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Had Chest Pain Between Breast Radiated Throughout Stomach. Had Passed Motion Within That Time. What Could Be This?

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Posted on Fri, 28 Jun 2013
Question: I had chest pain this morning directly between my breast and it radiated throughout my stomach, mainly in the upper abdomin. This lasted for almost 2 hours. I also passed motion 2 times within that time. The first was normal and the second was more loose. And then all of a sudden the pain went away...maybe 45 min after the second loose motion. What could this be? I am a 37 year old woman. The pains were kind of like stabbing pains.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (32 minutes later)
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Chest pain, abdominal pain (usually in the upper right area) and stool problems can be caused by gallstones. Due to this condition also nausea and vomiting can be present. The pain is usually triggered by fatty foods, spicy foods, fried foods and alcohol. It can suddenly come and go.

Other possible reason of such symptoms is small intestine partial obstruction. Due to such situation, food can not pass freely and causes such symptoms until the stool wont be excreted. Such obstruction can be caused by abdominal adhesion (more possible if any abdominal surgery were in the past) or inflammatory bowels disease.

I suggest you to visit your doctor and start with some basic tests. Abdominal ultrasound, blood work and liver tests should be done.

In a meanwhile please avoid spicy foods, fatty foods and alcohol.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (51 minutes later)
Thanks for your answer....a little more information.
Well, i don't eat fatty foods. I have been on a very low fat lifestyle since January of this year. I thought I had MS and when I did some research on it many think that saturated fat can directly be related. So I cut out fatty foods. I get very little saturated fat in a day, and unsatured at that. No butter, cheeses, very little milk, no fried foods. Anything high in saturated fat I avoid. I do have some olive oil but that is about it. I probably am around 15-20 g saturated fat a day 60 g unsaturated. Before I went through a lifestyle change I ate a lot of butter and cheese, chocolate etc...
I don't drink or smoke and I rarely eat spicy foods.
The pain was not directly on the upper right hand side....it was in the whole upper area and sometimes in the lower abdomin andin my chest especially between my breasts right under rib cage.
This woke me out of my sleep at 5:30 in the morning. I did not eat late at night before I went to bed so it can't be from eating a heavy meal before I went to sleep ( I know you didn't suggest it, I am just saying). When I did some research online, I looked at symptoms for heart attack which slightly fit this. I did not have any arm or back pain though just chest and abdominal. Could this be heart related?
Thanks
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (2 hours later)
Heart issue is always possible. But you are a young person, have no chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, do not smoke so heart issue like ischemic heart disease is hardly possible at your case.

Typical heart ischemic pain is in the left chest, radiates to the left arm or jaw. Fear of death appears (this is very characteristic), shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating. The pain is burning like or squeezing (never localized in one point and never sharp). Abdominal pain can appear as well.

So in my opinion it is not a heart issue. And no way heart can cause loose motion.

The stones could get created before lifestyle change. Fatty foods are not necessary to cause the pain (it can do that, but sometimes pain can appear for no reason).

Abdominal ultrasound will tell if there are any stones or not. Liver tests and pancreas amylase should be checked as well. I suggest you to start with it.
If the heart condition is worrying you, ask your doctor to perform heart ECG.

If an ultrasound will be negative, than you should keep looking. Gastroenterologist should property guide you to the correct diagnose.

Hope this will help.
Regards.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
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Dr. Grzegorz Stanko

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 5795 Questions

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Had Chest Pain Between Breast Radiated Throughout Stomach. Had Passed Motion Within That Time. What Could Be This?

Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Chest pain, abdominal pain (usually in the upper right area) and stool problems can be caused by gallstones. Due to this condition also nausea and vomiting can be present. The pain is usually triggered by fatty foods, spicy foods, fried foods and alcohol. It can suddenly come and go.

Other possible reason of such symptoms is small intestine partial obstruction. Due to such situation, food can not pass freely and causes such symptoms until the stool wont be excreted. Such obstruction can be caused by abdominal adhesion (more possible if any abdominal surgery were in the past) or inflammatory bowels disease.

I suggest you to visit your doctor and start with some basic tests. Abdominal ultrasound, blood work and liver tests should be done.

In a meanwhile please avoid spicy foods, fatty foods and alcohol.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.