Horrible pain for 7 years

2019: I felt pain in the left side of my chest while working out at the gym.

2020: It was an extremely stressful year, and the pain began manifesting itself as what felt like heart pain.

2021: After receiving two doses of the COVID vaccine, the intensity of the pain increased and it became constant. I don't know whether there is any connection.

I have visited many different medical specialties, including cardiology, internal medicine, physical therapy, pulmonology, general surgery, and psychiatry. Nothing conclusive has been found.

The pain lasts 24 hours a day. Sometimes pain level is only a 2 or 3 out of 10, while at other times it reaches an 8 or 9 out of 10, making my life absolutely miserable. But one thing is certain: for the past 7 years, I have been experiencing pain 24/7.

I have only recently been referred to an algology (pain management) department. I'm going there this week, but I have very little hope left.

None of the medications I have tried so far have helped: painkillers, muscle relaxants, blood thinners, antidepressants, and so on.

Here are some patterns I have noticed over the years: the pain definitely gets worse when I don't get enough sleep or when I'm under a lot of stress. However, it sometimes intensifies for no apparent reason as well.

The pain feels like stabbing, squeezing, or cutting sensations around my heart, and it radiates toward the left side of my back and front chest.

All the doctors I have seen suspect myalgia, fibromyalgia, or some form of muscular pain. And they say your heart is fine and it cannot be heart related, if it was so, you would be dead already. But I don't care what pain it is, I am just getting shot 24/7 and it is so hard to live like this.

A few things seem to provide temporary relief from time to time: deep, restful sleep, alcohol or mild intoxication, and sometimes even orgasm.

Modern medicine seems to have reached a dead end in my case. All I know is that living with this kind of pain, day in and day out, is incredibly difficult. The thought of having to spend the rest of my life like this is terrifying.

Sorry man, 7 years of this sounds really hard. Good that you're going to pain management this week, respect for not giving up. Hope they finally get you some answers. All the best!

Seven years of constant pain sounds incredibly exhausting. I hope the pain management specialist can offer a new direction. Don't lose hope, sometimes a multidisciplinary approach can make a difference even after years of inconclusive tests.

Damn dude, sorry to hear of your difficulty. Hope something can be found and fixed. Maybe take a gym rest and try something slower like swimming? if you haven't already.

Since you brought up your vax status, do you think it worsened your condition?

I am so sorry you are going through this.
Have you ever been evaluated for gastro issues or nerve related chest pain? sometimes these can cause chest discomfort that feels like heart pain.
I hope the pain management department takes a different approach and helps you find some answers. Please don't lose hope. Wishing you some relief soon.

This might sound strange to people living in well developed countries with good healthcare systems, and I don't know where in the world you're from, but unfortunately, this story reminds me of my own country.

What I mean is that in less developed countries, healthcare can be a real problem.

Sometimes doctors simply fail to recognize what's wrong.

I'll give you a personal example.

My daughter spent almost 12 years of her life barely being able to see out of her left eye, and not a single doctor ever noticed or told us there was a problem.

It wasn't until she told us herself one day that she couldn't even read something a metre in front of her that we realized something was seriously wrong.

We eventually took her to an eye specialist in our capital city, where most of the country's better medical services are concentrated, and that's when we finally found out how bad her eyesight was.

That's why your story reminded me of this.

Maybe I'm wrong, but if you live in a smaller town, especially in a developing country, my advice would be to find a really good specialist, even if they're expensive or far away, and get everything properly checked.

I hope you get the answers and proper care you need.

Does the pain affect your posture, are you able to stand erect? I'm not a physician, but have felt pain in my back, I notice it stepping down whenever I stand erect. However, why are the doctors guessing, I think a proper test will reveal the root of the problem.

I am really sorry you have had to go through this mate.

I sincerely hope the algologist can help diagnose the issue and provide you with long term relief. Please don't give up hope.

Sorry you had to go through so much pain for so many years. I hope everything gets better for you