Hello there!
I’ve been reading posts here for quite a while but this is the first time i’ve stepped up to post something
So, i’m trying to figure out if there is any mechanism for High Blood sugar to cause chest pain?(300-400mg/dl or 15-20 mmol/ml)
I’ve had every heart test done and the ticker is all good but, I get bad chest pain every once in a while and it seems to coincide with high blood sugars. Thought it could be heart burn… but also tried every heart burn remedy, OTC and Rx and even had a endoscopy done, no signs of GERD or anything. I had come to the conclusion that it’s probably stress related but now i’m wondering if it could be BS related.
So, any ideas of mechanism for a relationship between BS and chest pain? Anyone else have similar?
(I’ve had type 1 33 years, dx at 7yrs old, MDI Levemir & Novorapid, last A1C 7.4)
If I don’t keep my bg’s under control, my gastroparesis acts up which causes more heartburn, because the stomach cannot do it’s job.
This is something that concerns me, because the more acid reflux adn heartburn, the higher chances of stomach and esophogeal cancer.
Also, I read some people saying they only get heartburn when they eat carbs. I used to get horrible heartburn sometimes where I would have thought I was having a heart attack. I tested it and found if I eat the following, I get heartburn:
1 egg
shredded cheese
salsa
low carb tortilla (4 grams carbs, 7 g fiber)
I do NOT get heartburn when I eat the following:
2 eggs,
2 strips bacon
salsa
cheese
Not sure why. The docs would tell me to give up bacon and salsa. There are carbs in the salsa, but not too many. I have tried other things and substituting veggies for higher carb items prevents the heartburn in me. It also might be I am more likely to overeat when i am eating carbs than protein. I don’t know.
Like Baby Tee, I have gastroparesis & get heartburn if I eat too much & also feel queasy. One telltale sign of gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) is lows after eating followed by highs hours later. That’s how mine was diagnosed.
Could be stress related & a stress response, which is a chicken & egg situation with high BG.
Before I was diagnosed, the first symptoms I started having (before the sudden onset of vision change, weight loss, extreme thirst and urination) were heartburn and stomach pain. These got much better when my BG got under control with insulin. However, unlike Baby Tee, GERD did show up on endoscopy.
Back in 1998, I started having chest pain. I had to go thru all the heart tests & then stomach stuff. I had 2 different things going on at the time. One was stomach related in that I had been using Advil and it rotted the lining of my stomach. I did not have GERD nor heart problems. The 2nd problem was muscular related – my stomach has healed from the Advil problem, but I continue to have the muscular problems. That problem actually showed up on one of the stomach tests when they stuck a tube down my throat.
I continue to have a lot of problems if I go outside in the heat in the summer or it is too hot inside in the winter with the heat on. With the weather getting colder and the AC off, I have been having problems. This morning I feel like I have a heard of elephants sitting on my chest. The doctor reviewing the test that it showed up on said that I should be tested for several muscle diseases, including myasthenia gravis - both the gastroenterologist & PCP at the time dismissed that. I have since done a lot of reading on muscular problems because I continue to have issues with chest pain – I have had two heart caths since the problem first started and it is not heart related. Apparently muscular problems are common in diabetics. Mine appears to be triggered by heat. It is possible that you have some muscular disease but since it is triggered by high blood sugar, it is possible that it is just the blood sugar.
Have t1 for 32 years and in last month started having sharp pains in chest when sugar approaches 250. Can’t find any info but know I have autonomic neuropathy. I fear this may be a sign of heart damage???
The chest pain is what sent me to the ER when I ended up diagnosed with D!! I had horrible chest pain for a couple of days - thought it was wicked heartburn. Took all the antacid I could find and finally spoke with the pharmacist who very worriedly suggested I head to the ER. I thought I was having a heart attack but my heart was fine (thank goodness). BS, however, was in the 300’s.
Now my heart races and I get chest pain when I’m above 200 or when my BS is rising quickly. Its a very uncomfortable feeling.
I’m really grateful you made this post because I get that too when my bg is really high. It’s very slight but enough to notice. Infact, some times that’s how I know if its really high.
I would say that if your heart checked out and you had an endoscopy that came back negative then your chest pain COULD be neuropathy or it could just be your body telling you “Hey your blood sugar is high…”. I know when My blood sugar is over 200 because the pinky finger on my right hand goes numb. I have seen allot of people with D say things like my feet hurt, i get a headache, I get hungry, my lips go numb, etc.when their BG’s go high. I would keep on top of it though because it could also be Angina or an underlying symptom of something else…
So Google Drive chest pain and high sugar and found this site. The info gave me comfort that I’m not alone on how I feel. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts.
Hi everybody, this is my first post as I have been looking for information on the same issue. When my blood sugar rises I get bad chest pain, left arm numbness, and need to use Nitro spray to help the pain leave. My cardiologist seemed stumped when I spoke to him about the connection. This is what I have concluded (this goes for me, as I have a very advanced heart condition) my blood vessels are scarred and impaired and the blood at the best of times has a hard time getting through. When the blood thickens with the elevated blood sugar levels, it makes the passage of oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle even harder. This causes the heart basically to panic and send out the distress signals (angina pain) even though the heart is not having a cardiac issue (my EVG’s are usually normal). So in my opinion, the elevated blood sugar is directly responsible for the increased angina. I have spoken to a few of my nursing colleagues and they agree that is makes total sense. I have yet to find any studies about a direct relationship between the two, but I have not stopped looking. I hope this helps answer a few questions.
I am Type 1, 46 years, diagnosed at 9 months old, I have coronary artery disease, neuropathy, retinopathy.
So i randomly this yr starting having chest pains on my left side behind my ribs , just behind that area. It happens when I drink things with (sugar) , an the only way i can get it to go away is by drinking 3-4 glasses of water, If I am planning on having a night of mix’s drinks, say like a wedding , I take 3 three Bayer aspirin and the pain never comes. I haven’t been to a doctor yet for testing but being that Im only 27 an cant drink or eat sugar things without getting random chest pain , is started to get annoying .
It’s also getting to be something you need to check into. It may be nothing but for me any pain in the chest area sounds like something for a doctor to to evaluate, Could be nothing but it could save you.
I just joined this site because I am a type 1 diabetic 42 years struggling with upper chest and back muscle pain with exertion, often related to high blood sugar but not always. I was hoping to discuss it with you Otter, through private messaging but I can’t figure out how to do it. Perhaps it’s not available. Can you help? Suzan
