Health Status: Middle Aged Man Still Haunted by Mystery Chest Pains

I’m still having the mystery chest pains. I’m going to post a timeline for myself, so I have a dedicated space to remember how all this happened and so I can tell the next doctor I see the order of things. Let’s start the timeline.

January 24-30: Trip to Mexico via a two day stopover in Las Vegas. During the Mexico trip, I reduce my Adderall XR intake to nil, so that I can enjoy an afternoon nap. It’s heaven.

January 30 – February 8: Start back up on the Adderall. Slowly ease into taking Wellbutrin. Notice none of the side effects I had with Prozac. Feeling good, full of energy. Sometime during this week, notice a difficulty breathing, but nothing panicky. Assume it’s a stretched muscle from working out, chiropractic adjustment or coming back into dry air from a humid climate. I read up on Wellbutrin/Adderall drug combo. Find a warning about chest pains on MedlinePlus site (link). Eliminate the ADHD/ADD stimulants & SSRIs. Cold turkey. No adverse mental effects. I fall asleep at 8:30 one night and sleep all the way through to 6am. That hasn’t happened for years. Assume it’s Adderall withdrawal. Feel fine the next day, with the exception that the chest pains and tight breath haven’t gone away.

February 10: Decide to see a doctor. I call and get an appointment that day to our family clinic. Have blood drawn, EKG, chest x-ray and get prescribed Augmentin/amoxicillin 875mg (2x daily) for sinus infection. Doctor says x-rays are inconclusive about a possible pulmonary embolism. Doctor tells me that if there is any increase in chest pain to go immediately to the nearest ER. He also gives me a prescription for 800mg ibuprofen.

February 11: Function ok, but notice that the ibuprofen, which normally does a great job with pain for me, is doing nothing. After talking over lunch with Heather and telling her the pain is worse and I’m scared, we head immediately to the nearest ER. I’m given some children’s aspirin in orange bubble packs. It seems weird to give aspirin in the ER like this. I have a subthread in my brain about what’s really in the orange pills, but it tastes like childhood and maybe the stress of the unknown is getting to me. The rest of the next three days is chronicled here.

February 15-21: Seem to be have levelled off. The pain in the chest has subsided somewhat, although never gone. I get an abdominal sonogram on the 18th.

February 22: The pain is not responding to anything (except maybe, for a short time, the Omaprazole. I’m wondering about the best time of day to take that pill, as it says to take it at least one hour before food. I’m taking it at 11 am, around an hour before lunch. I call in to my doctor and go in to receive a nebulizer treatment (helps a little) and an NSAID called Indomethacin. It seems to help for an hour or two, but then the pain returns. Also prescribed Ventonlin to see if the pain is possibly asthma-related. I’ve never had an asthma attack that I’m aware of, but I do feel like I’m getting more of a breath when I inhale.

February 23: OMG! The New York Times story about Heather goes live on the web. Chaos and nervous monitoring of the servers. Pain still there. I see my psychiatrist to talk about what has happened and his opinion is that the psych meds did not cause this, as my outward behavior would be much different if I had experienced a reaction. He’s never seen Adderall and Buproprion interact and create pain like this. He also does not think that I’m having panic attacks or anxiety. He asks about stress. I laugh and remind him of our home business. I mention that since I’ve been cold turkey with Adderall, maybe we need to look at trying something else for the ADD that might be a better fit and easier to prescribe and less of a stimulant. I leave with a starter pack of Strattera and he tells me to take the pill once a day at dinner. It’s a lot different than how Heather took Strattera back in 2004. I Pass out at 9:30 pm.

February 24: I awaken sharply at 12:45am and do not get back to sleep until 3:45 or 4 ish. I awake with a start at 7 to Heather and Marlo by the bed, Marlo having been awake since 6am, which we view as a miracle. Heather never got back to sleep after awakening at 1:30 and she out of bed at 3 am to get ready for her travel day.

Currently thinking the pain is:

  • stress
  • muscular-skeletal (pulled something)
  • asthma
  • stomach something
  • Mystery Diagnosis bound

I know this is likely tedious, boring and dumb. I should probably just get some Valium and see what happens.

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  • Anonymous

    Have you thought about Gall Bladder? What side is your pain on? Do you ever feel it in between your shoulder blades?

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Right side mostly.

