Feeling Tightness In Chest, Shortness Of Breath And Heaviness In Head. Proper Diagnosis?

Posted on Mon, 24 Dec 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 Answered on

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : so i've been to my own doctor 3 times in the last 4 months trying to figure out what wrong with my chest and i can't seem to get to the bottom of it. I had a chest x XXXXXXX and holter monitor test done on my chest. My symtoms are a tightness under both arms and almost in a circular motion through the sternum and the underneath both pecs. i get a weird feeling just below my clavicle in the centre and the in my solar plex area another type of weird feeling. Then i get another weird feeling on the lower part of the middle inside of my left pec. I feel like i can't get a XXXXXXX enough breath sometimes and its almost a slightly laboured breathing pattern. When I cough it gives a slight respite. The very occasionally i get an overwhelming feeling in my left chest as if its a pain or im gonna have a heart attack but never develops further. I had blood tests done which said my heart was ok. Its tense and tight and Im really fed up of it and want to be the way I used to be again. I have over the past 4 months experienced other things such as lightheadedness, reduced concentration and blurrier vision than normal and physical and mental fatigue

Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (11 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Welcome to healthcare Magic!
Three four months time is sufficiently long time I think you should have a solution by now, your work up seems a bit inadequate to me.
The shortness of breath, chest discomfort, uneasiness and a heaviness in head can be caused by a hypertensive episodes, a failing cardiac function, hyper-reactive airways, bronchial asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a respiratory infection of chronic nature or an anxiety state.
Blood tests are poorly sensitive for milder cardiac problems.
I would suggest you to get a blood investigation Complete blood counts, Renal function tests, CRP, ECHO, ECG and review to a physician of your locality for a physical examination. Mean while give a trial to inhalation therapy with levosalbutamol and beclomethasone nebulisation and see if the symptoms respond drastically in 2-3 days, it would be indicative of a respiratory cause if so.
Please put a follow up query with the reports.

I hope the advise would be informative and useful for you.
Take Care!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar