Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

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ada
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Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by ada » Sun Jul 26, 2015 8:04 pm

I have been feeling an extreme tightness in my chest/out of breath feeling the last few days (during the day). This is after 1 week of my most consistent PAP therapy (meaning I use every night and stays on all night). Should I be worried?

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Julie
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by Julie » Sun Jul 26, 2015 8:16 pm

Yes. What if it has nothing to do with OSA/Cpap? Tightness and shortness of breath are classic red flags of cardiac trouble... serious ones, and you should go to the ER right away - not kidding! Do not wait to see your doctor, do not worry about 'bothering' anyone needlessly, do not wait to find a cat sitter, etc... just go.

Even if it turns out to be nothing (of immediate consequence), and/or is Cpap related, what if it isn't?

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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by Krelvin » Sun Jul 26, 2015 8:40 pm

SEE A DOCTOR!
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ada
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by ada » Sun Jul 26, 2015 8:59 pm

Thank you for your concern...but I feel more concerned that PAP is doing something weird to my breathing
(Maybe I should have mentioned this before)....
but I have felt this before occasionally, and when I mentioned this sensation to a doctor in April, they did one of those breathing tests on me ...and diagnosed me with mild asthma
I did mention the concern of my heart (esp after just being diagnosed with a sleep breathing disorder), but they did a heart test and a chest xray , and said they both came back normal
I just took my pulse and it is normal.

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BlackSpinner
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by BlackSpinner » Sun Jul 26, 2015 9:07 pm

You should have it checked out.

However since you did some checking, remember that you are breathing out against pressure and you chest muscles are having an extra workout and just like any muscle they will complain. Remember the last time you worked out really hard? That the next few days you body really didn't want to move? The best remedy for it is to keep using your cpap.

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cancun
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by cancun » Sun Jul 26, 2015 9:23 pm

ada wrote:Thank you for your concern...but I feel more concerned that PAP is doing something weird to my breathing
(Maybe I should have mentioned this before)....
but I have felt this before occasionally, and when I mentioned this sensation to a doctor in April, they did one of those breathing tests on me ...and diagnosed me with mild asthma
I did mention the concern of my heart (esp after just being diagnosed with a sleep breathing disorder), but they did a heart test and a chest xray , and said they both came back normal
I just took my pulse and it is normal.
While it is good that you were checked in April that that was almost four months ago. I wore a heart monitor for a month and had a stress test and an echo test and EKG and all showed my heart was in great shape and a month later I had a heart attack spent nine days in ICU and had stents put in. Better safe than sorry.

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ada
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by ada » Sun Jul 26, 2015 9:26 pm

Thank you all
I will mention it to the doctor tomorrow...and get it checked out again

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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by PoolQ » Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:24 pm

ya well, one night I could not finish my walk without a short rest. Next night I had chest pain just after laying down. My wife drove me to the ER just in case. EKG says I am as close to a hear attack as you can get without falling over. off to the cath lab, x-rays were clear, 95%, 85%,70%, and 55% blocked. double bypass and two stents . From just fine to a heart attack in under 24 hours. If this had not shown up on that EKG I might have gone back home that night, forever.
Sleeping MUCH better now

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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by LSAT » Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:26 am

H ow about completing your profile with your machine. Also what pressure are you set at? Why haven't you set up Sleepyhead?

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by ChicagoGranny » Mon Jul 27, 2015 5:52 am

ada wrote:This is after 1 week of my most consistent PAP therapy (meaning I use every night and stays on all night).
I wonder if you are getting to the point of thinking your current machine is fine for your therapy and just continuing to work with it and postponing a decision on a more advanced machine?

It's common to have some difficulties when starting the use of CPAP, and it often takes some time to solve these problems and adjust to sleeping with CPAP.
LSAT wrote:H ow about completing your profile with your machine. Also what pressure are you set at? Why haven't you set up Sleepyhead?
Certainly!

Ada, You really should fill out your equipment profile and tell us what pressure settings you are using. And what does you machine's data display show on a typical day? AHI? Central AHI? Leak?

Without more information, members here are guessing at some things.
ada wrote:Should I be worried?
I have seen many people ask a question like this. There is always a small contingent here who want you to not only worry, but also be scared as hell.

Here is a list of risk factor for heart attacks - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20019520

If you have none of these and your doctor's tests showed no concerns, then it is almost certain your chest pains are related to CPAP.

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Julie
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by Julie » Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:04 am

Risk factor stats are just those - stats, but you're not a statistic and what happens to you will happen regardless... and your symptoms are scary - nothing wrong with backing down afterward if things are ok, but if they're not, stats won't help you!

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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by chunkyfrog » Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:34 am

Doctors miss stuff a lot more often than they will let you know.
Being an exception could kill you.
Being a pest could save your life.
It wouldn't be the first time.

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Susie Kay
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by Susie Kay » Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:01 am

I haven't been here very long, but I have read a lot of posts, both new ones and old ones. There are many new CPAPers who report chest pains in the beginning. I never read that any one of these was having a heart attack.

If you go along without chest pains and then you start CPAP and have chest pains, then why be scared of a heart attack?

Ada, You say you have already been checked by your doctor. If you have any of these additional symptoms,
Heart Attack Signs in Women

Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
... then you should call your doctor. Otherwise, don't let the fraidy cats scare you.

I think you are going to have a good day and congratulations on using CPAP all night for seven days. That's progress and the beginning stage of something very good!

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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by BlackSpinner » Mon Jul 27, 2015 8:40 am

Susie Kay wrote:I haven't been here very long, but I have read a lot of posts, both new ones and old ones. There are many new CPAPers who report chest pains in the beginning. I never read that any one of these was having a heart attack.

If you go along without chest pains and then you start CPAP and have chest pains, then why be scared of a heart attack?

!
That is very bad advice, we do not give that kind of advice on this forum. ALWAYS check out chest pains ALWAYS. Heart attacks can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. A healthy 32 year old coworker died at a pool party from a heart attack in front of his kids.

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LSAT
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Re: Worried about extreme tightness in chest during day

Post by LSAT » Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:13 am

BlackSpinner wrote:
Susie Kay wrote:I haven't been here very long, but I have read a lot of posts, both new ones and old ones. There are many new CPAPers who report chest pains in the beginning. I never read that any one of these was having a heart attack.

If you go along without chest pains and then you start CPAP and have chest pains, then why be scared of a heart attack?

!
That is very bad advice, we do not give that kind of advice on this forum. ALWAYS check out chest pains ALWAYS. Heart attacks can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. A healthy 32 year old coworker died at a pool party from a heart attack in front of his kids.
I agree...chest pain and shortness of breath during the day?.....play it safe...see your doctor TODAY.

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