I gave birth to my second child two weeks ago. Since then, I have had three separate "attacks," each one progressively worse than the previous. During these episodes, which last about 5 minutes, my back around the bra-line begins to hurt intensely, to the point where I cannot stay upright. The pain is very intense, worse than labor, it spreads to my chest, and during the most recent episode, I found myself unable to breathe. It doesn't feel muscular, but I couldn't say for sure. It was completely terrifying, and by the end of it, I was begging my husband to call 911 because I truly could not breathe! Then, all of a sudden, the pain recedes, my breath comes back, and it is as though nothing happened. I have no known health problems besides mild allergies and asthma (which has never felt like this!), my blood pressure is excellent, and I have not been able to find any triggers (I am not particularly stressed or anything when an attack hits). My labor went very smoothly and there was no known damage that could cause something like this. I suffered PPD after the birth of my first child, but that has not yet been a problem with this birth. I did an online search, but couldn't find anything with my symptoms. I have a doctor's appointment Friday, but I am worried that another attack could happen before then and will be even worse than before. This time, I might not be able to hyperventilate through it, and what would happen if I had an attack while I was home alone with my babies? Has anyone experienced anything like this?
Thank you everyone! I went in to see my doctor, and she sent me in for an ultrasound. The results came back today - my gallbladder is filled with stones. So I guess that's the problem! I am meeting with the surgeon tomorrow. Thank you so much to everyone who replied with suggestions. I'm pretty nervous about the surgery, but I'm also glad that there is a solid (and treatable) reason that I have been having these terrifying attacks. Thanks again.
I will add to the Gall bladder attack list. Had mine out a month after my first. So happy I did, no more attacks. It was a quick recovery too.
I have had panic attacks as well as Gall Bladder attacks and it sounds more like Gall Bladder attacks to me...get an apt with the Dr. and ask about both.
I don't really have pain with my panic attacks, just more shakiness and feeling like I can't breath...gall bladder attacks however are SERIOUS pain and are hard to breath through, let alone anything else and you definitely know something isn't right and that you should go to the hospital!
Good Luck!
I had PPD with my second and it included panic attacks that were just like you are describing. While there could be any of a number of other reasons for what you are experiencing, My first thought would be panic attacks. Call your doctor tomorrow, no reason to wait, and they can instruct you what to do, make sure they know your history of PPD though!
This sounds like what happened to me when my son was about four weeks old. I ended up going to the emergency room one night because my husband was so freaked out. I thought maybe it was my gall bladder (I'd heard stories of other women having that problem), but after getting checked out and all, the doctors decided it was just muscle spasms. It happened on and off for a couple of weeks, but then stopped.
I would definitely agree with getting it checked out, though.
It sounds like gall bladder, very common after women give birth, and very painful. I still remember my mom when she had attacks, she would be in terrible pain. Get it checked out.
Sounds like my gall bladder attacks. The pain was all along the bra line and i couldn't move/breathe/etc and the pain was definitely worse than labor. My attacks lasted longer than yours, but the attack would subside as soon as the gall stone moved out of the duct opening (my first attack at 37 weeks pregnant lasted abotu 10 minutes and the second one that led me to the hospital to actually find out it was my gall bladder lasted 45 minutes).
i agree with some of the others that it's possible it could be gallbladder attack. i would get pain in my upper right abdomen just by the ribs and my back would be all tense. i had attacks for a year or two until just this past memorial day i had a really bad one with vomiting and finally went to the dr and they did an ultrasound and found gall stones. i was schedule to have it removed but then they found out i was pregnant and couldn't do it. i had one minor one since then.
When the attacks occur are then within an hour of two of eating and if so what have you eaten? Either way you need to see a doctor and have some tests done. It is not okay for you to feel this way. You sound like I did when I was having problems with my gall bladder. I also had similar pains with my blocked intestine. I tried to ignore it and it nearly killed me to please go to the doctor and don;t let them send you home with out running some tests or doing an xray.
