25 years
I have this weird discomforting feeling in my chest that starts from my throat downward. It's like heavy breathing or I can't seem to be able to take a deep breath as if I smoked a pack of cigarettes.
Oct 11, 2014
Taking into consideration your young age and assuming that you are not a heavy smoker and do not have any serious underlying medical condition, three possible explanations come to mind: gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), costochondritis, and anxiety.
1- GERD: this condition results from stomach acid refluxing back into the esophagus (the tube that connects the throat to the stomach). What happens is that there's a ring-like muscle sphincter that usually prevents this from happening; in some people it becomes loose and thus doesn't do its job properly. Symptoms include a sensation of lump in the throat, heartburn, chest discomfort/pain just behing the chest bone, food regurgitation, a sour taste in the mouth especially upon waking up in the morning, frequent clearing of the throat and frequent choking while eating, hoarseness, and sometimes cough. It could also be accompanied by dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
Treatment is based on dietary and lifestyle modifications, including sleep with the head elevated around 45 degrees, avoid dietary items like caffeine (including coffee and chocolate), mint, spices, garlic, tomato sauce. If no improvement is noted, medications that decrease stomach acid secretion may be required.
2- Costochondritis: inflammation of the joints (cartilage) where the ribs attach to the chest bone; pain is typically sharp, sometimes burning, gets worse with breathing and with moving the chest. It's usually self-limited; pain killers can be used to alleviate the pain.
3- Anxiety: significant stress can produce chest tightness and shortness of breath, usually concomitantly with palpitations (elevated heart rate) and restlessness. Avoiding the triggers of stress is necessary, meditation exercises are helpful.
1- GERD: this condition results from stomach acid refluxing back into the esophagus (the tube that connects the throat to the stomach). What happens is that there's a ring-like muscle sphincter that usually prevents this from happening; in some people it becomes loose and thus doesn't do its job properly. Symptoms include a sensation of lump in the throat, heartburn, chest discomfort/pain just behing the chest bone, food regurgitation, a sour taste in the mouth especially upon waking up in the morning, frequent clearing of the throat and frequent choking while eating, hoarseness, and sometimes cough. It could also be accompanied by dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
Treatment is based on dietary and lifestyle modifications, including sleep with the head elevated around 45 degrees, avoid dietary items like caffeine (including coffee and chocolate), mint, spices, garlic, tomato sauce. If no improvement is noted, medications that decrease stomach acid secretion may be required.
2- Costochondritis: inflammation of the joints (cartilage) where the ribs attach to the chest bone; pain is typically sharp, sometimes burning, gets worse with breathing and with moving the chest. It's usually self-limited; pain killers can be used to alleviate the pain.
3- Anxiety: significant stress can produce chest tightness and shortness of breath, usually concomitantly with palpitations (elevated heart rate) and restlessness. Avoiding the triggers of stress is necessary, meditation exercises are helpful.
•
