Just started 1 week in..new chest pain?!

ndpndntcaligirl

I've been weighing in everyday. Crazy loss flux. Also I started doing cardio for the first time in years and my peak bpm is 152 but I'm having chest pain. No other symptoms so im scared to continue daily cardio. I started at 249 and my goal is 180.

MovinNow

Stop cardio immediately. Call your doctor asap. If it happens again call 911 or go to hospital ER.
Seriously.
Praying for you!

ndpndntcaligirl

Wouldn't a heart attack have a racing heart and other symptoms??

sollyn23l2

ndpndntcaligirl wrote: »

Wouldn't a heart attack have a racing heart and other symptoms??

No, not necessarily. Please go to the ER if you're still experiencing pain.

ndpndntcaligirl

I only get it while working out it stops once I stop

csplatt

I wonder if it’s more in the lungs from breathing heavily. Have you tried to keep your heart rate lower while exercising?

ndpndntcaligirl

csplatt wrote: »

I wonder if it’s more in the lungs from breathing heavily. Have you tried to keep your heart rate lower while exercising?

I average about 124 bpm during the 20 min sessions. I was thinking more along the line of pain from my back maybe radiating to chest. If I don't use any arms no pain but once I incorporate arm movements sharp pain on left side..it's weird. Ive gotten the same pain from bending down to pick something off the ground.

refactored

You may need a heart stress test where you elevate your heart rate while being monitored by a cardiologist.They may also ultrasound your heart with your heart rate elevated to see if they can find problems with blood flow to your heart. You should go and see your primary healthcare provider and they can refer you on to a cardiologist. You probably shouldn't elevate your heart rate until you get the all clear.

AnnPT77

See. Your. Doctor.

If it happens again, go to the emergency room.

Really. Chest pain is not a thing to mess around with. The old platitude "better safe than sorry" applies here.

If you got that peak heart rate from the 220-age formula, I'd assume you're 68. Speaking as a 67 y/o myself, who also spent a number of years overweight/obese, we tend to accumulate some problems related to that high bodyweight. Many are minor issues, but they can be really, truly major.

Doctor. Soon. Please.

musicfan68

Why are you asking a bunch of random people on a message board? If you are concerned it is your heart, get to your doctor to check it out, ASAP.

ndpndntcaligirl

musicfan68 wrote: »

Why are you asking a bunch of random people on a message board? If you are concerned it is your heart, get to your doctor to check it out, ASAP.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever had this happen before

lynn_glenmont

ndpndntcaligirl wrote: »

musicfan68 wrote: »

Why are you asking a bunch of random people on a message board? If you are concerned it is your heart, get to your doctor to check it out, ASAP.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever had this happen before

No, because they ignored it and ended up dead. Kidding, but not completely. Please see a doctor.

springlering62

I did.

I went and got a full battery of heart tests. The reassurance was grand. Like a dark cloud off my shoulders, especially due to family history of heart problems on both sides.

Now if I have have dizziness during training, I am confident it’s from lack of proper breathing techniques, or knowing chest pain is probably a slightly strained muscle, and not a heart attack.

It will make a world of difference in your attitude to get that monkey off your back.

sollyn23l2

springlering62 wrote: »

I did.

I went and got a full battery of heart tests. The reassurance was grand. Like a dark cloud off my shoulders, especially due to family history of heart problems on both sides.

Now if I have have dizziness during training, I am confident it’s from lack of proper breathing techniques, or knowing chest pain is probably a slightly strained muscle, and not a heart attack.

It will make a world of difference in your attitude to get that monkey off your back.

Exactly this.

ninerbuff

As a professional in the business, I'll advise you to go see a physician and get CLEARED before you do any exercise for now.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ndpndntcaligirl

springlering62 wrote: »

I did.

I went and got a full battery of heart tests. The reassurance was grand. Like a dark cloud off my shoulders, especially due to family history of heart problems on both sides.

Now if I have have dizziness during training, I am confident it’s from lack of proper breathing techniques, or knowing chest pain is probably a slightly strained muscle, and not a heart attack.

It will make a world of difference in your attitude to get that monkey off your back.

What kind of tests did u do? I'm scared reading some of them like heart catherization? Did ur pain go away?

AnnPT77

ndpndntcaligirl wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

I did.

I went and got a full battery of heart tests. The reassurance was grand. Like a dark cloud off my shoulders, especially due to family history of heart problems on both sides.

Now if I have have dizziness during training, I am confident it’s from lack of proper breathing techniques, or knowing chest pain is probably a slightly strained muscle, and not a heart attack.

It will make a world of difference in your attitude to get that monkey off your back.

What kind of tests did u do? I'm scared reading some of them like heart catherization? Did ur pain go away?

I went through a similar thing to @springlering62, too.

Generally, they'll start with less invasive tests, such as electrocardiograms, chest X-rays, CT scans or other imaging techniques, or a treadmill stress test. Here's an article from the US NIH about common tests before a heart cath:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/cardiac-catheterization/preparing

If certain kinds of things are observed in the preceding tests, a heart catheterization might then be recommended.

