Minor Chest Pain After Vaccine?
darreneatschicken
Posts: 669 Member
So I got my first shot on Saturday evening (it's currently Monday evening) and my chest has been hurting all day (only a 1 or 2 out of 10 on the pain scale). Just wondering if anyone else has experienced the same symptom, and if so, for how long?
P.S. I have a phone call with my doctor tomorrow, but am very anxious right now.
P.S. I have a phone call with my doctor tomorrow, but am very anxious right now.
3
Replies
-
Muscle and joint pains are a relatively common side effect.
Sounds like it is probably that.
If the pain gets worse see a doctor- just in case it is cardiac, unrelated to the vaccine.
Not likely though2 -
I had the same thing, very minor and only lasted for a couple of hours.1
-
I got chest pains after the first vaccine (Moderna) my pectoralis major muscles were super sore! The pain would migrate from the side I got the vaccine on to the other side, then to the middle of my chest then back to the first side again on and off for 48 hours. It kept me up at night but I didn’t want to take any pain killers so I just put up with it. After 48 hours I was fine. I dreaded the second shot but it didn’t cause me the same pain, I only had a mild headache with the second one.3
-
darreneatschicken wrote: »So I got my first shot on Saturday evening (it's currently Monday evening) and my chest has been hurting all day (only a 1 or 2 out of 10 on the pain scale). Just wondering if anyone else has experienced the same symptom, and if so, for how long?
P.S. I have a phone call with my doctor tomorrow, but am very anxious right now.
Since it's the area of the heart, your doctor will probably want you to get checked out.
I've had pain in my chest from anxiety since not long after the beginning of the pandemic
I preferred it when stress manifested in my back - that was just inconvenient and did not provoke more anxiety. EKG and ECHO were normal for me. Thinking about doing the stress test now that it is available near me again.3 -
3
-
Thanks for asking. I honestly haven't been doing well. It's currently Wednesday night and the pain still hasn't gone away.
So far, I've spoken to 3 doctors and 2 nurses. Almost all of them told me that I was probably just experiencing anxiety and not to worry about it.
However, one of the doctors told me that I should go to the ER to get checked out, just for peace of mind. I'm probably going to give it another day before heading to the hospital.7 -
it could be your gallbladder. they often overlook that as the source of the pain when you complain of chest pain.0
-
Which vaccine, do you know? Pfizer has had an impact on the heart in a very small percentage of people - particularly younger men. I would get it checked. Even if it is all in your head - better safe than sorry, right?4
-
On the off chance that it is a blood clot, I would get to the ER and demand a d dimer, which will rule out blood clots.1
-
Heart inflammation is a known (rare) side effect of the mRNA vaccines. It usually clears up on it's own, but I would go to the doctor if I had chest pain for that long, they can treat it with steroid or anti-inflammatories if it's bad.2
-
I'm so sorry you're still not feeling well. I agree with going to the ER to get it checked out. It will be worth it for your peace of mind if nothing else.
Please keep us up-to-date. Hugs...1 -
I had pericarditis after dose #2 of Pfizer. That involved chest pain, which gradually went away. It was scary.3
-
I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.5 -
siobhanaoife wrote: »I had pericarditis after dose #2 of Pfizer. That involved chest pain, which gradually went away. It was scary.
That's so scary. Glad to hear you're okay now. If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take for the pain to go away and did you have to take any medication?0 -
I'm glad you went to the ER, and I hope the pain goes away soon. Hugs...3
-
darreneatschicken wrote: »I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.
This infuriates me. Not because you went to the ER, ,but 1. You were only given an EKG to determine there was nothing wrong with your heart and 2. Multiple health care providers have implied that it's anxiety. It could be, but there are soany other things it could be as well--it's just a copout for them.
I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is something that is close to my heart (no pun intended). I'm telling you this not to worry you or make you think that this is what's going on, but to educate you and others as it appears medical professionals are still not educated. My otherwise perfectly healthy, hardly-ever-sick father passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly from an aortic dissection. Unfortunately for him there were no warning signs in his case and my mom found him dead on the floor. In the actor John Ritter's case, he was having chest pains and taken to the ER. He was given an EKG and sent away because it was normal, probably even told it was anxiety. The problem is that an EKG only can determine if someone is having a heart attack, and is normal in someone who is having an aortic dissection. You may know that John Ritter passed away later (that same day, actually), also from an aortic dissection (as did the actor Alan Thicke).
