I am new to this so I will apologize up front. I am desperate for answers and would appreciate any input, This will be lengthy and very difficult to describe.

4 nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night screaming because of a tearing, ripping, exploding pain shooting through my right breast. It took a few minutes to subside and I fell back to sleep. When I woke in the morning and went to pull myself up as I normally would, this horrific paid came shooting back. I had to slid to the floor to get up.

Let me describe this pain - as I said above it feels as if a knife is tearing thru the middle of my right breast beginning from the side and continuing straight thru to the nipple - it feels as if a 1000 knives are bursting through my breast and stopping the movement does not stop the pain - it continues on its course.

I was sent the next day for a Mamo and ultrasound--both have come back normal. This pain has come back several times (getting out of car; sliding out of a booth, walking too fast which caused bouncing). Yesterday, after being reduced to tears in the parking lot at work, I phoned my internist, who is completely baffled, she said to come right in which I did. She consulted with the neurologist and they both feel the pain I'm describing sounds like the radiating pain associated with shingles, without the rash. MRI of the Thoracic area shows completely normal. He is prescribing an anti-seizure med which I will pick up this morning. I cannot sleep in bed as the pain definitely will return there so I sleep on the couch 1/2 up and use my feet tucked under table to help me get up and even with that it will return if trying to get up from right side. Any use of my upper body muscles ignites the pain.

Has anyone ever heard of anything remotely similar? Thank you all for your help.

I think I had shingles about a year ago, It came on suddenly after flu like symptoms without the fever, but I had blisters all over the lower side of my back and only on the left side. It burned really bad the first night and itched alot. The next day the blisters started to break open and scab over. After after a week a and half it cleared up, but I still have some scars from the blisters. I never went to the dr because it was getting better and I thought it was just bug bites because it was only on one side. I didn't realize until later that it could be shingles. I had the chicken pox as an adult so its possible. I never heard of shingles without the external symptoms. I would check with your gp and maybe get bloodwork done. I hope you feel better soon. Take care.

This sounds frightful....

Did the doctors look for any aneuryisms in your chest?

A dissecting major blood vessel...is an agonizing, tearing feeling.

I hope you find an answer soon!

Bloodwork scheduled for next third after I've started Tegretol today. Thank you for the suggestions.