i havent been diagnosed properly with AS yet but 4 drs feel it is that and a strong family history of it. (if u have seen my into thread ul have the gist) but i started with the chest pain when i was 11 and have been getting fobbed off with it as being asthma since then well until june this year when it actually occured by chance when i was in the hosp. they wacked me on a heart monitor and noticed something on the ecg iv since had a 24 hr tape doing.

however its like a band when your breathing in the pain iv had with a sharp knife like stabbing just slightly to the left/behind the sternum it is scary. i tend to breath in slowly through the pain and it goes after iv fully inhaled. i force through the pain. prob the wrong thing to do, but if i dont it can last up to 15 mins and as iv had it since i was a kid thats how iv always coped with it.

sounds like the same thing to me?

il let you all know what my 24 hr tape comes back as. my gdad has mitral valve syndrome which they have linked to his AS. hes in late 80s. hes part of the uk trials into AS.

its always best to get chest pain checked though, and eventually u will be taken seriously and not fobbed off. fingers crossed for u hope ur ok and hope u get sorted soon. unfortunately its possible for us all to get ill with other things as well as the (possible*) AS so imp to check it all out properly.

liz x

* Constant pain in lower back and hips since childhood/early teens
* Joint pain started June 2012- mirroring polyarthritis
* reg chest pain since 11yrs old. knife stabbing like sensations.
* Jaw and hips click and reg seize (cant open jaw- cnt move hip;feels dislocated at times-have confirmed fusion around sacriliac/illiac joints ref to physio 2010)
* Anaemia- constant- take spa tone
...............................................

HISTORY
Stong family link to AS:8 relatives in total