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1554262 tn?1374240001

Severe Chest pain relieved by cold water

I hope I got the right Forum for this...

I'm a 51 year old male and for the past 16 months I have had a strange pain happen to me at random times.  I call it a "severe flash pain" for lack of a better description. It is located in my chest behind the sternum and slightly to the right (not the heart side).  The pain area radiates about the size of a softball and happens very fast with no or little warning.  I have even been raised from sleep with this pain.  I get it at work, at home, pretty much any time of day.  I can’t seem to nail down what triggers the pain like meal time, too much stress, fatty foods, etc. The weird part is this: I get myself to cold water as fast as I can and drink it quickly.  Almost as fast as the pain arrived…it goes away.  The pain is severe and the rush to find cold water is in panic mode to be sure.  I even had to get a cup out of the trash once since there were none around during an attack!  I don’t think it’s a heart issue but I just don’t know.  I do drink coffee in the mornings, don’t exercise much as I should, but I don’t know if that’s it.

DeBug
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Avatar universal
I have been expeeriensing this since 5 years now . I am relating it to stress . I hope this thread get activated again to share ideas
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I have am also experiencing this same pain in my chest radiating through my back. I have had it for 5-10 years and I have also found that the immediate remedy is cold water ! I have not seemed to be able to find any type of corroslation to eating or andy specific activity. I have never experienced at night !

I am interested to know if someone finds out some sort of "official" prognosis ?
Avatar universal
I'm a 28 year old man that's been having these symptoms more and more frequently starting about 5 years or so ago. Mt first in since the first time it happened was to grab some cold water and the pain immediately receded. The pain often radiates around the right side of my chest and I can definitely feel tightening in my esophogous. I've read almost this entire thread. And based on my own personal experience, and seeing what others are going through and their diagnoses', I believe my symptoms are caused by esophageal spasms and that dehydration is a trigger for them. Just last night I had a great time hanging with my friends and drank quite a few beers. I woke up extremely dehydrated and the pains in my chest and esophogous started. Today I've been having them off and on all day. I also think it's interesting that cigarettes are actually a muscle relaxer. I smoke at least half a pack a day but last night, because of my drinking, I probably smoked over a whole pack in around a 10 hour period. Usually these pains don't occur very frequently. But these things had to be contributing factors. I believe that the cold water shocks the nerves and muscles in the esophogous and causes them to relax. This sounds extremely logical to me. Just to be safe, I'm going to schedule a doctors appointment. I need to get a physical anyway. But thank you all for posting your thoughts on the matter and trying to work together to find a solution. I'm glad to hear that it's a good chance that this isn't heart related. Debug syndrome sounds like a great name for this condition. :)
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It's now 2018 and it's pretty much the only result on google and reading this is a relief.

I've had this on and off since as long as I can remember and now 36. I found out pretty quickly water stopped it. It just happened to me now, chugged about 500ml of water and bam, completely stopped.

Sometimes it comes back after a few minutes while, and sometimes I get burps back. I drink again. Take deep breaths or take a walk.

But after drinking water I can feel the pain going away yet still feel movement in the chest or the stomach which also sometimes trigger phlegm production (yeah, weird).

My trigger seems to me stress or anxiety related. I'm a network tech and I've had it mostly at work.

It wasn't severe or critical and I don't think I'd qualify that as an attack, it never is but just a sharp discomfort for me.

Thanks for posting, my situation was identical and only now did I decided to search for it.