Keep in mind that you can refuse any medical procedure or treatment you don't want to have. I wouldn't personally recommend that you refuse a heart cath if there's a reason to do it, but you do have a choice.

pony4us

PLEASE SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!! Do not go to Dr Google or the good strangers on the internet. Chest pain is not something to mess around with.

pony4us

Just another story. I had (notice past tense) a friend who was exercising at the Y. Felt some slight chest pain. It went away but she called her cardiologist and told him it really was no big deal, it went away when she stopped. Made an appointment for the next morning, she died that night. She was active and seemed healthy, had been having the slight pain on and off, but it went away when she stopped. I lost a friend.
A true story, not a scare tactic. A true friend and not a second hand story.
SEE A DOCTOR. It may very well be nothing, but be safe.

ndpndntcaligirl

pony4us wrote: »

Just another story. I had (notice past tense) a friend who was exercising at the Y. Felt some slight chest pain. It went away but she called her cardiologist and told him it really was no big deal, it went away when she stopped. Made an appointment for the next morning, she died that night. She was active and seemed healthy, had been having the slight pain on and off, but it went away when she stopped. I lost a friend.
A true story, not a scare tactic. A true friend and not a second hand story.
SEE A DOCTOR. It may very well be nothing, but be safe.

Omg I'm so sorry to hear that. Did they know the cause of death?

springlering62

ndpndntcaligirl wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

I did.

I went and got a full battery of heart tests. The reassurance was grand. Like a dark cloud off my shoulders, especially due to family history of heart problems on both sides.

Now if I have have dizziness during training, I am confident it’s from lack of proper breathing techniques, or knowing chest pain is probably a slightly strained muscle, and not a heart attack.

It will make a world of difference in your attitude to get that monkey off your back.

What kind of tests did u do? I'm scared reading some of them like heart catherization? Did ur pain go away?

Nah. They’re not going to go to the extreme of a catheterization unless there’s a reason for it.

I started out a hundred pounds overweight. I went from absolute zero exercise to moderate amounts to doing stuff several hours a day. (It was/is such a joy to be off the sofa!!!!).

When I started getting random chest pains and a hard time catching my breath when climbing stairs, I got worried I’d put too much stress on my heart with years of obesity followed by a comparatively quick ramp up to being highly active.

My first visit was X-ray and an electrocardiograph. Second visit was the treadmill stress test. You simply go as long and as hard as you can and can tell them when you’re ready to quit. It wasn’t torture.

I forget what we did on the third, so it was obviously no biggie, and he gave me a clean bill of heart health. That one might have been an EKG. I get all these terms mixed up.

At no point was I poked or prodded, other than maybe a blood withdrawal, and maybe some jelly on my chest (I may be imagining that?), and some of those soft candy textured patches they stuck to you to hook the cables to. In other words, it was so calm and low key, I barely remember the visits.

HUGE relief. Massive!

There is zero harm in being proactive. This is your health and your one body. You gotta own it. Don’t be scared of the doctor. Mine was actually very kind and told me I’d done the right thing coming in, especially with my family history and own prior history of Rheumatic Fever a few years ago, which can cause serious residual heart damage.

pony4us

It was heart failure.
As I posted this (no lie) we had a short shower at sunset with a rainbow. Sarah (my firend) says...CALL YOUR DOCTOR. (you will probably be fine but in this case ignorance is not bliss)

jillebean86

There are a few things that can cause chest pain with exercise.

It could be a muscle strain, a broken rib, or an injury where your ribs connect to your sternum. If you can reproduce the pain by pressing on the area with your hand, there's a good chance it's a muscle or joint.

It could be a lung issue. Asthma is a common cause of chest pain with exercise, and COPD can look similar. If you feel like you can't catch your breath and your chest feels tight, this might be the issue. Not drinking enough water to match your new exercise level can cause the linings of your lungs to stick to each other rather than sliding smoothly as you breathe. If you feel a sharp pain only with a very deep breath and it resolves immediately as you exhale, this could be it.

It could be a stitch. This is an irritation of the diaphragm that occurs with intense exercise, especially if you've been away from exercise for a while. If the pain is more on one side of your upper abdomen rather than your chest, this could be it.

Annnnnd it could be cardiac. Angina is pain caused by your heart not getting enough blood due to clogged coronary arteries. When you exercise, your heart works harder, so it needs more blood. If it can't get enough blood, the parts that are starved for oxygen become ischemic, which is painful. If the ischemia continues, that part of the heart stops working - that is a heart attack.

There are also heart rhythm problems, heart valve problems, heart shape problems (getting all stretched out from years of being overworked), and problems with the pericardium, or lining around the heart - that can all cause pain with exercise.

There's no way to tell what's causing your pain from your symptoms alone. You need to be evaluated by a doctor ASAP, definitely before you exercise again. Your doctor will ask a lot more questions about your symptoms to try to narrow down the cause of your pain. They will listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope, and probably press on your belly and tap or press on your chest with their hand. They will probably do an EKG - a painless (unless you have a lot of chest hair) heart rhythm test that involves putting stickers on your chest with wires attached to them. They might order some blood tests to check for risk factors for heart attack. They might recommend an echocardiogram, a painless ultrasound of your heart. They might order a stress test, which involves doing intense exercise or getting an injection of a drug that makes your heart race, in a controlled environment where they can monitor your heart. They might have you wear a Holter monitor, a device that monitors your heart rhythm all the time, for several days at home. Only if these non-invasive tests indicate that there is a serious heart problem, will a cardiologist do an invasive procedure like a cardiac catheterization, which is essentially heart surgery to examine and fix blood vessels from the inside.

I hope you'll follow everyone's advice here and get this issue checked out right away.