Chest discomfort before hot flash? Options

[jazzycakies]

Hello ladies. I am a new member and am looking forward to commiserating and getting some good advice.

A little background...I started getting chest "pains" about 12 years ago (age 38). They started to surface right before I got engaged, then right before I got married, then right before I started infertility treatments. They would last for a couple of days, a general tightening of the chest, every few hours or so. I had EKGs and holter monitors, everything looked good. BP and cholestrol both good. After my girls were born, I had the chest pains a few more times and have had more EKGs and holter monitors (and trips to the ER) and an echocardiogram and a stress test. I teach Jazzercise and have never had any problem while working out. Basically everyone has chalked it up to stress (the cardiologist says it is NOT my heart but admitted it could be hormonal and everyone else treats me as if I am crazy)

Now that I am 50 and am getting hot flashes, I have noticed I have started getting the chest pains again and they seem to be right before I get a hot flash. I am wondering if it might have been hormones all the time and that now that the reserve is significantly lower, the result is a hot flash afterwards?

I am due to get my period (if it comes ) soon so that may be exacerbating my symptoms.

Anyway, any insight or shared experiences you have had would be appreciated.

I am hesitant to take too much in the way of herbal relief since my liver enzymes got raised significantly while I was pregnant (a 42 year old body does not want to be pregnant with twins ) so I am heistant to start wnything which would be harsh on my system.

Thanks in advance

[HBTeach]

Yes, I sometimes get chest tightness before a hot flash. (I'm five years post but had a flare of symptoms this year.) I"ve also been getting the chest tightness on and off for months. It's just the way you describe - it comes and goes. Sometimes it stays for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. When I try to take a deep breath, my chest feels constricted.

I, too, have had EKGs, stress test, chest x-rays - nothing found. It has to be hormonal because it came right along with a load of other hormonal symptoms.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and whatever he did helped for the entire day. As for today? Who knows? Time will tell.

I'll be glad when this symptom goes for good!!!!!

Feel better,
Helen

[caseysue]

I am 53 and have had this feeling on and off for several years. I had an EKG, stress test and blood work and all seems well. Sometimes it feels as though it is just chest tightness with a little anxiety and sometimes it just comes out of the blue. I find I can think about it logically most of the time knowing it is hormonal, but when it starts in, it is sometimes hard to chalk it up to that.

[huon]

I don't exactly get chest pain, but I have been getting this hot flushing, wooshing feeling across my chest on and off for the past month. I also get very dizzy when this happens and I feel nauseaus and can't eat for awhile after. I have been to ER 3 times now and last thursday night I went again. I saw a cardiologist and I am going into hospital tomorrow for some tests. He said it may not be cardiac ( I have a history of AF), could be something else, but what it is won't know until I have a few tests done. He is also going to get a gyno to come and see me while I'm there. I am hoping I come out knowing what is going on with me. I am going crazy with these symptoms.

[IrishLass]

Jazzycakies,
Oh YEAH--I know exactly what you mean. I think it's the anxiety--our bodies seem to know the flash is coming before our minds do! It used to scare the heck out of me (thus increasing the anxiety level), but I've kind of learned to talk myself through it, at least most of the time. It's such a dreadful feeling, though. Hope it gets better for you, and FAST! I too have been through the whole battery of tests with 2 different cardiologists--no heart problems, though I do have high blood pressure & take meds for that. Also take meds for elevated homocysteine levels, which is something they don't always check. Best of luck & do let us know how you're doing!

[Maureen23669]

I'm glad to find this topic up here, since I wanted to report a similar anecdotal experience. For about two years, I've had a weird feeling in my belly, kind of like an adrenaline squirt, about a minute before my hot flash starts. It gave me the advance notice to get ready for heat. I didn't appreciate it, though.
A week ago, I had gamma knife (radiation) surgery for an acoustic neuroma (benign tumor on vestibular nerve behind the ear, crowding the auditory and facial nerve).
Now I don't get my warning squirt to the belly. I don't know if it's related to the vestibular nerve or the radiation, or just coincidence.
I still get my flashes, just no more warning feeling.

[Webalina]

This happened to me just the other day. I got a really scary pain in my right breast, like a knife going through my breast and into my chest. It only lasted about 3 seconds, but I had one of the hottest, most intense hot flashes I've had so far. It's happened a few times before this as well. It seems the worse the discomfort, the hotter the flash. Most of my flashes are of the "is it warm in here of is it just me" variety, and I don't get pains with those. So there may be something else going on with these other ones. I've had all the heart tests (twice in three years) and everything is fine. So who knows what's going on?

[HoosierFan]

I'm so thankful for this website! Every time I wonder what in the world is going on with me, I can come here and know that I've not completely lost it. Today, I was getting a haircut and suddenly my chest tightened and I got warm from the chest up. It only lasted a few seconds. I was surprised! It was a time when I was pretty relaxed. But I felt a bit off all day Tuesday and again today (Thursday). I, too, have had and MRI, EKG, EEG, hormone testing, etc., etc. and only found very mild mitral valve prolapse. Everytime I think it might be my heart, I remember that cardiac problems don't usually cause acne - which I've noticed is worse when I'm having a few weird-feeling days. Ah well. . . .
CJ

[bahar]

Hello ladies. I am a new member and am looking forward to commiserating and getting some good advice.

A little background...I started getting chest "pains" about 12 years ago (age 38). They started to surface right before I got engaged, then right before I got married, then right before I started infertility treatments. They would last for a couple of days, a general tightening of the chest, every few hours or so. I had EKGs and holter monitors, everything looked good. BP and cholestrol both good. After my girls were born, I had the chest pains a few more times and have had more EKGs and holter monitors (and trips to the ER) and an echocardiogram and a stress test. I teach Jazzercise and have never had any problem while working out. Basically everyone has chalked it up to stress (the cardiologist says it is NOT my heart but admitted it could be hormonal and everyone else treats me as if I am crazy)

Now that I am 50 and am getting hot flashes, I have noticed I have started getting the chest pains again and they seem to be right before I get a hot flash. I am wondering if it might have been hormones all the time and that now that the reserve is significantly lower, the result is a hot flash afterwards?

I am due to get my period (if it comes ) soon so that may be exacerbating my symptoms.

Anyway, any insight or shared experiences you have had would be appreciated.

I am hesitant to take too much in the way of herbal relief since my liver enzymes got raised significantly while I was pregnant (a 42 year old body does not want to be pregnant with twins ) so I am heistant to start wnything which would be harsh on my system.

Thanks in advance

[bahar]

I am also glad this has been mentioned because not so long a go i would wake in the night saturated but what would wake me up was like a sudden gasp for breath just for a moment and then it would go, very frightening! my hair back and chest were soaked through. also a few days before in the morning i woke up got out of bed walked to the sitting room and i felt pressure in my head and then i thought i could not breath and i would feel heat coming over me wihin 5-10mins it was over. things have changed my last period lasted 1 day and now i am nearly six weeks since my last period...im 48 years old.Can anyone relate to this are these flushes im having they really freak me out. These symptoms are all just before the delayed period im having now. I have been through feeling hot at night and kicking off the covers and my face just feeling hot but this seems like a new stage coming with the change in bleeding time. can anyone give me some good advice in how to combat this i dont want hrt. please please. im desparate for tips.