  • Anonymous

    Have you thought about your gall bladder? It can cause pain in your chest. Do you have pain in between your shoulder blades ever?

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Yep. The abdominal ultrasound included looking at the gall bladder. They said they couldn’t find anything.

      • Anonymous

        I recieved a similar finding when I had an ultrasound on my gallbladder – I was assured nothing was wrong. PS I ended up having my gallbladder removed and there were HUNDREDS of stones.

        Best test for gallbladder is fat consumption. Eat a cheeseburger with bacon and down a honking thing of fries – if the problem is your gallbladder, you will have a terrible pain attack. It is a good time.

        • http://blurbomat.com blurb

          I’ll have to give that a shot.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W4HJCSJ3FS3SB4SXKM4P6HNJNI Sarah

    It makes sense to write this all down. Details can fade so quickly.
    Hope you soon find an answer.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jenny-Abbott-Kitchings/1522124755 Jenny Abbott Kitchings

    Hi! I know that random medical advice from non-doctors may not be helpful to you, but when you said omeprazole, a bell went off for me. I was having chest pain on the right (so I was like, ok, not my heart) and it got really bad. I was taking Tagamet, then Prilosec, then Prevacid and none of them worked. My dr sent me to the gastroenterologist for an EGD and it turned out to be GERD (reflux). Now I’m taking Nexium and it seems to be under control. Maybe that would help?

    Hoping it all works out for you and you figure this thing out and get it fixed.

  • Anonymous

    Spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) caused me to have severe chest pain, but I think your doctor would have ruled that out easily. (A nurse diagnosed my pneumothorax using a stethoscope). The pain doesn’t intensify when you inhale deeply, does it?

  • http://4junkdna.blogspot.com/ Elaine

    Not that you’re looking for unsolicited medical advice, but maybe it’s Costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs). The symptoms sound very similar to what you are describing. The good news is that even though it feels serious, it’s not. Just my two cents. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

    • http://twitter.com/solarmax42 Heather S Wilkinson

      My mom and I both have costochondritis. I get chest pain along my sternum (which can radiate across my chest and around to my back) and shortness of breath. Usually ibuprofen and a heating pad on my chest or back will help enough that I can function. It usually takes a few weeks to wear off.

      I was diagnosed a few months after I moved from Maryland to Colorado. I couldn’t breathe, and we thought I was having issues with altitude, asthma, or a bad allergy to something here. It wasn’t until I did a test for exercise-induced asthma that the doctor suggested costochondritis.

      From what I’ve read on your site, you might want to ask your doc about costo.

  • Anonymous

    Spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) caused me to have chest pain, but I imagine your doctor ruled that out easily. (A nurse diagnosed my pneumothorax using a stethoscope. What’s more, the onset of the pain was sudden and severe.) The pain doesn’t intensify when you take a deep breath, does it?

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      The pain does not increase with a deep breath. Mostly. Only sometimes.

  • http://twitter.com/jan001 Jan

    I hear you about the baby aspirin. A few years ago, I was at work when I suddenly became violently ill, repeatedly, throwing up things I must have ingested in 3rd grade. I couldn’t stop. Paramedics were summoned because, I’m told, I was taking on an unhealthy color (and probably because, let’s face it, who can work with THAT going on).

    They hooked me up to an EKG before even leaving the building and then gave me some baby aspirin to chew as I was wheeled away. They called it into the ER as a cardiac alert. Rehydrated, stress test, overnight Holter monitor, diagnosed as “boringly normal”, released next day. Turned out I wasn’t having a heart attack but losing so much fluid so quickly and violently had thrown my electrolytes and stuff out of whack which gives a fine impression on an EKG of a heart attack. Never did figure out what caused the initial “presenting problem”. Virus maybe.

    So apparently baby aspirin are a pretty routine thing if there’s even a hint of possible heart involvement. You’re right, they do taste like childhood. :)

    Keep the gall bladder possibility tucked away. I’ve heard from more than one person that their ultrasounds didn’t show anything wrong but surgery revealed bad gall bladders. I’m told there’s such a thing as gall bladder “sludge” (the stuff that can make stones) that causes the same problems but doesn’t show up well/at all on ultrasound.

