Brief Chest Pain Every Couple Minutes

Hi B.~

I didn't have this while pregnant but I have been to the emergency room several times because of pain that I thought was cardiac related. I have problems with an irregular heart beat and to be completely honest it scares me when I start having "odd" feelings and sensations.

The last doctor I saw in the ER told me something that I had not been told by others. He said that cardiac pain doesn't happen for seconds. I have pain under my left breast too, sometimes followed by light headed feeling. Anyway, he said that if I had chest pain lasting 15 minutes or longer it was an issue. He never made me feel bad for coming in, but was trying to help me recognize what true cardiac issues are. Every ER I've been to (4) would run tests, finding nothing and I would feel like a crazy person. Basically he told me if the pain lasted 15 minutes or longer or if I had trouble breathing along with chest pain to never ignore that. He was more concerned about a blood clot than heart issues because I was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome when I was pregnant (blood clotting issue). He reinforced that if I was concerned to come in that it's always better to be checked out. If they were unable to see anything abnormal while you were hooked up to all the machines, that's a good thing even though it's frustrating to not be able to determine a cause for the pain you're feeling :)

I don't blame you for contacting your regular doctor and chiropractor. It may be the way the baby is situated and is causing distress in your body. Either way I hope you figure out what's going on.

Blessings!

L.

Does it continue when your bra is off? I had similar pain, and it was because I needed a bigger bra. I had many other mystery aches and pains during pregnancy, and happily they all resolved themselves after I delivered. Since it's not your heart, there's probably not much your regular doctor can do for you, since most meds are off-limits during pregnancy. They'll probably say Tylenol for pain, and rest in case it's a muscle pull. Your best bet is probably the chiropractor. Everything tends to get out of whack during pregnancy. Hope it resolves soon!

I am not sure what this could be. But when it doubt, check it out! Go to the ER and have them see you. Best wishes!

M

We're not doctors, and if we were, there is no way to examine you through wi-fi, just go to the birth center or where ever you go after hours with these matters, and let them tell you it's nothing. That's their job.

Could be gas, the baby's foot sticking you wrong, or an effect of pre-eclampsia, there is no way for us to know. Chest pain, IMO, is nothing to mess with.

I have had the exact same thing. I went into complete anxiety which only made matters worse. I went to the er and they did an ekg chest xray and echo. All came back normal. I had been doing a new work out the week before and they said it was a pulled muscle. I would try and relax take deep breaths, if it continues call your dr. But the er does not mess around when it comes to the heart. They would never have let you leave if they thought for a second something was wrong. But def do what makes you more at ease. Congrats on your upcoming arrival.

If you are worried, you can't go wrong by going to the ER.

However, being that you were having the exact same pain while you were IN the ER and they were monitoring your heart during that time and saw nothing unusual, I would give a little credence to their comments that it may be heartburn.
Have you ever had heartburn before? I had NEVER had it, until about 2-3 years ago. Not even when I was pregnant with my kids. But when I finally did have symptoms that could not be ignored, I really thought I might have been having a heart attack. In hindsight, I would have been smarter to have gone to the ER to get checked out, but the reality is that it was nothing--just heartburn. Which doesn't seem like "nothing" sometimes. I ended up having everything checked at my regular doctor a few days later. They said heartburn and put me on prilosec for 2 months straight. It solved the issue.

Now, I know what the symptoms are (the really super MILD symptoms, that I'd had before but didn't recognize as heartburn at all)...and I know what to do and not do to make them go away before I have full on heartburn, and do damage to my esophagus.

And yes, sometimes it is just an odd little quirky feeling in my chest, that comes and goes. When it was BAD, I was sore in my back for several days... felt like someone had poked me really HARD with a stiff finger or a stick, right in the back of my shoulder blades, and they didn't release the pressure, just kept poking. Sitting, standing, moving around didn't relieve it.

I'd say, while you are debating what to do, to take some Tums and eat a saltine cracker. Don't drink soda (or anything carbonated) or anything acidic (OJ, tomato sauce, pizza) or fried. And keep your meals small, too.

Hope you get it resolved safely and feel better. :)