Esophageal Spasm make complete sense.
Avatar universal
I have the exact thing described by the original poster. I've had it since the late 1980s. Hurts like crazy and goes on for about 5-20 minutes. You'll swear your heart must be on the right side unlike other humans and you're having a heart attack. I've told doctors about it and they're clueless. I speculate it was some form of Angina. Anyway, finally in late 2017 I found an immediate fix to relieve the pain. Yep, you guessed it...drink something. It doesn't have to be water it can be anything. You'll only need to take a sip or two and not the whole glass. Pain immediately stops. It must have something to do with the swallowing action drinking liquid provides. After almost 30 years of this ailment I now enjoy immediate relief...yippee!
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Avatar universal
I've had this off and on for quite some time.  My father who is turning 70 this year has also had this for quite some time.   When it happens, I make sure to drink plenty of water, take some antiacid like tums, and take an advil.  Usually clears up pretty quickly from there.  Not sure what causes it, stress? dehydration? heartburn of some sort?  but I have had my heart checked out with EKG's and echocardiograms with all normal results so doesn't seem to be related to the heart.
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Avatar universal
I've been following this thread for quite some time now without ever sharing my story in hopes of getting more information about what is going on with all of us. I hope I can help some of you going through this excruciating discomfort. Some of your situations are practically identical to mine, others not so much. My "chest" pain doesn't come at night or during sleep like a lot of people in this post; it is COMPLETELY RANDOM. Now that I think about it actually, I have never gotten it during sleep. I would, however, get it some times just before or after I wake up. Im a 27 year old male. The first time I had an attack I was 14 and sleeping over a friend's house.  We went to bed and as I was trying to fall asleep I started feeling this kind of slow pinch [flowing-poison] inside of my chest and neck. I thought I was having a heart attack but a few minutes later the pain went away. It literally felt like my nerves or veins were filled with poison/bad blood? It starts out in the side of the neck, goes all the way to the center of the chest, through my upper back/shoulders, around my jaws and teeth. I'll even hear some type of sparkling under the back of my tongue; as if the poison or liquid had reached its destination and bubbled off.  I didn't get another attack for a couple of years after that but at a certain point, attacks were more and more frequent. That's that for the how and when. Now the interesting part...

I visited, in all, 7 doctors ( 1 family doctor, 6 emergency practitioners). My family doctor brushed it off as muscular spasms at first. I wasn't satisfied with his diagnosis hence the emergency. Out of the 6 doctors I saw, 5 of them had no idea what I was talking about and recommended I speak to my family doctor about it (they probably thought I was out of my mind and this was psychological). Which is fair right? We do sound over dramatic with no apparent signs of disease. One day, a couple of years ago, I got an attack so severe, it went on for 5 hours, throbbing and aching. I started tasting iron in my mouth (BLOOD?!). It was blood. Not thick red blood but my saliva was pinkish. I drank cold water and TADAAA! Pain gone instantly. That's the first time I discovered the oh-so-simple remedy. I was relieved but I was scare ******** nevertheless (excuse my language). As i share this new discovery with my FamDoc, he recommends an esophageal and neck X-Ray theorizing it is either GERD, Esophageal Spasms or neck sprain. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news guys; RESULTS CAME BACK NORMAL. Nothing wrong with my esophagus or my neck. At this point the doctor looks at me with humble confusion and says "I have no idea where to send you or what kind of specialist to recommend". This obviously worries me but he had one final trick up his sleeve to try; Domperidone.

(wikipedia)
Domperidone, sold under the brand name Motilium among others, is a peripherally selective dopamine D2 receptor antagonist that was developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica and is used as an antiemetic, gastroprokinetic agent, and galactagogue.[1][6][7] It may be administered orally or rectally, and is available in the form of tablets, orally disintegrating tablets (based on Zydis technology),[8] suspension, and suppositories.[9] The drug is used to relieve nausea and vomiting; to increase the transit of food through the stomach (by increasing gastrointestinal peristalsis); and to promote lactation (breast milk production) by release of prolactin.

I know what you're thinking. Dopamine? Gastroprokinetic? Basically, this stuff makes your stomach better at digesting and speeds up the process of digestion. It is acutally mainly used to help pregnant women produce breast milk. To my wonderful surprise, after now 1 month of taking 3 tablets a day (1 before each meal), attacks have vanished. I got one LITTLE attack at some point a couple of weeks ago and drank water, I was good. Nothing since. I am still not absolutely sure this is the solution to the problem but it is definitely helping and may help find the cause at the roots of all this.

