My god it has a name... and so many people here seem to have it? I thought i was a freak for having this. Nobody else ever said anything about having similar pains.
this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026
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Holy fuck it has a name.
Of course it has a name ..... Of course I'm not the only one this happens to.
Ive had it since a teen when I got pneumonia, always assumed it was related to that, however it's actually this and it's a perfect description. It a bit of a mind blown moment
Oh nice post. I totally have this.
Treatment: Reasurance
Its okay. You're not dying. Calm down.
The pain is agitated by expansion and contraction of the chest. Taking a deep breath and allowing the rib cage to fully expand can relieve the pain, however it will feel unpleasant initially. At the point of full expansion, it can feel like a rubber band snap in the chest, after which the initial pain subsides.
Oh I gotta try this.
Yeah, this is how I used to deal with it. You just eat that stabbing pain for a few seconds and then it's gone.
I haven't had this in probably 15 or more years at this point, which seems to be consistent with the syndrome itself being most common in young adults, teens, and children.
The trick is doing it quickly, like gasping for air after jumping into cold water.
At the point of full expansion, it can feel like a rubber band snap in the chest,
🤮
I often struggle with arythmia, angina, and palpitations, with up to several seconds between beats sometimes, and this sounds horrific. I'd rather double my heart problems than trade them for this
Make sure to keep going until you feel and hear the snap.
I'm gonna need the tire inflator
Ahh, this is fun. Every time I'm like "Is this it? Is this the one?"
But no, it never is.
until it is
And your body has been crying wolf for so long that you just ignore it
That's the spirit! Got to stay positive.
Gotta have something to look forward to!
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back in the day everyone told me it was in my head
I've had this since before I was a teenager...decades ago. Still happens from time to time. I've always considered it somewhat like a cramp in my diaphragm and so always breathe just deeply enough that it starts to hurt then relax and next breath try a bit deeper and keep that up until I "work through it."
For me, the way to deal with this was to raise my arms above my head in a stretch. Made it stop every time.
Thought I was having a heart attack the first couple of times it happened.
As an adult, I still have them from time to time, but not anywhere as frequently, though still without any warning.
Same! Instead of raising my arms, I basically just take a very deep breath and try to expand my thorax as much as possible. Works quite well for me.
The first time it happened to me I was sleeping and the pain woke me up. I drank some whiskey and went back to bed to try to die in my sleep. Unfortunately I did not die peacefully.
You died in agony?
No, worse, I had to go to work in the morning.
Ugh, the worst.
Yeah....but he got better!
Before this comment, I thought my anecdote of "I had this a few years ago and decided to just let whatever it was kill me" was too bleak to post
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Oh, good, I’m not dying.
Yet.
The best way to get rid of it when it happens is to fill your lungs as much as you can, and then bear down lightly like you are pooping. After that it’s gone.
Happens to me about 3x/yr and always has.
Once you get used to doing this you don’t even need to buy additional spare underwear anymore
IBS people hate this one weird trick?
Now look up Proctalgia Fugax
Yeah man, I’ve had this shit since I was a kid. Doctors never told me about this, couldn’t ever figure it out.
I don’t really get these anymore like I used to, but man they suck. As an adult it might hit me once a year and I’ll just be like oh yeah forgot about this. It’s just this crazy sharp pain in your chest, you can’t take deep breaths, just gotta pause and breathe shallowly till it passes.
My favorite time was when I was climbing a ladder up a roof, like really? Now?
I even went to the doctor once because I had it a few times a week some years ago.
I'd take this over proctalgia.
It's a spasm of the anal sphincter and it feels like someone jamming a hot knife into your asshole without warning.
lol, I told my wife about this post and she said "You might consider doing ones about Proctalgia Fugax and Exploding Head Syndrome too."
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Does anyone know the name for the sensation where you stretch and suddenly your innards feel all wrong, almost like being on the verge of a cramp but not and you suspect that if you don't return relatively quickly but gently to an unstretched position that something may go badly wrong inside?
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Jesus. Thanks for posting this.
Oh, same, never had it since about 30.
Description is pretty spot on, but it's on the opposite side for me. Are my innards flipped?
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Oh good so it’s not just been me dealing with this random pain for the last 20 years…
I have this, randomly and only when sleeping on the back. one time it was more longer lasting them before.
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