# Is this normal?



## willhub (13 May 2009)

Hi.

Well I went to the doctors about it quite a while ago, he reckoned it is just psychological and if I stop thinking about it when it happens it'll go away.

First thing is, when I am pushing really hard on the bike, for example a TT, I get a weird feeling in my left side, like a straining pain or something and it feels like it's burning sometimes too, it goes from under my left collar bone to above and then into the top of my left arm.

Also sometimes when I am breathing in, I get to a point where I need to breath in more, but I cant, as there is a weird pain and the only way to breath in further is to either break through the pain which I dare not do, it feels as if it locks at a point though and wont let me breath in any further, luckily it goes away after a min, sometimes I am fighting to keep my breath and have to breath fast to get more air in as due to it I cant breath in fully, any longer than it usually lasts and I'd be dieing for air then. 

Also very frequently like now, I am sat here and I have to breath in deeply to catch my breath, now I've been doing this for years and thought it's normal? When I was younger I had asthma and had inhalers but haven't had to use them for years. 

Anyone else have similar symptoms? The doctors don't think it's serious, maybe I'm just been a hypo? 

Thanks
Will.


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## arallsopp (13 May 2009)

Yep. Had that latter issue. Normal breathing, halfway in and its like someone slid a knife up under my ribs. Hold my breath. Head starts to hum. Breathe out. Relax. Try again. Ouch. Hold breath, repeat until it goes away.

Happens less now. Which is a good thing. Quite debilitating. No idea what causes it, but seems to happen more with sudden temperature fluctuations.


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## willhub (13 May 2009)

Ah, thats good to know other people have had it. I've rarely had it on the bike, I find if I do though I have to stop.


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## Crackle (13 May 2009)

Even with mild asthama I sometimes feel I can't get enough air in. It's worse when I'm not warmed up, once I've been running or cycling for 20 minutes it kinda fades into the background but a sudden dash up the stairs from sitting can leave me breathing harder than such an activity really warrants.


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## willhub (13 May 2009)

Yea I've always wondered that, I can cycle long and I can push the power down yet even pretty unhealthy people seem to be able to get up the stairs quicker and easier than me :s, just quickly running up the stairs I'm tired out


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## Hont (15 May 2009)

arallsopp said:


> Yep. Had that latter issue. Normal breathing, halfway in and its like someone slid a knife up under my ribs. Hold my breath. Head starts to hum. Breathe out. Relax. Try again. Ouch. Hold breath, repeat until it goes away.



Had that too. Feels like your lungs are sticking to your ribs. Never had it on the bike, though, and I think I get it less since I started cycling more.


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## byegad (16 May 2009)

I get it and for me it seems to be related to getting sweaty and then cooling rapidly in the breeze. I have had it since my rugby playing days, many years ago.


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## willhub (17 May 2009)

Uh oh, today it's been the worst so far.

I went to the toilet, then had a shower and it came on, this weird stabbing/stinging pain in my left of my chest, creeping all the way down my arm and up my neck.

30mins after it started it's still causing problems, struggling to breath in fully.


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## ttcycle (19 May 2009)

Hi

Willhub - your last post concerns me a little cause of teh pain radiating up your arm and neck. Do you have a tight almost as if you're being squeezed feeling around your chest- if you do - get yourself checked straight away as that could be a heart attack- not to alarm you.

I do know what you mean about when your breath sticks in your lungs- either exercise induced asthma and or stress - I used to get this feeling where I couldn't breathe in enough and it felt as if the air would get stuck at a point and I didn't feel as if I was getting enough air in - and also used to get funny feeling as if someone had stuck a finger into one of my lungs- it was stress that caused this - best way is to look at what is causing stress in your life, whether you're pushing too hard on the bike though reckon there is an element of exercise induced asthma and also sit and breathe deep and slow.

Let me know how you get on.


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## willhub (19 May 2009)

Well surely it could not have been a heart attack, I'm still here right now, bit too late to go to doctors 2 days after, if it happens again I'll call the doctors and book an appointment. I cant remember if it was a squeezed feeling unfortunately.

I wonder if it's something related to blood pressure too? A common thing that happens to me is when I get up sometimes I get really dizzy and my vision starts to fail, goes all white and I loose balance, cant stand up, as if all strength is temporarily sucks out of me, I've fainted from it about 4 times now.


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## arallsopp (19 May 2009)

willhub said:


> Well surely it could not have been a heart attack



Erm. Go to a doctors. Seriously. If you're worried enough to post here, at least ring NHS direct and talk them through the symptoms. If they say "it surely wasn't anything to worry about it" then you can carry on regardless. If they don't, you're better off knowing.

Not having a name for it does not make it safe.


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## ttcycle (19 May 2009)

Glad to know you're still with us!!

I'm with Arallsopp on this one - if it effects you and does cause serious discomfort then don't let the GP fob you off- maybe try another GP at your practice instead. The least they can do is to get a full set of bloods to see that your levels are all normal and that there's nothing else going on.

It could be exercise induced asthma around the breathing and possibly nerve/blood pressure around the tingling in the arms - the two could be related -maybe even not but worth checking out.

I have heard others on CC mention problem with blood pressure and low heart rates = dizzy when getting up - most people were really tall- can't find the original link I'm afraid.

Good luck - hope you get your pennies worth at th GP!


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## willhub (20 May 2009)

I think it's stress related what ever happens in my left chest, it's a burning feeling coming on in the left side of my chest now just after I got stressed out and started hitting things.


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## arallsopp (20 May 2009)

Accepting that the internet will provide correlation for almost any hypothesis, there are certainly plenty of stories linking chest pains to stress.

Personally, I would get some stress relief from a medical opinion indicating that my heart wasn't about to fail. *After* that, chill out, drop the caffeine, stretch.


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## willhub (20 May 2009)

It cant have been a heart attack when I had it really bad anyways, as shortly after the pain faded the other day I went out and did 45 miles and got a pb on the course.

I phoned NHS Direct, £5 , gonna go book an appointment with the docs again.


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## The Jogger (21 May 2009)

The doc will send you for tests, if you go to A&E they'll do all the tests there and then........


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## Jim_Noir (21 May 2009)

I get this, Dr said it's called Tietze's syndrome. I hve had my sternum broken twice, so this is just a knock on affect of it. I normaly get it if I run/cycle in the cold, normaly it's gone in 24 hours.


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## pubrunner (21 May 2009)

I have had similar symptoms, despite the use of becotide and ventolin inhalers.

I've found that a Powerbreathe device used 10 mins before exercise *helps a great deal* http://www.powerbreathe.com/work.html

I always find breathing easier after using a Powerbreathe.


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## willhub (21 May 2009)

Wonder if the sternum is what I could hear clicking?


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## Jim_Noir (21 May 2009)

willhub said:


> Wonder if the sternum is what I could hear clicking?



Mine clicks off and on. When it broke (a drop elbow to the chest) it made a "pop click" noise and wasn't sore... untill a few days later. The pains I get now, and the nosie, is almost like when it was broken. I may not be broken as when it's brused it can still amke the pop sound and be painful.


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## willhub (21 May 2009)

It makes sense it come be that though, as the only way to breath is to get through the pain, and doing that produces clicking noises like my joints.


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## Fab Foodie (21 May 2009)

I'd get a second opinion from somewhere. Pains in arm and chest when exercising, when stressed and dizzy spell could all be signs of Angina. I know this because I had similar weirdness for quite a while and thought it all due to stress... untill a very telling moment...
A few weeks later I was undergoing an emergency stenting for a blocked coronary artery. I'd been back and forth to the quacks for ages and they'd never picked this up.


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## Jim_Noir (21 May 2009)

willhub said:


> It makes sense it come be that though, as the only way to breath is to get through the pain, and doing that produces clicking noises like my joints.



This is the exact same as what I get, sort breaths make it worse and deep breathin (as painful as it is) is the only thing that gets through it. anti inflammatory pain killers are the only thing that seem to stop it. But go see the dr, just to make sure there is no heart issues there and hopefully it is just a muscle issue.


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## willhub (22 May 2009)

Yea will go see a doc.

When exercising I get pains on my shoulder/below the collar bone only when pushing too hard, usually it's on my right side that, sometimes on my left, this pain down my arm and up my neck was when I was not doing any exercise.


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## Jim_Noir (22 May 2009)

That sounds like a trapped nerve.

If I run too much in a week I seem to get a problem where my left ball pops up between the bone and skin. I'm sure folks think I'm playing with myself when I stop to fix it. I went to the Dr, told her, she laughed and said stop running!


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## dave r (22 May 2009)

Willhub like Fab Foodie I have a chest full of stents, 4 to be precise, everything you you have posted says ANGINA to me, you need to get it thoroughly checked out by the Docs, a heart attack is not something you want to go through, get it checked as soon as you can.


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## willhub (23 May 2009)

Well, I'm apparently a hypochondriac, I'll go get this checked out, cant book a doctors appointment today as they ain't open, have to wait until Monday, but I guess I should take bad signs less seriously.

Looking at what Angina is it terrifys me to think I might have that, I don't want it at my age. I'm wanting to do a 50mile steady ride tomorrow though don't think I should put things off until I've found what it is. I've had similar pains for years now I think. Just thinking about angina makes my chest feel bad though , not like I'm unhealthy.

Oh, and I wish people on BR would stop taking the p155, I'm gone and you all still cant stop, even calling me an attention seeker which I am not. My Knee is not sorted out, but I've not done much cycling so it has calmed down. I'm not coming back, accounts deleted, sick of softlad.


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## dave r (23 May 2009)

willhub how old are you?


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## willhub (23 May 2009)

Says in my profile (19), from what I see I'm too young for that kind of problem anyway.

Why?


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## dave r (23 May 2009)

willhub said:


> Says in my profile (19), from what I see I'm too young for that kind of problem anyway.
> 
> Why?



Just curious, I had'ent thought to look at your profile. At your age angina would be very unusual, but what you discribed in your posts were very similar to my angina symptoms.


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