“What might be causing gas and chest pain?”
This will be long, but I have found no information on this particular situation. I'm a 50yo WM 5'10" 225lb. I'm still fat, but reasonably fit, lift weights. I have lost 90lbs in the past 2 yrs with keto and IMF. About 10 years ago, started to get short of breath with Thanksgiving-sized meals. About 3 years ago, I started to get left arm pain and tingling with big carb meals. I did as the doctor suggested and avoided the situation by not eating that way. I started keto, but I would take the weekend off diet and pain might return. For the last 4 months, I was strict with keto, but in the last month, any variation causes about 4-5 days of symptoms. I'm sure all the microbes that process carbs are dead by now, may need to replace. Symptoms include burping not from swallowing air, gas seems to be getting trapped. If I lean back, gas will build up. I lay down in bed, sit up then have massive burps. The gas is absolutely causing the pain, as when I let out a big burp the pain temporarily goes away. The pain in the arm is a 7, pain above the left nipple about a 1. It's definitely worse with exertion. Also, if I push it far enough, I'll get visual distortions for a short time. Also, I get lightheaded when lifting weights. I get mild migraines. I have a stress test coming up and an appt with a gastro. I hope someone has dealt with a case like this. PS I have no IBS, Crohns, or any other disease that I know of.
Male | 50 years old
Complaint duration: 4 Years
Medications: none
Conditions: none
2 Answers
Start by keeping a food diary. No matter what you put in your mouth from meals to a piece of gum, write it down. Then use a calendar to track your symptoms. At the end of the month (or week if it is frequent) look at your calendar and compare it with the foods you ate that day. It will help you identify which foods are triggering your symptoms. Once you stop eating the food or the quantity of the food, your symptoms will subside.
Too much to unpack here. If I saw you in clinic, I would try to focus down on the key symptom and ask specific questions to try to narrow the possible explanations. You might be swallowing air as a source for all the burping and discomfort. Hopefully the GI you plan to see will hone in on the essential issue by taking a careful history and asking the right questions.