Sorry for the rambling but I've been patiently waiting to be able to share something worth a damn and there it is. Thank you for bearing through this text. I hope this has shed some light on the issue for some of you. For the ones that dont relate to this; hang in there! The solution is out there you just need to keep drinking your cold water and dont be scared to try things that might not make sense.
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I'm having a sharp pain on the right side of my chest and I happened upon the cold water solution purely by chance I've had the attack happen 4 times in three years the last time it happened I said it's 'mind over matter' so I just kept trying to "will it away". I was working with a customer and I grabbed my chest at the first sign of pain... I just said, " I'll be fine" and kept working and trying to "will it away".. But it wasn't going anywhere..by this time the customers are telling me you don't look so well maybe u should call your co-workers over here...."no I'm ok" with a head of sweat rolling down the side of my head...anyway..about 45 seconds later I excused myself walked over to my co-worker said I did not feel too well as I slowly collapsed. It drained all my energy trying to "will it away." But once I got water the pain subsided I was just to weak to work
Hi Cathy. Thanks for
sharing. Though “willing it away” can come in handy for many symptoms someone may experience, our case most certainly can not. I tried willing it away and ended up spitting out blood. If water makes it better for you then drink your water! Have it on you as often as possible. However, visiting your physician may be the best option for you right now seeing as you are still trying to find a diagnosis.

Best of luck! We’re with you.
Your not alone. Cold water was a fluke for me too. Grateful as I am I am very concerned and I have them often. 3-4 times a month. If I'm asleep the pain wakes me, cold water is mannah from heaven. I wish you the best of luck getting a doctor to pay attention. I just figure my GP will brush it off anyway.
Hi Everyone - I'm another one who suffers from the SAME THING!  GI tests showed nothing. Stumbled on this site and The Cold Water Method, immediately, is the only thing that makes it go away!  I just had my second attack this week about 1/2 hour ago. I "felt" it starting and ran for water.  You would think that with SO MANY of us experiencing this, that the medical profession would listen up!  I just turned 58 and had my first attack maybe 15 years ago.  Before I learned about the Water Cure, I would just lay down, flat on my back and breathe through it....after maybe 20 minutes or so it would just fade away.  I am SO very grateful for the Water Cure!   Terri
Avatar universal
"Sudden onset of crushing chest pain usually while sleeping that feels like a prelude to heart attack. Also stumbled upon the cold water solution which provides almost immediate relief"

That is exactly what I have and have experienced. All of a sudden about 10 years ago I had this chest pain sitting in my office. I was mortified, because it was on the chest and so severe. I was afraid to move thinking I am having a heart attack. I work for Hopkins so had the privilege of walking over to the hospital. While waiting in ER, the pain gradually went away, I decided to go back to office. Following that, yes, tons of tests, nobody seems to know. I think I am the only one said cramp spasm... One day I 'stumbled' on cold water solution, worked like a charm. Like many of you, first sip of cold water, the pain 'melts' away. Amazing.