Sounds like an anxiety/panic attack to me. I've never had one, but my mother and a dear cousin suffer from them, and they describe exactly what you just did. It comes on out of nowhere, and feels like a heart attack. Extreme pressure in the chest/back area, trouble breathing, etc.
Definitely sounds like a panic attack. I watched my cousin have one and it was JUST like you describe. We all thought she was having a heart attack and DID call 911. Thankfully she was ok.
This *could* be how PPD is manifesting itself this time around. In between now and your doctor's appointment try do some relaxation breathing a few times a day, it might help. My favourite is to breathe in for a count of 4 and breathe out for a count of 4. Repeat for at least 3 minutes a few times per day.
The EXACT same thing happened to me when my twins were about 7 months old. It would happen maybe once a week, then more often. I am an EMT, and had an attack that was so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack. I was lying on the floor and couldn't breathe and was in so much pain...my daughter (then 11) ran screaming for her father, who called 911. I went to the hospital, and they said I was having severe anxiety attacks. The only medication I was on was the mini-pill for birth control. I spoke with my pharmacist wondering if the attacks were a side-effect, and sure enough, they were! I stopped taking the mini-pill, and they went away. If you're not taking any medications at all, you should know that these attacks can be a symptom of PPD also. I didn't think I was stressed out - I had an established routine with my babies, was sleeping well, and thought I was doing fine. Stress can manifest in so many different ways - anxiety attacks, asthma attacks, weight gain (or loss), hair loss, etc. My dr. sent me to see a psychologist, and I was dx with PPD not long after that, also. Maybe it was a combination of the pill and PPD, or just one of them that caused the attacks, I don't know. Make sure you keep track of how often these attacks happen so you can let your dr. know at your appointment.
Good luck to you!
I had a very similar experience after the birth of my daughter. It turned out to be my gallbladder. This is relatively common after giving birth. The changes in hormones affect the gallbladder and form stones. I was rushed to the ER because i was staying in the NICU with my daughter when it hit. I had my gallbladder out a little while later. I no longer have those attacks, but it has messed my stomach up. I hope that you can make it through to your doctors appointment before you get anohter attack.
Go to your Doctor... and tell him/her about it.
it could be anything, not related to birth or can be.
The first thing I would suggest is to see your doctor immediately!
The symptoms you just described are often a sign of a heart attack in women. The stress that labor puts on your body and especially your heart can be immense. Please, please, please go see your doctor today!
The first thing I was thinking of is your posture while feeding. Do you think you could have pinched something?
My 2nd child I had PPD attacks along with depression itself I literally went to the Dr several times thinking there was something wrong with me I did get diagnosed with several things that I didn't know I had,my attacks were unable to breathe going up the stairs I would huff & puff,my left side hurt chest arm elbow then tingling I called my Drs office that weekend to get in they read my chart told me to calm down i'm not having a heartattack it's my attacks and stress from PPD.I couldn't breath or rest sleep my back ached all the time my hands hurt I felt my chest was caving in on me for a very long time after my 2nd child I didn't experience this with my first or 3rd child.I was home alone because i'm a sahm this happended to me daily several times a day where I would have these attacks sometimes out of know where I would lay on the ground or lie back in my recliner for a bit calm myself down I could deal with the pains to a point but eventually they went away now I experience insomnia more than usual I only get 2-3 hrs of sleep a night hoping my attacks don't come back
This so reminded me of 30 years ago when I gave birth to a 9lb 10 oz boy and found he had kicked a rib out of place in my rib cage. I suffered with horrible pain from his birth until 11 years later when I went to a chiropractor and he found the misplaced rib. It sounds so much like the pain you are experiencing. Hope you at least check this out. GOD bless. S.
After the birth of my first there would be times when I would bend over and would be overcome with pain in my middle back to where I could not straighten up. This often happened when I would bend over to put my baby in his crib or take him out. I was afraid it would happen and I would drop him, thank goodness I never did. After a few months the attacks stopped. I still do not know what caused them, I figured it had something to do with epidural. If you find out anything let us know, I always wondered.
