Chest pain, and updates

Hi All,

It had been quite a while I did not post here.  Life has been going on good after the last scare of low hb nearly 4 years back. It has more or less rebounded until recently.  I took on qigong exercise when my problem first surfaced.  I find that it really helps with the energy level and it raised up my hb to 9+, its not high but sufficiently good to maintain on the energy level.  I have afternoon power naps which is an energy boost to help me through to the night.

A year and a half ago,I am battling with tinnitus.  At first when I told the hematologist about my problem, I was sent to the ENT clinic for assessment.  Instead of helping with me with my tinnitus, I was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis.  I was battling with it without knowing it and it was what I thought as having "flu" and congestion.  The doctor suggest that there are nothing I could do with the tinnitus and told me to get on my life.  They also suggest it could be something that's the nerve that's triggering it.  Now I had a nasal spray(steriod) to cope with it.

Then come another shocking discovery, the gynaecologist discovered there is a small growth in my uterus and I had bleeding on and off and done every test imaginable and the findings are still unconclusive.  One gave the opinion it was a cyst, another said it was a fibroid and the funny part is sometimes, it was in the scan, and in another month its not in the scan.  To solve the problem, the gynaecologist decides that I should take a synthetic drug hormonal drug, Provera for 3 months.  The 3 months was the worst that I had. I had weird period, bloating, depression, lethargy and not to mentioned I gained a lot of weight.  Once the 3 months was done, I vowed never to take it again.  The gynaecologist suggested that I continued with the drug, seeing good result(less bleeding, no growth).  I told the her I will not take the drug again, there are more side effect that I am experiencing so now I am back to periodical follow up just to be safe.  The worst fear, Cancer!

In May I contracted a bad cough, which come and goes so I went to the doctor.  He said its bronchitis.  After taking antibiotics, I don't really seem to see the much effects taking place but it does get through after 3 months of bad cough coupled with allergic rhinitis and a bad haze in the country.  However this bronchitis has brought me to a new level.   After the bronchitis is gone(I hope) I had non-stop mouth sores or bad sore throat that goes on and off every 2 weeks since May.

I still have some cough but the doctor I saw in the hematology clinic said it could be post-nasal drip. Unfortunately the chest pain did not leave.  Coupled with a bad gastric, allergy and constant body ache and pain, I am really worried.  I feel tired all the time coupled with giddiness.  The doctor gave me a test slip for echo test but that will not happen until 3 months later when I am due to the hematology clinic again.  I felt so breathless climbing the stairs. First floor is fine, 2nd floor I feel my legs are really heavy and I am puffing and 3rd floor I am really breathless.  My Hb is 9.5 yesterday so I don't think it is the hb because I normally cope well with this.  The chest pain feels like angina, spreading to my left arm.  Sometimes both my arms and fingers feel tingling.  I feel a lot comfortable when I took in a deep breath or beating the chest when the pain struck.  I am worried because this also happens at rest.  Once I had a tiring episode(such as climbing the 3 floor stairs to my office, driving), I must rest to recover.  I am also battling brain fog and a constant forgetfulness i.e I could not remember what I want to take from the fridge despite I it was just moments ago I was thinking about it.

I am only worried about 3 things.  COPD, PHT and the less of the meanest hormonal imbalance.  Any supplements that anyone can recommend?  I am taking folic acid, vitamin E, calcium, mecobalamin(for the nerve, its Vit B12), fish oil, evening primerose oil, green tea capsule from GNC.  My ferritin is back to normal a year ago and this year I check again it was a little higher than normal so I increase my green tea. My cholestrol level is normal, even bilirubin surprisingly gone, maybe after doing a course of massage therapy.  I have arranged for a massage therapy next week, which I hope helps. .  The massage helps to improve the blood circulation and the lady who was doing it has the finger to feel and tell me what's wrong with the body when she work out the body's nerves.  Most of the time she is right.  She did told me I had may have problem with the heart and not to exert myself.

Anyone can share their experience and insights on this?  Your imput is most appreciated.  It will be best to hear from fellow thal members.  I think most of the time doctors only act when the disease has crept up which is not fair to us.  If we could avoid it in the first place, we will not have to treat it.

Thanks a lot!

When you breathe deeply, can you fully expand your lungs without pain? I have seen symptoms like this before in a thal minor who had extramedullary hematopoiesis, which is a mass of red blood cells grown outside the bone marrow, most often in the abdomen cavity. This grows in response to low Hb, as the body tries to grow red cells outside the bone marrow, because the bone marrow efforts are insufficient. If the mass is near the lungs, it can grow to press on the lungs, restricting lung expansion and giving asthma like symptoms. Perhaps the masseuse could feel the area around your lungs and diaphragm and see if any internal mass is felt.

Dear Andy,

Thank you for responding. 

There are no pain with the lung when I expand it but I feel extremely tired especially my heart which occurs on and off, with headaches, giddiness, stuffiness which feels better with deep breath.  It feels like having a fever but the thermometer never reaches more than 37.8C.  Lower leg a little oedema, there are marks when I press it but other places are fine.  Bad post-nasal drip which don't get relieved with Avamys fluticasone furoate(nasal spray suspension). Achy body and joints.  Thirsty all the time.  Can't sleep especially with bad tinnitus that doesn't leave and can't breathe well.  Really sucks.  Feels like running to ER to be sent home with nothing on findings.  I won't due with the ENT clinic till 2 weeks later.

I can't go to for the massage yet till I finished my period that is the rule that she gave.  So now I am stuck with only option of reading and get depressed.

Thanks Andy!

Dear Andy,

Just an update.  After a lousy 2 days prior to this, I was having a lousy night and even contemplating of stopping by ER but I did not and went with a fitful sleep.  My husband finally took me to a TCM practitioner because I cannot make up my decision to stop at the ER yesterday.  I was given some pills which the Chinese Doctor said I am full of "wind" which is causing this problem.  This morning I finally get my massage from my massage therapist.   The therapist that I went to was not the normal massage therapist but someone with some acupuncture knowledge and she works on the body's nerve system.

She told me a few things. She said it is right that I had a lot of "wind" issues. I also had gastric issues but the wind and gastric was blew out of proportion.  I get this because of eating wrong food.  She said I should not eat jackfruit and tofu which I had eaten a week ago. I hadn't had jackfruit for a long long time.  This upset my body system causing the headache and giddiness.  These is a lot of "acid" in the body and I had weak liver and heart that is why it is causing the chest and breathing problem.  She said no masses or tumor, she cannot feel it.   She also felt "bubbles" at the lower spine and this is important to be looked at because once it travel to the upper spine, it will upset the whole body system.  Wow, that was a lot of information to absorb while I am no therapist to understand this much.  She asked me to be back in another 2 weeks time to check out whether the bubbles is gone.

Anyway, I felt much better after she massaged the blocked points and I can walk up the 3 stories stairs now without a dragging feeling like an old lady.  It was so hard to walk up the stairs without holding the handle.  It was basically hauling up my body against weak knees.  I am no fan of Chinese Medicine but sometimes it works.