Again, I highly doubt this is what's going on with you, but for anyone experiencing chest pain I highly encourage you to ask for an echocardiogram, or at least seek out a 2md opinion from a cardiologist.3 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »darreneatschicken wrote: »I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.
This infuriates me. Not because you went to the ER, ,but 1. You were only given an EKG to determine there was nothing wrong with your heart and 2. Multiple health care providers have implied that it's anxiety. It could be, but there are soany other things it could be as well--it's just a copout for them.
I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is something that is close to my heart (no pun intended). I'm telling you this not to worry you or make you think that this is what's going on, but to educate you and others as it appears medical professionals are still not educated. My otherwise perfectly healthy, hardly-ever-sick father passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly from an aortic dissection. Unfortunately for him there were no warning signs in his case and my mom found him dead on the floor. In the actor John Ritter's case, he was having chest pains and taken to the ER. He was given an EKG and sent away because it was normal, probably even told it was anxiety. The problem is that an EKG only can determine if someone is having a heart attack, and is normal in someone who is having an aortic dissection. You may know that John Ritter passed away later (that same day, actually), also from an aortic dissection (as did the actor Alan Thicke).
Again, I highly doubt this is what's going on with you, but for anyone experiencing chest pain I highly encourage you to ask for an echocardiogram, or at least seek out a 2md opinion from a cardiologist.
As an ER provider who sees chest pain patients all of the time at our STEMI center, I can say that an Echo and cardiology consultation is not indicated for young people with chest pain, no risk factors, and normal EKGs. If we called cardiology on this case, they would laugh at us. There aren’t enough resources to do full cardiac work ups on low risk patients to try to catch one in a million problems. If we did this on all our young low risk chest pains, we would have no room for the very sick and dying or people who are actually having heart attacks. People who are not in health care don’t understand how it works and have very unrealistic expectations. A simple EKG, maybe chest X-ray are the standard of care for young and low risk patients. If his oxygen was low or heart rate persistently elevated, he might warrant a ddimer lab test.7 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »darreneatschicken wrote: »I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.
This infuriates me. Not because you went to the ER, ,but 1. You were only given an EKG to determine there was nothing wrong with your heart and 2. Multiple health care providers have implied that it's anxiety. It could be, but there are soany other things it could be as well--it's just a copout for them.
I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is something that is close to my heart (no pun intended). I'm telling you this not to worry you or make you think that this is what's going on, but to educate you and others as it appears medical professionals are still not educated. My otherwise perfectly healthy, hardly-ever-sick father passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly from an aortic dissection. Unfortunately for him there were no warning signs in his case and my mom found him dead on the floor. In the actor John Ritter's case, he was having chest pains and taken to the ER. He was given an EKG and sent away because it was normal, probably even told it was anxiety. The problem is that an EKG only can determine if someone is having a heart attack, and is normal in someone who is having an aortic dissection. You may know that John Ritter passed away later (that same day, actually), also from an aortic dissection (as did the actor Alan Thicke).
Again, I highly doubt this is what's going on with you, but for anyone experiencing chest pain I highly encourage you to ask for an echocardiogram, or at least seek out a 2md opinion from a cardiologist.
As an ER provider who sees chest pain patients all of the time at our STEMI center, I can say that an Echo and cardiology consultation is not indicated for young people with chest pain, no risk factors, and normal EKGs. If we called cardiology on this case, they would laugh at us. There aren’t enough resources to do full cardiac work ups on low risk patients to try to catch one in a million problems. If we did this on all our young low risk chest pains, we would have no room for the very sick and dying or people who are actually having heart attacks. People who are not in health care don’t understand how it works and have very unrealistic expectations. A simple EKG, maybe chest X-ray are the standard of care for young and low risk patients. If his oxygen was low or heart rate persistently elevated, he might warrant a ddimer lab test.
