Kerisha Mark, from Beaumont, Texas, feared they were the symptoms of a heart attack or brain tumour.
But the then 39-year-old was not at risk of either life-threatening conditions.
Instead doctors told her the pain was the result of her breasts and a rare condition, gigantomastia.
Ms Mark had always had an exceptionally large chest.
But by her late 30s, her bust had grown to a staggering 36NNN.
The rapid growth was the result of the hormonal condition.
Gigantomastia is diagnosed when breast weight exceeds three per cent of a person's body weight.
The enlargement can cause muscle pain, and over-stretching of the skin envelope, which can lead to ulceration.
The condition usually affects one breast more than the other, causing asymmetry.
It is thought the underlying cause of the condition is a heightened sensitivity to female hormones prolactin, oestrogen and progesterone.
For Ms Mark the condition resulted in pulled chest muscles, severe back pain and emotional distress, the Washington Post reported.
'I could not run or jump or work out at all,' she said.
'I was very limited in a lot of things I could do.'
She estimated her breasts weighed around 15 lbs each, and said she had been forced to use duct tape to hold them in place.
Having considered surgery as an option for years, Ms Mark made the decision to mark her 40th birthday by having treatment.
Eyewitness News cameras followed Ms Mark into the operating theatre.
'I was like, happy birthday to me!' she said.
She recalled how her large breasts have hampered daily life ever since she was young.
'My first time at boot camp, I did a jumping jack and my bra snapped,' she told the cameras.
She added: 'I started to have really bad headaches. Women and men want to touch them to see if they are real. It's real intimidating.'
Dr Franklin Rose, a plastic surgeon based in Houston, performed the operation.
He told The Post he could not remember seeing a patient with larger breasts in his 35-year career.
He said: 'The breasts really hung down to her hips and were essentially like carrying around three basketballs at all times because they were so large.
'When we went into the exam room - I don't know if I would use this word 'shocking', but it was certainly startling to see breasts of that magnitude.'
Dr Rose said he recruited a colleague to help with the four-hour operation, where he removed 15lbs of breast tissue.
They were able to leave Ms Mark with a 'nice full' DD cup bust.
He said if her condition had been left untreated it could have developed into degenerative kyphosis, a condition causing a person's spine to curve forward, forming a hump or hunchback.
Ms Mark said more than a month after the surgery, which took place in October, she is planning to start exercising again, and is excited at the prospect of a new wardrobe.
'The first time my best friend saw me, she cried,' Mark said. 'When I stood up for the first time I felt so light.'
And when the operation was complete, she said she was overcome by emotions she hadn't expected.
'After I got home I did cry. It was like I mourned the death of them, it was like a divorce.'
But today the 40-year-old is looking forward to a pain-free future.
'My first thing on the agenda is to purchase a beautiful bra and second is to buy a strapless dress,' she added.
The consequences of having large breasts can be devastating, ranging from crippling back pain, neck and arm pain to headaches, friction rash and a curvature of the spine.
Embarrassment can deter women from exercising, leaving them prone to health problems linked to obesity, including diabetes and heart disease.
A study published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2012 found that a woman with very large breasts can lose five years off her expected lifespan if she does not have a reduction.
Professor Laurence Kirwan is a plastic surgeon who performed breast reduction on TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson after her breast size soared from a D-cup to an L-cup after having four children.
Far from being merely cosmetic, Professor Kirwan said a large breast can weigh as much as 3.3lb and removing as little as half a pound can dramatically relieve the symptoms.
But he points out that the issue is often not taken seriously, particularly as large breasts are seen as desirable. �It�s wrong for NHS trusts and insurance companies to dismiss this as vanity,� he says.
�Many of the women who come to me desperate for breast reductions have poor posture and are in a great deal of pain due to the drag on their shoulders and neck.�
Source : DailyMail , ABC13 , KTBS
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