I get it about 3-5 times a year, I think, for the last 10 years... and 'looking forward' to many years of this accompanying me. Thanks all for sharing.
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I am posting because I just had an episode sitting in my office and I got cold water. The whole process was about 3 minutes. I checked online and found this thread. Relief. Not as strange as I thought. It's a good day today. Talking knowledge is power! Thanks all.
Avatar universal
I have had similar problems in the past.  It was all part of having GERD, where your stomach contents rise up past the sphincter muscle at the bottom of the esophagus and top of the stomach.  When this happens, you can get some really intense pain in the chest, behind the sternum.  My problem is that it can get so bad that my teeth on the right side start to hurt.  When I first started getting it, usually a shot of Mylanta or something to stop the burn would help, but then that stopped working, so I had to graduate to baking soda, and when that failed to help, aspirin (much to my doctor's ire).  If I wake up in the middle of the night feeling the burn, I just pop a couple of aspirin and go back to sleep.
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Avatar universal
I have been also getting this weird pain usually when I lay down and sleep I wake up with a crushing pain in my chest that feels like a chip is stuck in my esophagus and scraping. I found on my own that taking a drink of cold water immediately makes the pain stop and go away. Does this sound at all familiar?
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Yes it sounds exactly familiar Kyle.... esophageal spasms due to refux ---GERD sounds most likely the culprit. Dietary changes.... or keep a diary of what you ate earlier in the evening.. how close to going to sleep did you eat... and to keep things down.. get a GERD wedge that will raise your chest higher than your stomach at night... it will take some getting used to sleeping elevated.... or put bricks- bed risers -- something to raise the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches...(this is what I have and no longer wake with it). This will help keep the acid down below the LES ( lower esophageal sphincter) at night.
Most find that this happens every once in a while and then can go away for months at a time only to show its ugly face again.
Best of luck to you!
Avatar universal
Hi DeBug - Thanks for the update! I just wanted to say thanks to you (and everyone else on here) for documenting their symptoms, because I don't think I would have been diagnosed otherwise. I was just diagnosed with Achalasia - thanks to a barium swallow that I wouldn't have known to request if it weren't for the comments here, and a subsequent manometry test. I'm planning my surgery for next summer. The sphincter muscle at the bottom of my esophagus isn't working very well, but for me, the main issue is that my esophagus isn't contracting correctly and is EXTREMELY stretched out - it looked like a balloon on the imaging. So hopefully the surgery will help fix this. We decided Botox probably wasn't worth it.
To address Pulpo above, I have been taking diltiazem (120 and 180 mg) with no effect, so I stopped taking that and am also in the process of cutting out the ranitidine and omeprazole, none of which seem to do anything since I don't actually have GERD.
Oh, also, the Doctor said she frequently heard from people with achalasia that water (cold for some people, warm for others) helps the pain go away, so we're certainly not alone in that. I'm just glad I have a diagnosis and a possible plan forward!
Thanks again, and good luck!
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I've had chest pain that starts in the middle of my chest. It radiates to my back & goes round to my scapula area on my back. Then it's just one big pain.   . It is intense pain. The pain is so bad I can't talk or do much while it's happening. It comes out of no place & is not related to any movement. It is not made better by ANYTHING.  Purely accidental, in desperation, I got a cold drink and it goes away. It has to be a very cold drink. The pain is nothing like I've ever felt before. This has gone on for at least 5 years. I worked nights on a plastic molding machine. I do have a prolapse valve with abnormal ST wave. Whatever that means. I see my doctor regularly but I've never brought it up as it happens so random. I'm not a nervous person and live a good life. No street drugs. I'm on plenty of medications to include a water pill and a pill for regulating my "broken" natural pace maker. I was hospitalized for a very slow pulse/heartbeat. My heart seemed to have a disconnect with my pulse. They jabbed me with adrenaline and my heart/pulse didn't react to it. They talked about giving me a pace maker. My insurance lapsed mid hospital stay and suddenly I was home. That's ok I've no time for such things. I'm 55, white female, non smoker. I have COPD and use oxygen at night. I thought I was alone in the chest pain made better with ice or a very cold drink. The pain is quite incapacitating and I've no idea how long it may last as I discovered the whole cold drink cure. Ok, that's my story. Should I bring it up to my MD or let sleeping dogs sleep? If it's not fatal and ice makes it back off that's it Then, right?  I have grandkids I'm raising on my own, chickens & pigs to tend as well as babysit children through out any given day. I kept charts and can see no given day or time, no situational depression. I'm happy go lucky yet I've kept this pain to myself. Honestly, I just had the severe pain and used a cold drink to reset my heart or whatever. The cold water really was a happenstance. Until the pain goes away I'm no good to anybody. Its awful and terrifying. What is it? I've been woke from sleep, crocheting or making supper. No correlation related to movement. I'll keep charting my pain to find a pattern. I'm unsuccessful thus far. So, anybody? What is it? Is it dangerous to ignore?
I don't have GERD or any such thing. If I get heart burn it's usually related to aspirin. I take a prescribed pill for that but over the counter chewable works for heartburn.
Avatar universal
Treadmill test doesn't show anything if it is Prinzmetal angina. This is a rest-angina.

Regards.
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1554262 tn?1374240001
Hi All!

I wanted to leave another update as to my progress and symptoms. It's been over a year since I had surgery for Achalasia. The surgery helped and I now have those chest pains much less. When I do have them, they are not as severe. I still have water bottles placed all over the house and in my truck just in case. Cold water is still my best way to knock back the pain both before and after the surgery. I have taken on a dry coughs from time to time which can last for a few weeks or a few months. Not sure if that is related to the Achalasia or the surgery. I simply noticed that I started having them after recovering from the surgery.

I hope that each and every one of you finds relief in one way or another.  I doubt that all of you have Achalasia, but be sure to rule that out if no other diagnosis pans out.

Best regards,

DeBug
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2 Comments
Why don't you take Diltiazem for your Achalasia? It normally must make all better. And let give you a nitro spray for self testing. If there are spasm in most time it will work.