    Hang in there – this WILL get resolved.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1070844536 Marie Stanesic Moore

    I love the details. I do the same thing! I am 34 and had a scare a few years ago with a crazy racing heart rate of 160 while just standing at the copier at work. Luckily I worked in HR at a hospital. They NEVER figured out what cause that and I still get periods of racing and short of breath feeling. Now I also have anxiety. But I KNOW what my anxiety feels like. And these symptoms are not but my gosh try to tell a dr that you know? As soon as they hear anxiety they kind of glass over everything and nod and agree with the crazy lady. I keep a journal. Shoot, shortly after that I developed HORRIBLE stomach pains. No answers from docs. I diagnosed myself with gluten sensitivity and pain was gone in a week. As far as my heart. I did find that my potassium levels run on the low side. And that can wreck havoc on your heart rate and tight feeling. So usually eating a banana helps me. Also, have they checked your hormone levels? That can also really set so many strange symptoms off. I found mine to be off. But feel free to keep sharing. Some of us like that kind of thing. :)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PZ3POVN3ODPH3DZLCHHPVO6LGE Weedygarden

    In my experience, it could be a rib out of place as a result of lifting something (heavy suitcase). They wanted to do the full on going in the artery at the groin to the heart. Fortunately, a friend told me that the procedure I was being pressured to have is a highly prescribed one due to the insurance approval. According to the doctors, I was going to die in the parking lot.

    I had to call my chiropractor to postpone an appointment while I spent time in the hospital for the chest pain. When I left the hospital and went to see him the next day, he adjusted my rib and the chest pains I had been having for days were gone.

    It could be any number of things. I know that thinking you might have a heart attack is scary.

    Good luck in getting yours figured out.

  • http://epcostello.com/ e.p.c.

    Good luck.

    You had a stress test for this, right? Was it one where they inject you with some sort of dye and scan you immediately after the test? Lets them visualize blockages or partial blockages which don’t show up in other tests.

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Cardio stress test with sonogram. No dye.

      • http://epcostello.com/ e.p.c.

        I take it an eeg/echocardiogram isn’t showing unusual heart activity? Some of what you describe mirrors a friend’s symptoms of what turned out to be aortic stenosis, but I think that would show up on the tests you’ve already had.

        Based on your description, and with medical training by various bad TV shows, it sounds like something affecting your pulmonary feed to your right lung.

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Cardio stress test with sonogram. No dye.

  • http://twitter.com/MyPetGloat Gloatessa

    Jon, why are you taking all these pills? Try to get off pharma altogether. That shit is toxic.

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      You’re talking to the wrong person. Pills have saved this family.

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      You’re talking to the wrong person. Pills have saved this family.

  • Anonymous

    I’m catching up here, this is scaring me, I can only imagine what you are feeling. Pin these guys down on “all” their opinions to find all the quirky details…I miss you guys, we all miss you guys. I hope we can visit your world soon, this summer? I need to sit across a counter and consume excessive bourbon and shed emotion. Call me if you need to answer asthma questions.

  • Anonymous

    Wow. I am trying to get in your shoes, scary. Keep pushing for answers, the pharma mix scares me too. Miss you guys. Hope to see you soon and consume bourbon and provide world wide solutions. Call me if you need any asthma questions answered. C. Say hi to Tyrant for me!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7RZFJQOVRPTGIYTEVBUEM3KKBE Lana Wood

    Jon,

    I am so pleased you are pursing a resolution on this. It is so important to take care of yourself.

    Definitely explore, test etc. for the gall bladder possibility as so many have suggested.

    Writing things down is brilliant, and very helpful for your medical people. If they know what happens when etc. that information really helps. It also helps you. While at a medical appointment it is easy to feel rushed and forget something, and then in the car on the way home you have that “I should have had a V8 moment” where you realize you forgot to tell the doctor something important.

    Since you first started writing about this, I was like; “oh yeah, I remember when that happened to me.” I was 32, I’m 41 now. So you already know, not fatal, unless, there is wifi in the afterlife… Bwahahahahaha. Terrifying pain, I, and everybody else, thought it was my heart, shortness of breath, all kinds of awful. Turns out, the main diagnosis was that I am a Stress Puppy. Without blabbing you senseless with the circumstances it turned out that I had ulcers up the ying yang in my stomach and scarring in my esophagus. A couple years after diagnosis of Prilosec, lots of therapy, a nice PRN anti-anxiety med, and some changes in my diet later and I have not been in pain like that for years.

