Is this normal?

[willhub]

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.

 

[arallsopp]

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.

 

[willhub]

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.

 

[Crackle]

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.

 

[willhub]

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

 

[Hont]

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.

 

[byegad]

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.

 

[willhub]

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.

 

[ttcycle]

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.

 

[willhub]

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.

 

[arallsopp]

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.

 

[ttcycle]

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!

 

[willhub]

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.

 

[arallsopp]

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.

 

[willhub]

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.