Regards.
At least it has to be 90 mg diltiazem retarded. Less doesn't work in my case.
Avatar universal
Antidepressants will make it worse because of the symapticus nerve. It is a trigger like very cold air, very hot air, choline and amphetamines.
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Hope this thread is still alive.  I have the same issues.  Chest pains that only end if I drink something.I can drink Sprite...or anything.  Two days ago I was in a Starbucks drive through and I could feel it coming on.  I quickly ordered then the line stopped.  The pain was so bad I felt like a heart attack was next.  I finally made it to the window...my ice coffee stopped the pain.  I really have to remember to keep a bottle of water at all times.  My pain started about 10 years ago.  My Dr took me through the treadmill test and said my heart was fine.  He could not find anything.  I moved and will see a new doctor tomorrow.   I am so thankful I found this and I will show it to my doctor.  It's real....we just don't know what it is....yet.  
Avatar universal
Sometimes I think I have also roemheld syndrome. But I 've sure had a cardiac spasm. I have it on DVD.
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Avatar universal
Drinking water or eating a bite activates your vagus nerve ( like vasalva). So you can handle bradycardia and high blood pressure. That it seems to be why it works.
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Avatar universal
As well I have spasm in my fingers, toes and arms like raynaud's without getting blue but very painful.The doctor saw it making a oscillography.
I hoped it would be another diagnosis but after 2 years I am hopeless.
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Avatar universal
I am very sorry to tell you that it realy seems to be a prinzmetal angina. I am 37 years old. I have all this symptoms an I had an heart attack in 2015 and a s-icd implanted because a had a Torsade de Pointes with reanimation the same night. I also have a cardial bridge that will make the attacks worse when I laying on my left side. I'm on Diltiazem and ISDN and I don't have so many attacks any more and when I have one it's doesn't hurt anymore like the devil is inside of me and I try to relief it with a nitro spray. I often call the ambulance to be sure, that it get's better or sometimes when the spray doesn't work. Then they make an ecg but most of the time they don't see anything and this is normal for prinzmetal. When I had my heart attack the have seen nothing since they got in with a catheter. Then the doctor said: oh, look there you have a spasm! It's a little heart attack.
Please, when you have the attack, call the ambulance to take you with them. Maybe they catch the St-elevation.
The only thing I know to get out If you have prinzmetal, is to find a hospital that makes a test with acetylcholine.

