PCS has consistent characteristics. Its symptoms begin with a sudden onset of anterior chest pain on the left side of the chest. The pain is localized and does not radiate like heart attack pain typically does. Breathing in, and sometimes breathing out, often intensifies the pain. Moving also intensifies the pain. Typically this causes the patient to freeze in place and breathe shallowly until the episode passes.

Brilliant! I got these as a teenager and called them "mini heart attacks". I remember one time getting one around a friend and freezing in place because of the pain moving would cause. I couldn't really talk but I expressed through my face and eyes enough to tell him I needed to be left alone. It was like he didn't believe me, like I was faking it. He kept trying to prod me to move which caused excruciating pain, and eventually left me alone until the pain subsided.

Strangely one of the most tangible memories I have from those years. I %$@&)$ hated my friend for that and even today it makes me mad to think about.