Chest pain in teenage female athelete

donna — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:45:34 GMT

My daughter, now a senior in high school, has been playing basketball since 3rd grade. For the past 4 years or so, when playing basketball, she complains of severe shortness of breath and what she describes as "a bubble" around her heart! I have had her to a pulmonologist - PFT & pulmonary stress test done and diagnosed with mild exercise induced asthma. But she never wheezes and the inhaler does not help. She has been to a pediatric cardiologist - EKG & echocardiogram negative. She has been taken to the ER at the hospital, but by the time she gets there the symptoms are gone! This is very frightening. I'm afraid of an aortic aneurysm. Where do I go from here?

RE: Chest pain in teenage female athelete

Chuck — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:05:48 GMT

First, let me say that I am not a Doctor. Your daughter's symptoms sound errily similar to mine. I went to all kinds of Doctors for 2 years before I found out that I had severe scar tissue on my lungs as a result of double pneumonia that I experienced a few months before I had that "bubble" pain around my heart. When I took a deep breathe or yawned, I would experience that feeling. The shortness of breathe would come following heavy exercise or a climb of the stairs. I am a 54 years old Male and I had double pneumonia when I was 50.

I dont know if she experienced this illness but I thought I would mention it just in case I might strike a nerve. They treated my condition with surgery, a procedure called thoracotomy with decortication.....(I am not sure of the spelling)... It did not fix the problem. They now are treating it with pain medication that masks the pain but does not fix the problem. Be very careful of the treatment that the doctors prescribe. I am now "hooked" on pain medication that I am currently trying to wean myself off.

I hope this helps. I just read back my response and I did not offer much in remedies, but maybe I helped with what caused your daughters' pain.