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Avatar universal
I’m so glad I found this thread! I have so many of the same symptoms that others have mentioned, I’ve been taking notes as I read – there are so many things I want to mention. Thanks Tuck for all of the thoughtful responses!
I’m a 36 year old female, I’ve been having these chest pains since I was in high school. I just recently discovered that cold water helps, so I’ve been dealing with the pain for a long time. Whenever I feel the pain starting, I’m in a panic to get cold water, so I now carry water with me at all times. If I don’t drink cold water (or before I discovered the cold water trick), the pain usually lasts for a couple hours, and it is incredibly painful to deal with – it feels like a heart attack. Cold water works better, although room-temperature water is usually ok. The drink can’t be hot, and carbonated beverages don’t help. There’s no regularity to the pains, I used to go months without them bothering me, but they usually happen several times a week, or even multiple times a day.
The pain can hit at any time of the day, whether I’m lying down or standing/sitting, it’s not related to exercise or anything I eat. It can wake me up out of a dead sleep. Sometimes I’m sleeping perfectly still when it happens, but I have found that it frequently happens when I switch positions, especially turning onto my left side. The pain is usually in the center of my chest, maybe a bit more on the right side, and sometimes extends to my right jaw if I don’t get cold water fast enough. I don’t smoke, and I rarely drink caffeine or carbonated beverages. I’m a bit overweight now, but when they started bothering me, I was in very good shape and exercised regularly. I don’t have any anxiety or depression. I’m not dehydrated. I have normal blood pressure. I do have gallstones, but my doctor doesn’t think the pains are related.
A few random things: I get gurgling in my throat every time I eat or drink anything. It’s not painful, or even really uncomfortable, just extremely embarrassing if I’m eating somewhere quiet. Also, and I haven’t seen anyone else mention this, but I have a really hard time burping – not just during the chest pains, but I pretty much never burp, even when I drink something carbonated. I always try to force a burp when I get the chest pain, in an effort to relieve the pressure, but even when I can get one out, it doesn’t seem to help at all.
I’ve had an endoscopy, and the doctor didn’t find any problems or any evidence of acid reflux. He diagnosed the pains as esophageal spasms. I’ve tried a couple different medications: I take ranitidine and omeprazole daily, although I’m not sure they help. I take Maalox and/or Tums when the pain hits, with no effect. I’m currently taking diltiazem, and didn’t think it made a difference – but when I went off the medication and switched to a low level of an antidepressant, I found that the pains were a lot worse and cold water didn’t help anymore. I’m not sure if it was a negative reaction to the antidepressant or if the diltiazem helped more than I realized, but I quickly switched back to diltiazem and the cold water helps again. I didn’t discover the cold water trick until after I’d started the diltiazem, so I’m not sure if cold water would work if I were off the medication, and I’m not about to find out.
My doctor has diagnosed me with esophageal spasms, but I also get a different pain when I eat that I think is a true esophageal spasm – pretty much every time I eat a meal (but especially if I eat quickly), the food gets stuck and I’m in horrible pain. I have to step away from the table pretty much every meal, and it often takes me an hour or more to eat a meal. The pain is different than the previously described chest pains, and not only does water not help these, it makes it exponentially worse. In fact, I can’t drink anything at all when I eat. I’m not sure if these two different types of “esophageal spasms” are related, since they react completely differently to drinking water. I’ve only had this pain for the past couple years, and it’s definitely getting worse as time goes on.
I’m so glad to find that I’m not alone in this! I’ve found some good ideas to ask my doctor about at my next appointment, hopefully we can find something that helps, but just finding out that cold water helps is a huge relief.
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Don't take anything that irritates your sympaticus nerve like any drugs or antidepressants and no choline/lecithine/and licorice. Sometimes you don't know them as triggers because the pain comes a day later.
Avatar universal
Gosh it's in my ears, too.  So glad I found this thread, makes me feel better.  It's hurting as we speak.  Off to find some cold water....
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Avatar universal
Hello everyone , iam facing the same issue since three years . Cold water or a small bite is the only solution till now , i had many tests including the akalasia thing and came back negative . After endoscopy i was diagonized with metaplasia and barret syndrome . Also iam facing some anxiety symptoms and not sure if that came before or after the chest pain , for the last 6 months a new thing happened to me , iam not able to burp and food is getting stuck in my throat soemtimes .
More tests this week , i will keep you posted .
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Hi All !
After two endoscopies and many scans dr couldnt find anything. Today i had a manometry and yes it is achalasia .
Still at the beginning this is why it doesn’t shows in the endoscopy .
2 solutions one of them is  
peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for esophageal achalasia which is better than surgery as per the dr .
I will keep you posted .
Good luck
Avatar universal
I have had the same symptoms for about 14 years.  My pains usually start with a headache around my temples & ears radiating down my neck into my chest & back.  The pains are very severe.  It feels like my chest & back are so tight that they are caving into each other, including the head & neck pains.  It lasts anywhere from 15-20 minutes very severely.  My only relief was for me to Lie Down On My Back on a Hard Surface ie: the floor or ground until it is tolerable to move!  Sometimes it comes & goes all day, or for several days!  
Then I discovered that drinking water made the pains go away almost as fast as they had appeared!  Now I immediately reach for water.   I make sure to always  carry a bottle of water to sip during these times.

