could be a fibro thing or an RA thing. I remember a work comp doctor saying they had never known anyone to have thoratic outlet syndrom bylaterally. They apparently had never heard of RA.

It could also be caused by injury but I know others with RA that also get this. My son once made me go get my heart checked because of all of the mouning I would do when I went to bed. My chest would get so tight and hurt.

The dx the eroom gave me many years ago was chestwall muscle pain. I would come home from work and take a muscle relaxer and a pain pill and still laying down would aggravate it terribly.

It is always wise to get your heart checked of course to make sure. Alot of things are RA or fibro related being they can bother you any place on your body. Tightness in the chest is one of those things you want a doctor to have a say in the dx of course.

milly2010-10-16 02:34:34BTW, a complete cardiac workup is a lot more than the tests described earlier. Example: Adenosine GATED stress test and special nuclear imaging.

Also, those with ankylosing spondylitis some might experience difficulty drawing breath as a result of inflammation in the spinal column.