posted
So... last night, Havah and I were watching TV, and I got this pain in the center of my chest. It was the place where I get heartburn, when I get heartburn, but it wasn't anything like heartburn.
It felt like something was sticking into my chest, and it wouldn't stop. It went a little into my upper arms (both), and into my right jaw, all along the jaw line.
It hurt, and was kind of scary, but not a shrieking pain or anything. It stayed for a couple of minutes, faded, came back for a bit, faded again, came back one more time, and then faded away completely. And I was a little dizzy during part of it, and completely exhausted afterwards. I still am.
Here's the problem. First of all, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, I think. I tend to go to the doctor if I think something's wrong, and a lot of the time nothing's wrong. The second thing is that I've read about heart issues going up into your jaw, but it's always the left side that they're talking about, and this was very definitely on my right side.
Has anyone here had these kinds of symptoms? Any ideas of what it could be?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Cardiac problems tend to present atypically in women, and with women the pain is more often referred to the right than it is in men. (But it can present atypically in men, too). There are other things, too, that can cause pain that seems like cardiac pain but lands up being something else. The best way to tell if it is cardiac-related or muscular or gastric pain is to (you knew this, but I'm telling you anyway), see a doctor and get it checked. They can do a blood test, an EKG, stuff like that is pretty simple and can help diagnose the cause.
I'm glad you're feeling better, but, honey, call your doctor and tell her what you told us.
You knew we were going to say that, didn't you. Because you're not dumb, and neither are we.
Take care. Your shvester cares about you.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
When I was your age, I used to have those same pains. I found that if I chugged a small bottle of club soda, (I was living in Mexico so one 'chaparritos" was enough.) and then burped vigoriously, the symptoms would go away. I never had it diagnosed. But, it seemed to happen more often if I were slightly dehydrated.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: Cardiac problems tend to present atypically in women, and with women the pain is more often referred to the right than it is in men. (But it can present atypically in men, too). There are other things, too, that can cause pain that seems like cardiac pain but lands up being something else. The best way to tell if it is cardiac-related or muscular or gastric pain is to (you knew this, but I'm telling you anyway), see a doctor and get it checked. They can do a blood test, an EKG, stuff like that is pretty simple and can help diagnose the cause.
But if I'm not having any symptoms now, what could an EKG show?
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: I'm glad you're feeling better, but, honey, call your doctor and tell her what you told us.
You knew we were going to say that, didn't you. Because you're not dumb, and neither are we.
Well, I knew someone was going to. But that's the problem. I can just see the look on my doctor's face when he hears this. It's going to sound like one more bit of hypochrondria.
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: Take care. Your shvester cares about you.
posted
I've been having some mysterious chest and other sharp pains lately; turns out they are nerve pain. I know you have a history of previous injury, could it be a compressed nerve of some sort? Although I do agree it doesn't hurt to get checked out for chest pain.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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My husband, the paramedic, is usually quite disdainful of people seeking medical attention when it isn't warranted. He will talk about how people need to just calm down and not freak over little things, and for the love don't call 911 over a painful zit (yes, it's happened, he took a woman to the hospital once for a pimple).
I say this only so I can tell you what my husband says about chest pain - always, always, always, always check it out. Always. Did I say always? Even if you are 99% sure it's indigestion. Still check it out. If the doctors find nothing, then great, it's nothing. No one will make fun of you or think you're silly for telling the doctor the story you told here. They will all tell you that you did the right thing checking it out.
I know sometimes doctors say "oh you did the right thing calling me" even when they're thinking "What an idiot, I can't believe they bothered me with this" That will not be true however, in the case of chest pain. Trust me - every medical professional will agree you should get chest pain checked out. It's just too dire of a potential consequence not to.
Please tell the doctor. Please. Spoken by the woman who was certain her pain was of minor concern and spent more than a month bearing it because she didn't want to bother the doctors with something that was probably nothing - only to be diagnosed with cancer. Sometimes it IS something.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Feeling okay, I guess. Still tired. Haven't heard back from my doc. He's frum, so maybe he took off. Though those e-mails go to backup docs if he isn't there, so I don't know.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'm rolling my eyes at you! You are not being hypochondriacal. If anything, the opposite. Hyperchondriacal, I guess.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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So I went, and they did an EKG, and there was nothing. He thinks it may be a hiatal hernia. He wants me to do a glucose and cholesterol panel and a stress test. I didn't think it would turn out to be anything big.
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posted
Gall Bladder symptoms and heart attack symptoms can also be very similar. If a heart attack has been ruled out, a very simple ultrasound will diagnose or rule out gallbladder problems pretty easily.
(And while a heart attack is generally more instantaneously lifethreatening, if your gallbladder goes septic, and causes your liver and other organs to start shutting down, it gets pretty serious)
Posts: 11265 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
That's really a good name for it. I don't have one anymore and mine still hurts all the time. Seriously.
Posts: 3771 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I hope it does turn out to be nothing.
