Phanthom pains around the heart ??
 

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone has info on the Heart, or problems with "Phanthom pains" .
My father has a pacemaker and has had open heart surgery in 1971.
He has just has his Gallbladder removed thinking that it might be the answer, but wasn't and he has been experincing pains that feel like a heart attack, but more like shooting pains the heart ,wall area ?

I am trying to find some help ion this issue, if anyone has maybe something close to his please let me know.

Thanks,
Valerie

Better to be safe
 

Oops...
 

painz
 

Hi there.. He has seen every Dr. he has a great Cardio, and they say it is NOT the heart. But the pains are around the heart area. I was told the Pacemaker couldn't be removed once in place ? I was wondering about chest wall inflamation??

Thanx
 

Thanx for the insight, I still feel it is the chest wall also maybe aggrivated somehow... It is so hard for my Dad because he lives in Fl and I am in Mass. But, I thought I would try to see if anyone elase suffers or heard of this..

There are
 

a lot of possibilities for this pain.

The cardiac one is the most obvious. But following gall bladder surgery, many
people get sluggish duct and bile flow, as a side effect. The spasm of the duct can feel like it is referring to the heart area.

Also some gall bladder patients are prone to gas, and sharp gas pains can be very confusing too. A trial of Gas-X may help, to eliminate this possibility.
People vary in their tolerance to certain foods, following gall bladder surgery. And also large meals can be very problematic. High fat, and garlic seem to be the most common mentioned to me over the years.

So it is best to check with the doctor...since many possibilities exist for your
FIL.

Take care.

Tietze's Syndrome
 

Hello, Valerie,

As I was reading your post, Tietze's Syndrome came into my head and that your father's chest pain may not be phantom at all.

Tietze's Syndrome is presented as chest pain from damage to the chest or inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs. The pain mimics cardiac symptoms, even to the extent of traveling down the arm and up into the jaw in some people, so in almost every case, it is misinterpreted as cardiac pain or a heart attack. When nothing cardiac can be found, the patient is frequently dismissed with, "It's in your head," or "phantom pain from the surgery." In the process, the patient is scared half to death with cardiac-like pain and no answers.

It can be a one-time inflammation that resolves itself or a chronic problem without inflammation readily evident. What struck me even more in your father's case is the cardiac surgery he had, which involved cracking open the sternum and retracting the ribs. If ever there was a trauma to the chest, that one leads the list.

I'm surely not a doctor or a diagnostician, but I thought this might be something to consider in your relentless search for answers. My guess is that an orthopedic doc was not on the referral list, and that's the one I'd start with if I were in your position.

I hope you find some answers.

TCC

The pain can be coming from myofascial trigger points (knots in the muscle and or connective tissue) in the chest.
Take a look at the following link
http://www.triggerpoints.net/_sgt/m1m1_1.htm

Front of Shoulder Pain
Specifically: Sternalis, Scaleni, Pectoralis major (2nd picture), and Pectoralis minor.
You can try to push lightly with one finger tip on the areas with the X and hold for 30 seconds to see if this reproduces the pain. If so hold until the pain reduces. You may also seek out a qualified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist or trained massage therapist.

Good luck.

Update
 

Hi all.. Pain free, thanx for the link also,Cyrstal thanks Ihave checked into that.
There is an update and more to the story.
My father suffered a fall off a short ladder 2 months ago, had a head injury ( did CAT and was neg. bad contusions and shoulder pain of course !)
Well, yesterday, He saw his Cardio and the Ortho: the shoulder pains is a torn Rotator Cuff: BUT, the Phantom Pains have been there before this fall, and this fall just aggrivated the chest, arm, pains.The Cardio swears it is not the heart causing the pains. He does still have dizzy spells from the fall. (to be expected)
I know I am reading into alot becasuse he is my father, but I am the only one (Child) and being so far away (not for long) makes me crazy.
He was one of 10 of the first in the country to have Open Heart Surgery perfromed at Mass. General in Boston(1970: 27 yrs. old ) and they told him that he wouldn't live much longer than 10-15 years back then.. Wonderous how we have all made strides in that area, my dad is still alive:) and he is strong...

Ouch....
 

HI Dolphinz,

Thank you for updating us! I'm so sorry your father has a torn rotator cuff. I had this in my right shoulder and had surgery two years ago and this past May, I had surgery on my left shoulder for the same thing. Both surgeries were a complete success, so I am hoping the same will go for your father. I'm glad the cardio checked again and made sure the chest pain wasn't his heart. We can be thankful for that. I do wish him all the best.
Love,
Linda :)

Dolfins...

These pains your father has. Are they always localized in the exact area of the heart itself, or do they seem to move from place to place?

Are they very sharp pains that come on suddenly, or dull ones that build up gradually?

Does the act of swallowing, especially taking very small sips of water, seem to alter or alleviate the pain?

I ask this because there is a condition where it is possible to get a type of hernia in the chest cavity where tiny air bubbles can actually get inside the chest wall and cause sharp, almost excruciating pain. It usually comes on suddenly and can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. Drinking a glass of water in VERY small sips usually helps. The act of working the esophagal muscles works the air bubble around until it finally finds a way out. I know it sounds strange, but it's a condition I've lived with off and on for nearly my whole life, and it can seem scary sometimes.

Whatever it is that's ailing your father, I hope he finds some answers soon and rids himself of his pain.

Best of wishes...
Idealist

sounds like my Dad
 

Idealist, some of the symptoms you list my father has experienced. Some I would have to talk with him. What is this conditon called ? Thank you for posting I will check into and give an update...:)

Yes, they usually around the heart. Sharp pains that come on suddenly and stay for a while. He gets sweaty and pains like he is having a heart attack. The sipping of water I don't know but I will ask.
As far as a hernia, I don't know the Cardio said nothing wrong with the heart or the area. But seems real close to what he goes thru.
Thank You

No problem, Dolfinz. I wish I could help more. All I know myself, from doing lots of research and talking to a lot of doctors, is that it's a type of hiatal hernia. It can be extremely small, and next to impossible to find, because it won't show up in any type of x-ray or scan. There is no foreign object or noticeable deformity there, just a very tiny pin-hole that sometimes lets through air.

I've found that when I get the pain, it is sometimes accompanied by an urge to burp. But there are no triggers for the pain as far as I can tell. It doesn't matter if I'm exerting myself, or lying quietly in bed. It comes when it comes, and it can be very excruciating. It's usually toward the center of my chest, which puts it in the area of the heart, but sometimes I do feel it more to the right side of my breast bone. I do get sweaty palms and such, but I think that's a normal reaction to severe chest pain of any kind.

I hope your father solves his mystery and gets better soon...

Idealist

Thanx
 

Thanx idealist.. I knwo my Dad is still have the pains, but not quite as bad. He had his Gallbladder removed in July.. thinking that might be the source.. Thank You for all comenting on this it has given me some new insight...

Update on Dad
 

Hi everyone.. Thanks again for all the help. I talked with my Dad today. He went to the Cardio Wednesday(Nov.1) and they "tweaked" his pacemaker and he has not had any pain since.
He has been slowly getting back into his life and seems to doing o.k. So I think that was what it was, now he has had these pains for about a year and no one knew it might of been his pacemaker... Well knock on wood everyone and Thank You all..
Dolfinz

Oh Dolphinz,

That's great news! I am so glad they finally found the problem and fixed it. It's just a shame that he had to suffer and go through gall bladder surgery for a year or more.

Thank you for letting us know as we do care what happens. I hope from this point on, he has pain free days.

Love,
Linda :)