Chest Pain-- Some Root Causes

Dear Doctor, I am a frequent reader of your column, which I find very useful. Please keep up the good work. I have been having this chest pain for a very long time - like four years. I thought it maybe happening only whenever I lift something heavy but nowadays it really affects me with my breathing. I went to the clinic and they told me it was Staphylococcus and they gave me Cyfran with B-complex. I was relieved for 2 weeks, but since the beginning of this week I have been having these pains. So doc, I really need your help. Please reply immediately through my mail, as I do not want this published. Roger Badmus, Ikorodu Dear Roger, Do not worry about your much valued privacy - we change names and cities; but never your question or content of your query. Okay? You see, your description of your problem is too vague: you need to give more details. Because of this it is impossible to help you with any amount of certainty - I really can’t say what is the matter with you However here are some ten causes of Chest pain. 1) Musculo-skeletal pain from poor posture in sitting, sleeping or driving 2) Heart Disease as in Heart attack, 3) Pneumonia 4) Other infections of the lungs like TB 5) Injury or Trauma 6) Peptic Ulcer Disease/Esophagitis 7) Psychological Stress 8)Pleurisy which is inflammation of the inner lining of the lungs - a common cause of pain with breathing like you describe 9) Asthma or other Bronchitis whether severe or mild 10) Smoking - smokers have a greater load of all kinds of aches and pains all over the body; not only in the chest alone. You’ll need to see a doctor face to face to listen to your symptoms, get a proper examination done and order laboratory investigations. Maybe even an X-ray. Only then can anyone pontificate as to your diagnosis. Meantime look for and use the painkillers that are in the market. Staphylococcus? I sincerely don’t think so. Why then did you get well using drugs prescribed for it? Maybe just psychology - we call it the placebo effect where one tends to get better just because of the psychologic re assurance that one has seen the doctor. Or maybe, truly you have a pleurisy, which may very well respond to antibiotics. See a good physician Cheers