I actually do have this problem as well. It scared me too, and being as young as i am, i was hoping there were no heart problems. But my doctor told me he thinks it's an more of an anxiety thing. So this possibly could be the answer to your problem? Not sure though, so keep my updated :)

love & hugs!

If you've been to the doctor and they ruled out heart, problems, there's a good chance it could be myofascial pain where the muscles get knots in them that refer pain elsewhere. it can manifest in literally dozens if not hundreds of ways. This is a link to an article discussing this by Dr. Devin Starlanyl, an ER doctor who has fibro:

http://homepages.sover.net/~devstar/phsympt.htm

A couple of other great myofascial resources are triggerpointbook.com, and triggerpoints.net. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook has literally made my life bearable as I was in one degree of pain or another for years on end until I learned about myofascial pain and started doing trigger point massage. Now I'm not in pain about 85% of the time. I use an electric handheld percussion massager to do the trigger point massage on myself. I prefer it as it glides easily over clothes, and I can use it for extended periods of time when need be.

My sister had similar pains that she was later told were two heart attacks by a doctor friend of hers. She was hospitalized several times with this but they never found anything. I'm sure it was caused my myofascial pain.

Try some aspercream.

I sometimes get chest pains too, and was at the doctors a little while back and they checked my heart and lungs and found they were okay. Sometimes I think it is anxiety, my bad sinuses and allergies, muscle, or my stomach acting up. I get scared sometimes about it too.

Yep, that's fibro, at least for me. I get terrible shooting pains that are a result of my upper back or even neck muscles getting bad. So far in this flare-up, not so much, but yep, have had it.

You can also pop cartilege between your ribs due to anxiety. I think it's spelled costochondritis. I went to the ER sure it was a heart attack, turned out to be the chondritis. so that may be a possibility. Check with your doc, absolutely.

Good luck!

Yes, I have also experienced chest pain with this. I think this is the scariest part of fibro. I rather have joint pain any day then chest pain. Sometimes it even wakes me up in the middle of the night. It feels like muscle contractions/spasms. Wish there was something we could do about it. Sometimes I feel like a sitting duck just waiting for some type of treatment to help all of us. We all need to just hang in there!! I pray that our day will be here when we can all live a normal life.

I do as well. Dr ruled out any cardiac issues with me.

I get the same thing and you would think after 30 years I would be used to it. I was 10 years old when my mom took me to the doctors for chest pain. I remember sitting in the room and one of the nurses was just outside my room saying she had a 10 year old kid having symptoms of a heart attack. Everything checked out fine as usual. The same thing happened last year and I got taken off in an ambulance. They checked out my heart and it is great but after a bunch of other appointments diagnosed me with Fibro. So much makes since now.

I having been having them again and I am asking myself the same question. The weird part is I am happy when it hurts on the right side because then I know it is not my heart.

I have costochondritis and although I am not feeling the shooting pain right now, I have in the past and it does or can mimic the pain of a heart attack. Because heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, I would want to be sure, and so should your doctor, IMHO. I'm not sure what your doctor did before saying it is a strain, but my doctor did an EKG right then at my appt and scheduled me for an echo and and EEG, to make sure.
Hugs and best wishes

Yes its costochondritis, part of fibro for some of us. Its inflammation of the chestwall. Mine has gotten so bad when I overdo, I even have gotten short of breath, Been to ER twice thinking it was my heart but it wasnt.
Touch beside your sternum or your rib cage, if is painful its costo.

I have put heated rice packs on my chest and ribs across the sides and back,. it helps

Thank you so much.I'm sooo sorry for your pain but reading all of this assures me it's not in my head. I to have been both to a doctor as well the er because I thought I was having a heart attack. To top it off I have the jaw pains which also go along with a female heart attack. There is always this thought "What if it is a heart attack this time?"

Thank you all for your responses. They were very informative on the topic and did some research. I does sound similar to myofasical or the other one mentioned that I can't spell LOL! Again, thanks for all your help and shedding some light on this issue for me.

i've been to the ER twice thinking my chest pains were heart attacks, the first time it was plurisy, the 2nd time its was costo.

i've had plurisy a few times and i just remember what i did the last time, i take anti inflammitories and if the pain is really bad my vicoden and not lift anything until the pain is gone

if its costo the same plus a heating pad is nice, with the costo i get shortness of breath longer

i would go to the ER if your chest pain is different than ever before

i learn as i go, now if i don't think its anxiety, plurisy or costo i go in, or if my home care isn't cutting it when it comes to pain i call the nurse line or make an appoint with the doc, if i feel like i pain is just too unbearable and i'm gonna die go to the i go to the ER but alot of the time i get treated as a drug seeker when i go in with plurisy because i've had it before and i have pain meds at home so beware of that one. it could be my age though