6.20.2010

my heart... or something around there.

so here's the deal.
 
 
 
for the past few months i've been having "heart pains."
the area where my heart is has been suffering really sharp pains about once or twice a week.
 
everyone told me it was probably from stress.
(yes, 21 credit hours, 30 hours of work a week, and planning a wedding IS stressful.  i do know that.)
 
so i kind of believed them, but didn't really think it was stress because it would start hurting in very non-stressful moments.  (like when i was waking up from a nap, or watching a movie, etc.)
in the midst of the wedding chaos, i didn't really have time to get it checked out.  and part of me thought it would go away after the wedding.
 
but it didn't.
 
 
there we were, in vegas watching the lion king, and my "heart pains" came.  and lasted for two hours.
 
that was it.  lincoln said, "you need to call your doctor."
 
these "heart pains" of mine, by the way, have been occuring for months.  i started to think they had some correlation with what i lovingly call "the BC."  BC stands for Birth Control, or The Pill.  i didn't remember having these "heart pains" before i started to take the BC.
 
so i started researching.  yep, very rare, but very serious side effect of the pill.
(but isn't that the case with MOST perscriptions?)
 
so i called my doc.  and made an appointment.
just to make sure it wasn't that very rare, but very serious side effect from the BC.
 
 
tuesday came.  my doc listened and told me to breathe and poked and pushed.
and said,
 
"i think you might have costochondritis."
 
sounds serious right?
 
 
 
well, turns out it's not. 
 
costochondritis is an inflammation of a rib or the cartilage connecting a rib and can be mistaken for heart attack pain.  and there doesn't seem to be a known cause.
 
the condition is most common in children and adolescents, and occurs more frequently in females than males.
 
 
 
so that's what she thinks i have.  and i'm hoping she's right because it's treatable with a generic antiinflammatory and can go away on it's own.
 
she said if doesn't go away with the antiinflammatory then come back for more diagnosis.
 
meanwhile, i've been suffering stabbing heart pains for the last two days.

not fun.
 
i also worked my regular job (30 hours) plus my internship (23 hours) which totals to a whopping 53 hours.
and our apartment is still a unpacked mess.


needless to say, i am tired.

very very tired.




there's my very-long-not-that-interesting-story about my what-feels-just-like-a-heart-attack pains.

12 comments:

Spratt said...

I get those sometimes too, but mine don't last nearly that long. Also, I'm pretty sure "BC" isn't a factor in my chest pains...

kara lynn said...

i am so glad to know i am not the only girl suffering from these stabbing heart pains. i have been having them worse and worse the last few months. and so maybe i should go and get them checked out as well.

i hope your go away with your new meds!

chelle kantonen said...

I came across your blog awhile ago, but first time leaving a comment. I have costochondritis. I have had it for about 4 years. The pain comes and goes. What a relief it is to know that it isn't anything serious. Hope the pain goes away quickly for you!

Gretchen said...

I had that happen before my wedding as well, but mine were from stress! I was glad that I went to the doctor to get checked out just to make sure it wasn't something more serious. Glad to hear that you're okay!

Anonymous said...

JALENE! This might have something to do with scoliosis, but I'm not 100% sure. All I know is that exact same thing happens to me occasionally - stabbing pains in my heartular area. Each time I tell my mom, "I'm having a heart attack." Mine doesn't happen as regularly as yours though, so I'm sorry. My theory is that it has something to do with our organs being squished in an abnormal way do to the crookedness of our spines...I'm sorry you're not feeling well though and that you have so much on your plate. :P

kristen kathleen said...

Hey Jalene - I don't think I've ever commented on your blog before, but I'm a frequent viewer. =) First off, congrats on your recent marriage! It was fun following along virtually in all your planning and from the pics I've seen, it looked beautiful. Secondly, I totally feel your pain with the costochondritis. I was in the MTC when those heart pains started up and it TOTALLY freaked me out. I honestly thought a heart attack was imminent. Ended up in the hospital for a few hours - great way to start a mission. But, just as you mentioned, it wasn't/hasn't been a big deal since I figured out what the cause was. So sorry you've had to deal with the chest pains, but hopefully it'll get better soon. Cheers!

kristin brown said...

oh man that stinks. :( i'm glad it's not heart attacks.

Callie Ann said...

I had those SAME pains.
...looked it up and it sounds just like angina. I don't know if it was, but it went away magically on it's own.

Good luck with yours.
:)

jessica renae said...

i'm so sorry! i hate yucky health scares like that, but i'm glad that it looks like something semi-not-serious and that might just go away! take a nap for crying out loud! it'll probably be good for your ribs... and your heart! :)

Rebekah V. said...

What a scary feeling. I hope it all gets resolved so you can have atleast one thing taken off of your plate!

♥tori. said...

ha, this is so wierd because i don't even know you but i stumbled across your blog from haley scadlocks...anyhow, i have that stupid condition too!! i had to go to the er last year for the EXACT thing and they told me i had that too...i thought i was dying but they told me i had that dang virus too!

♥tori. said...

ha, this is so wierd because i don't even know you but i stumbled across your blog from haley scadlocks...anyhow, i have that stupid condition too!! i had to go to the er last year for the EXACT thing and they told me i had that too...i thought i was dying but they told me i had that dang virus too!