I wish that I knew the real reasons & causes.
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Hi, I've had the same symptoms for five years now which only goes after drinking cold water.fed up of going to doctors because I can't get a proper diagnosis.feel like I'm losing my mind, don't know how much longer I can carry on.theres nothing worse than being in severe pain knowing that something isn't right only to be undiagnosed.i had an ECG and an endoscopy but nothing was found,I can't bring myself to keep bothering the doctor because I feel bad about taking up his valuable time.i feel helpless and depressed if only I had the money to go private I'm sure they would find out and give me a diagnosis.
20009652 tn?1488376174
I have had these exact same symptoms going on now for about the last 10 years. I have found that it's not so much the water (or any drink at any temperature) that relieves the pain as it is the tiny, almost imperceptible burp that follows the sip. There have been a few times when the attack came on when I could not get to anything to drink - like travelling on a train. In these situations I have found that forcing myself to burp by "swallowing air" will also make the attack go away, although taking a little drink of something seems to do it faster.
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Avatar universal
Enjoying my 75th trip around the sun.  Have similar symptoms as posted by Debug in 2011 that I have had for past 10-15 yrs. Sudden onset of crushing chest pain usually while sleeping that feels like a prelude to heart attack. Also stumbled upon the cold water solution which provides almost immediate relief. Frequency of episodes has been fairly consistent over the years at 5-10 per year. Did mention the symptoms/solution to primary care physician who discounted it as something he never heard of.  
I have always thought this was and is a dehydration issue in my case. I'm a former marathoner (1978-1989) but recently walked the 2015 Boston marathon. I'm familiar with what dehydration can do with regard to my own personal fatigue as I commonly don't drink enough water for my level of activity. But, for me at least, it is hard not to conclude that the chest pains/cold water are just another extension of problems that dehydration can cause.  One sure, quick, and cheap way to determine proper hydration levels is to check the color of your urine.  If it is anything but clear or a slight tint of yellow you might need a drink of water.  
Hydration levels maybe a solution for some folks on this thread, but for those with other symptoms or perhaps more than just dehydration going on then finding that miracle of a medical professional may be the path to relief.  
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Wow. I thought I was alone in this. I sometimes get the same symptoms.  The pain is centered in my chest and if lasts for too long goes to my jaw as well. Almost the same symptoms of a heart attack but all I have to do is drink a glass of water, sometimes 2, then the pain goes almost immediately away and no further problems till weeks sometimes months later till the next episode. Sometimes when I drink wine I get the same thing but unfortunately drinking water does not help only rocking back and forth for 30 mins helps.
Really weird and doctors never have an answer and always check me out as healthy.
Avatar universal
What iknowmorenow said is interesting and maybe a revelation to me. I began suffering this same thing about a year ago. Started like everyone else... Happened occasionally and sometimes more often. In  the beginning of September it began happening almost every morning. A couple weeks later it was happening in the morning and mid day. By the end of September it was happening in the morning, during the day and at night. Then one day I ended up drinking so much water trying to make it stop, I ended up throwing up the water. I felt different and not right that night, and asked my girlfriend to drive me to the emergency. I didn't make it. I had a massive heart attack. Complete shut down. They had to put me in an induced thermal coma to save my brain cells. Luckily I pulled through without any major damage. I was a heavy drinker and smoker. When I got out of the hospital, I continued to not drink or smoke. I still don't smoke. But the kidney specialist gave me the ok to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner if I chose to as long as I don't over drink or abuse alcohol. I drank 3 glasses of wine one night and the next morning I woke up running to the kitchen for a glass of cold water with that pain again. The reason I said what "iknowmorenow" said was interesting, is because I'm thinking that although I still don't know what causes the frantic rush for cold water, I am convinced that if it gets to a point where the condition gets worse and requires more water to get relief, it may be possible that excess water could cause a system overload that could lead to a heart attack. (what the nurse theorized) Also, the fact that I had no symptoms after getting out of the hospital, but as soon as I drink some alcohol, the symptom returns makes me wonder... hhmmm??
(btw.. I'm 52)
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Avatar universal
For 3 days, I had a slightly different pain (chest tightness behind my ribcage, almost cramping my breathing), and I did the same thing as you did -- drinking water seemed to make it disappear after a few minutes. Not drinking, or being even slightly thirsty would bring it on. I did this for 3 days, and then suffered a heart attack despite drinking water!!!

My heart attack was a STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardiac Infarct) caused by a 95% blockage in my proximal LAD artery. It needed an emergency stent placed in.

As I got to the emergency room, I was given asprin and nitroglycerin which relieved the problem. Soon after I peed 500 ml. (this was into a bottle, so that's how I know). Half an hour later, after the stent was in, I urinated another 600 ml. That's 1.1 litres in less than an hour -- that's how much excess water my body was holding down. I haven't felt as thirsty since the stent went in. :)

A nurse at the hospital theorised that the excess water increased my blood volume and mitigated the artery blockage. I had visited my GP the day before my attack but he had not given me a ECG. I visited him again today, and told him about this.
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