I'm not sure this is supposed to make people feel better (especially someone close to this), being told we don't understand how health care works and have "very unrealistic expectations." I understand health care resources are limited and cannot run every single test under the sun, but what exactly constitutes "low risk?" Are the chances really one in a million? The chances of an aortic dissection are 2 in 10000, most common in men ages 40-70. Often times (as in the case of my dad), someone wouldn't even know they are at risk until they had one--my dad was literally told 9 months prior to his death by his physician that he was the "healthiest 64-year old he's ever seen" with no history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure. The only reasons my brothers and I know we are at risk (ages 38-51) is because our father passed away from it.
I understand your frustration as an ER provider when people want all kind of tests to be run with limited resources and that not every test can be run. I get that it must be very frustrating to hear people complain about ER medical professionals and that your job is very demanding. However, telling someone that they have "very unrealistic expectations" without acknowledging their loss and personal experience with a diagnosis that is (according to reports from 2017) missed in about 1 out of 6 cases in the ER, maybe isn't the best way to increase understanding of your perspective.5 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »Speakeasy76 wrote: »darreneatschicken wrote: »I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.
This infuriates me. Not because you went to the ER, ,but 1. You were only given an EKG to determine there was nothing wrong with your heart and 2. Multiple health care providers have implied that it's anxiety. It could be, but there are soany other things it could be as well--it's just a copout for them.
I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is something that is close to my heart (no pun intended). I'm telling you this not to worry you or make you think that this is what's going on, but to educate you and others as it appears medical professionals are still not educated. My otherwise perfectly healthy, hardly-ever-sick father passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly from an aortic dissection. Unfortunately for him there were no warning signs in his case and my mom found him dead on the floor. In the actor John Ritter's case, he was having chest pains and taken to the ER. He was given an EKG and sent away because it was normal, probably even told it was anxiety. The problem is that an EKG only can determine if someone is having a heart attack, and is normal in someone who is having an aortic dissection. You may know that John Ritter passed away later (that same day, actually), also from an aortic dissection (as did the actor Alan Thicke).
Again, I highly doubt this is what's going on with you, but for anyone experiencing chest pain I highly encourage you to ask for an echocardiogram, or at least seek out a 2md opinion from a cardiologist.
As an ER provider who sees chest pain patients all of the time at our STEMI center, I can say that an Echo and cardiology consultation is not indicated for young people with chest pain, no risk factors, and normal EKGs. If we called cardiology on this case, they would laugh at us. There aren’t enough resources to do full cardiac work ups on low risk patients to try to catch one in a million problems. If we did this on all our young low risk chest pains, we would have no room for the very sick and dying or people who are actually having heart attacks. People who are not in health care don’t understand how it works and have very unrealistic expectations. A simple EKG, maybe chest X-ray are the standard of care for young and low risk patients. If his oxygen was low or heart rate persistently elevated, he might warrant a ddimer lab test.
I'm not sure this is supposed to make people feel better (especially someone close to this), being told we don't understand how health care works and have "very unrealistic expectations." I understand health care resources are limited and cannot run every single test under the sun, but what exactly constitutes "low risk?" Are the chances really one in a million? The chances of an aortic dissection are 2 in 10000, most common in men ages 40-70. Often times (as in the case of my dad), someone wouldn't even know they are at risk until they had one--my dad was literally told 9 months prior to his death by his physician that he was the "healthiest 64-year old he's ever seen" with no history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure. The only reasons my brothers and I know we are at risk (ages 38-51) is because our father passed away from it.
I understand your frustration as an ER provider when people want all kind of tests to be run with limited resources and that not every test can be run. I get that it must be very frustrating to hear people complain about ER medical professionals and that your job is very demanding. However, telling someone that they have "very unrealistic expectations" without acknowledging their loss and personal experience with a diagnosis that is (according to reports from 2017) missed in about 1 out of 6 cases in the ER, maybe isn't the best way to increase understanding of your perspective.
