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Intense Chest Pains
4 Comments

I'm a 28-year-old female. I'm in good shape - about 5'8", 125 lbs. Yet I seem to get chest pains quite frequently. I work in an office, so it's not like I do a lot of physical labour or anything. I go for walks whenever I can, trying to stay in good shape. I eat healthy too. The only thing I can see contributing to my chest pains is the amount of caffiene I drink. I pretty much have to have a can or two of RedBull (or some other brand of energy drink) to stay awake. I also drink coffee. Could this be my problem? I tried quitting the caffiene for a while, but I kept falling asleep at my desk. It really sucks!
Do you think it's normal?
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Comments (4)
hotchickie81 (24721)
2009-07-24 19:13:07
I would say you should cut down (or quit) the energy drinks, and maybe you should see a doctor. That can't be good!
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IveGotBallsOfSteal (33758)
2009-12-30 20:30:09
1) bite the bullet and quit caffeine. That's a serious habit you've got there, and if your pain is cardio-related, this is definitely a contributing factor. Give it a month, eat complex carbs because they give you the most energy and it's the only source of energy that the brain uses (non processed plant items like steamed veggies, whole grains, and beans/lentils, etc), exercise regularly but not too vigorously, and try to establish some regular routines during this month. You'll be over the caffeine addiction by the end of it.

2) if the pain is sharp, burning, and centralized, it's possibly heartburn, and the caffeine is most likely the culprit. Caffeine puts the bile production on overdrive and speeds up metabolism, and you wont properly utilize the foods you eat.

3) if the pain RADIATES, or is also accompanied with nausea (or any other symptom for that matter, IE shortness of breath or a pressure sensation on the chest, tingling, swelling in the extremities, dizziness, anything really) GET TO A HOSPITAL. It could be something like MI, arrhythmia, CHF, or any number of heart related issues, and contrary to popular belief, all of those can have gradual onsets. I once picked up a patient that had a heart rate of 190, and he said his symptoms had been lasting a week!

This is serious. Get yourself checked out. Get an EKG at least. Not to send you running off scared, chances are it's heartburn, but if not you'll be better safe then sorry.

Take care and CUT THE DAMN CAFFEINE!
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jameilious (34172)
2010-01-14 03:41:43
You may be a little too old but this might be precordial catch syndrome, I get it sometimes, feels really painful for a few seconds, as though if you breathed in it would hurt even more. Really scary for me until I found out what it was all about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_catch_syndrome

If these symptoms don't sound like you, go to a doctor it can't hurt to find out x
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BirdyMojo (35244)
2010-01-21 10:48:05
Yeah, it's caffeine related.
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