Please help, strange chest tightness with no apparent cause
Hi everyone,
I (F24) have had asthma for about 5 years. It has always been very well controlled. I completed 3 years of allergen immunotherapy (hyposensitization), but this April—about 2 years after finishing treatment—I started experiencing allergy symptoms again. I managed them with a Relvar Ellipta inhaler and allergy tablets (I’m based in Europe in case some of you aren’t familiar with these medications).
For exactly one week now, I’ve been experiencing a strange pressure/tightness just below my chest. It starts right under my breastbone and radiates into my back. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone is squeezing me tightly.
The day it started, I was eating flavored chips and accidentally inhaled/choked on some of the seasoning powder. I think it irritated my airways because everything felt a bit swollen afterward, and that’s when this pressure sensation began. I immediately went to the ER, where they performed an ECG, blood tests, and listened to my lungs and heart, but they said everything looked normal and sent me home.
Other than that, I have no cold- or flu-like symptoms and generally feel fine.
My pulmonologist performed lung function tests and blood work, and everything came back normal. She advised me to stop Relvar and switch to Symbicort twice daily (morning and evening). So far, I haven’t noticed any significant improvement—the discomfort hasn’t gotten better or worse.
Yes, I’ve already seen my GP. Next Tuesday I have an exercise stress test (ergometry) to rule out a cardiac cause, and I’ve also been prescribed medication for reflux. I do experience mild acid reflux occasionally, but I don’t have classic heartburn symptoms. In addition, I’ve scheduled an appointment with another pulmonologist for a second opinion.
Has anyone gone through something similar? Any insights would be greatly appreciated because I’m feeling very stressed and anxious about it.
Thank you.