    I hope it turns out to be something like this for you, and as manageable as well. You are one of my favorite people in cyber space, and I want to marry somebody just like you when I grow up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=837465911 Judy Weinstein

    Not that my experiences will probably help much but thought I’d add my two cents since I can totally relate to your description of your shortness of breath. About two years ago (at the age of 50), I had something similar minus the pain. I was struggling to take in full breaths and sometimes it felt really hard to breath. I was also exercising a lot and felt like I was getting nowhere cardio-wise because of this breathing issue.

    I went to many doctors, they thought maybe it was asthma. I had a bunch of heart and lung tests though probably not as extensive as yours. Tried a bunch of medication for asthma, antibiotics that gave me really horrible stomach problems (lost 7 pounds in a week!) and some nasal spray for sinus stuff. Nothing really made it better.

    My primary care physician thought from the beginning that it was anxiety/stress related. This made no sense to me as I was not feeling stressed or anxious and had gotten through far more stressful periods of my life without these kind of symptoms. In the end, I gave up on finding a diagnosis and decided to use Ativan when the breathing got really bad.

    All this to say, that perhaps your gut about valium is correct. Two years later the breathing problem is still there but far better probably because I no longer have the anxiety that this is something serious. I think one of the reasons the shortness of breath kept getting worse was because I panicked about the shortness of breath. I still take Ativan if it gets bad which is rare.

    Anyway, hang in there and maybe take a yoga class or two which also seems to help with the breathing….

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QD3WM3LKLNCUVCQFE65XRVNS7U Becky

    I too wondered about gall bladder…and pleurisy. Undiagnosed acid reflux can cause it too. You don’t have to have classic reflux symptoms to have reflux. Looks like someone beat me to that one :)

  • http://twitter.com/slappyintheface gina

    Even though your doctor has never seen reactions between these meds before, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. Get the adverse reaction and side effect sheets from your pharmacy to see if it could be the med change.

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Yeah, but when I went off the ADD meds cold turkey, nothing strange happened and the pain didn’t lessen. So the ADD meds aren’t causing this. It’s something else.

  • http://twitter.com/tovafertal Tova Fertal

    Hi Jon, I know that your biggest concern is obviously the chest pain, but I just wanted to tell you I went off ADD meds cold turkey last year and it was super weird. At first I didn’t notice anything, my husband said I wasn’t even more hyper than usual, but after about 3 months I just started feeling like I wasn’t awake during the day. It took about 6 months before I would notice the stimulant effect of caffeine, and I actually feel like I am awake in the morning now.

    I have the same feeling toward the pills I think that you do, ADD meds saved my academic career and probably my future, and it is really weird living life without them.

    Good luck with all your medical stuff, I will be watching for the “all clear” post!

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Adderall has a very short half life. Hours. Wellbutrin as well.

  • http://twitter.com/ladylozreena Laura

    I’m not against drugs at all but you are taking a lot of different things in short space of time… with the switching etc.
    I hope you are feeling better very soon.
    Its certainly sensible to write everything down and keep things clear for yourself AND your doc(s).
    Take care of yourself

  • http://twitter.com/tallnoe Noelle

    I think you writing things down is perfectly good. Keep it up. You can get distracted w/o keeping track.
    More information is better than less.
    AND I hope that you get this all resolved ASAP.

  • http://twitter.com/tallnoe Noelle

    I think you writing things down is perfectly good. Keep it up. You can get distracted w/o keeping track.
    More information is better than less.
    AND I hope that you get this all resolved ASAP.

  • http://twitter.com/thoughtfloss Dawn Lamothe

    Sometimes asthma and reflux can exacerbate each other. My kids take both asthma meds and reflux meds every day to combat the problem. Is it worse/better/the same when you’re in bed?

    • http://blurbomat.com blurb

      Worse in bed. Something about slouching is bad. If I’m horizontal in bed, less painful.

  • http://kristanhoffman.com/ Kristan

    This is not boring, tedious, OR dumb. Talk it out. Maybe someone out here (ok, not me…) can help.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=727973793 Ann Snyder Rishell

    Don’t forget that a side effect of ibuprofen is depression. Just good to know if you are feeling really down and on this stuff.

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