You are referring to aortic dissection, which is not a concern in a young person with chest pain after receiving a vaccine. The worst case scenario for someone like the OP is a pericarditis, myocarditis, or blood clot of some kind. We work people up for aortic dissection in the ER regularly. We also work people up for pulmonary emboli. There are many factors used to determine someone’s risk. The OP does not fit the profile for that and it is doubtful anyone would work him up for a dissection.
We see so many people with chest pain or different symptoms after vaccines and it is impossible to work them all up, especially the young and otherwise healthy. I’m not minimizing your loss. I’m explaining the realities of working in healthcare and it is an unfortunate reality that many patients have unrealistic expectations.
The risks for the type of rare and deadly blood clots after a vaccine that were in the news recently were somewhere in the range of 1-2 per million. That’s exceedingly rare. Even one in 10,000 is very rare and not every case will be caught. That’s reality. There will be occasional zebra cases that go missed. It is impossible to catch everything.4 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »darreneatschicken wrote: »I had an ECG done today at the ER and the doctor said that I was fine. He implied that I was just experiencing anxiety.
It could also be heartburn I think. For example, I noticed the pain flare up yesterday, while eating dinner.
This infuriates me. Not because you went to the ER, ,but 1. You were only given an EKG to determine there was nothing wrong with your heart and 2. Multiple health care providers have implied that it's anxiety. It could be, but there are soany other things it could be as well--it's just a copout for them.
I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is something that is close to my heart (no pun intended). I'm telling you this not to worry you or make you think that this is what's going on, but to educate you and others as it appears medical professionals are still not educated. My otherwise perfectly healthy, hardly-ever-sick father passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly from an aortic dissection. Unfortunately for him there were no warning signs in his case and my mom found him dead on the floor. In the actor John Ritter's case, he was having chest pains and taken to the ER. He was given an EKG and sent away because it was normal, probably even told it was anxiety. The problem is that an EKG only can determine if someone is having a heart attack, and is normal in someone who is having an aortic dissection. You may know that John Ritter passed away later (that same day, actually), also from an aortic dissection (as did the actor Alan Thicke).
Again, I highly doubt this is what's going on with you, but for anyone experiencing chest pain I highly encourage you to ask for an echocardiogram, or at least seek out a 2md opinion from a cardiologist.
As an ER provider who sees chest pain patients all of the time at our STEMI center, I can say that an Echo and cardiology consultation is not indicated for young people with chest pain, no risk factors, and normal EKGs. If we called cardiology on this case, they would laugh at us. There aren’t enough resources to do full cardiac work ups on low risk patients to try to catch one in a million problems. If we did this on all our young low risk chest pains, we would have no room for the very sick and dying or people who are actually having heart attacks. People who are not in health care don’t understand how it works and have very unrealistic expectations. A simple EKG, maybe chest X-ray are the standard of care for young and low risk patients. If his oxygen was low or heart rate persistently elevated, he might warrant a ddimer lab test.
@nooshi713: I currently get care from the VA Boston system and previously got it through VA Miami. My experience is that these VA systems have been generous, perhaps overly generous, with testing. (An exception is for female-specific care - don't get me started, lol.)
I'm 54 and am fairly sure my chest pain is anxiety, but none of my many medical providers will say that definitively, so that increases my anxiety. I had multiple EKGs last year while dealing with an anemia crisis, plus an ECHO for the chest pain. I was offered a stress test but declined because I exercise all the time and my heart never does anything funny (see below) and the particular location, deep in Boston, is very stressful to get to. Also, the pain went away when political and financial situations resolved positively, which lent credence to the anxiety cause of the pain. Now the pain is back, but it could easily be due to new stressors.
I think the stress test lab near me has opened back up, and am willing to go there, but wonder if this is the best test for me.
My cardiologist already cancelled an appt I had earlier this month, July, and his secretary called yesterday to cancel my September reschedule appt. I complained vociferously and she's put a note in about my reoccurrence of chest pain and request for the stress test at the new location.
I have a cardiologist because a few years back I was having more incidences of irregular heartbeat. I wore a monitor for two weeks and nothing unusual was found while exercising. My anemia had also gotten out of control at that time and the frequent irregular heartbeat went away when that resolved.2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 910 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions