My Personal Fear

[Carleen]

Malou,

Please get it checked out. It is probably nothing more than stress and anxiety.

I too feel many of those same symptoms. I get really bad muscle knots in my neck that cause tingling in my arms and pain in my neck shoulders, shoulder blades and chest. Sometimes it feels like I am having a heart attack. But what it actually is is tension on the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This muscle attaches to the sternum wraps up around your clavicals and around your neck to attach at the opposite side of the back of your head. It is mean to turn your head side to side, but when it is tight or has knots it causes chest pain, neck crooks, and nerve compression. All in all, it can easily be caused by stress (which we all know you have plenty of, as do all of us) and anxiety.

So, please don't worry, but just to be on the safe side get it checked out. Hey even if it is just muscular they can give you something to ease muscle tension and help you gain comfort so you can better care for your hubby.

Love and warm hugs,

Carleen

[Andrea]

Go get yourself checked for peace of mind.

Can you palpatate teh pain? Meaning that if you touch a certain area of the cehst wall, it is tender? I was told that is from tension and was the cause of my chest pains.

I myself am the queen of anxiety and neurosis and physically related symptoms. It is almost embarassing to list all at once so I won't. You can PM me if you ever want to talk about the fears. They can be all encompassing.

[myrnalu]

Definatly go get it checked out for your own peace of mind.You would be surprised what stress can do

[mrhodes]

Hi, there.

Just wanted to chime in because the stabbing pains and tingling you mention (as well as neck and back pain) were all "symptoms" I had been experiencing for over a year after my husband's diagnosis. I went to the doctor last February (making sure to let him know I thought I had cancer and was dying), and he did a chest x-ray and an MRI on my back. Nothing wrong.

The situation continued, so he finally perscribed an anti-anxiety medication (Xanax). Since then, no back pain, no chest pain and very little numbness/tingling. I feel "normal" to a certain degree. I agree with everyone to ease your mind and be sure to let the doc know how much you have had to deal with.

Melinda

[KerryToo]

I just went through the exact same thing. We lost all 4 of our parents in the last 5 years to LC. After the last of our wonderful parents died, I thought that just *maybe* we would be free of worrying about LC.

Turns out that my worries went into overdrive. I have been anxious that every ache and pain in my chest and back were signs that I had LC. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, (face my worst fear) but I went and got an x-ray. I can't tell you the huge relief it has been to know that my aches and pains were not LC, but anxiety. (and whom would blame me?). My primary doctor seems to think that I'll worry about brain or colon cancer next week - and I don't appreciate that at all. You would think that someone that has lost so many to a particular cancer in the last 5 years would not be treated like they were worrying about "the cancer of the week".

I really find it comforting to know that I am not "crazy" but that being a caregiver has its after effects. (Almost like Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome)

Reduce your stress and worries and get checked out. It made a world of difference in my attitude and ability "to go on". I wish you WELL.

KerryToo

[Sparx]

Malou, I had the same symptoms too, along with extreme fatigue. Went to the doc's, she did blood work and it came back that I was peri-menopausal! I'm only 40! I thought it was from the stress of my mothers illness. So PLEASE go get it checked out!

Wendy