So I just left the Emergency Room

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episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
I had sudden chest pain like I've never had before. They put me on an EKG and found nothing. Gave me two nitro tablets that didn't seem to do anything, some Mylanta with Lidocaine in it and some aspirin, did a cardiac enzyme test, and sent me home to see a family doc. They said all of the tests did not indicate I had a heart attack. They also gave me a chest xray and it did not show an enlarged heart.

When I went in the pain was crushing. Even as I type, it is still there somewhat. . .

Ideas? The doc said all the EKG meant is that I didn't have an Myocardial Infarction, and that this could be the symptom of something else? Why didn't they do the whole shebang while I was there. Yea, I'm a little passive and didn't ask that question. By the end of it I felt stupid for even going - but on a 1-10 pain scale it was like a 7 and radiated down my arm and I had pressure on my chest.


I just made an appointment for a stress test, but the earliest they can get me in is next Monday (sigh).
 
rivan

rivan

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2003
9,677
3
81
I hear this happens more frequently the closer you get to Lifer status.


Seriously, get to your doctor asap and take it easy until then. You mentioned Monday - but did you talk to your primary care doc or just schedule through a nurse?
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,323
14,725
146
:roll: at some of the replies...

Not current on all the heart emergencies, but what about angina, or a possible blockage?



Damn I hate it when one of these threads is something serious instead of something laugh-worthy!
 
episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
Mike, they did the chest xray, and I have not been doing anything to hurt myself. I dunno about the gallbladder - bloodwork pick that up? Or not in the right place? (I don't even know where the gall bladder is. This certainly was my chest and upwards.
 
episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
Originally posted by: rivan
I hear this happens more frequently the closer you get to Lifer status.


Seriously, get to your doctor asap and take it easy until then. You mentioned Monday - but did you talk to your primary care doc or just schedule through a nurse?
Click to expand...

Well to complicate things, I just moved here and didn't have a doctor. So I just had to randomly call around till I found one accepting new patients with my insurance that could do all of the testing, etc.

 
I

illusion88

Lifer
Oct 2, 2001
13,164
3
81
Unstable Angina Pectoris.
I was able to get a hold of your charts and I saw that the EKG showed a slight delay between leads 2 and 5, indicating slight ischemia in the left atrium. Inform your doctor of this the next time you see him. They should be able to see it the second time they look at the charts.
 
2Xtreme21

2Xtreme21

Diamond Member
Jun 13, 2004
7,044
0
0
About a month ago I had something just like you described. It hurt so bad I couldn't walk...

Ended up going down to the doctors office in our building and asking to see a doctor-- after taking my blood pressure and examining me with the stethoscope he ruled out a heart attack and when I responded that I could breathe normally (wasn't gasping for breath or feeling like air really wasn't "doing anything"), a punctured lung.

He said I most likely had lifted something (we were moving printers and CRTs around the day before) and had pinched a nerve or sprained a pectoral. They're the hardest things to heal because you can't "nurse" a chest muscle as it's constantly expanding and contracting with every breath you take.

The doc said to take a bunch of ibuprofen and wait a day-- and if it didn't get noticeably better the next day to go back and see him for more tests. Honestly getting ibuprofen into my system and doing some pectoral stretches (stand in a door way with both hands on the door frame and kinda pretend you're doing a push up) made it probably halve the pain by the next day.

I feel for you though, buddy. It was horrible.
 
purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,656
6,532
126
that sucks man, i have been having chest pains (well not really pain but mild discomfort when i breath sometimes) on my right side. i went into the docs today actually and they diagnosed me w/condochondritis , which is what i kind of thought it was after researching it. i'm going to be taking alleve for 3 weeks to see if i can get the inflammation to go down. good luck!

i also had an EKG done a few months ago and nothing strange showed up.
 
episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
hurt when breathing? pleurisy? http://www.peacehealth.org/kba...pecial/tj8148/sec1.htm
Click to expand...

I remember him checking for that, but he ruled it out he said after the blood work, xray, and my exact nature of my symptoms. For instance, I had no more pain when he pressed deeply. Pleurisy you generally would. He also said I did not have an elevated white count, which I would with a lung infection
 
episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Gas pains?
Click to expand...

I'm sure that is why they gave me the mylanta with the lidocaine. That did nothing to ease any pain, and I had not yet ate at all this day when I went in. I normally never have any GI problems. . .although, I recognize it could be a possibility. Problem is it was dead off center on my left side radiating from center of chest to arm in a tough manner.


I rated the pain 7 out of 10 Here is what I call 10/10 - when I was young, I stepped on a long rusty nail that went all the way through my foot - and my Aunt poured rubbing alchohol on it - that was a 10 - so rating this a 7 - it was WAY up there.
 
F

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
Opinion of an EMT who is about to be a Paramedic:

"It is likely they did not do any extensive testing while you were at the ER because they eliminated all life threatening conditions. Most ERs are not designed or staffed for extensive non-emergency diagnostics. You were likely referred to a cardiologist who will care for you from here. They are more qualified, equipped, and staffed for this.

As for what the pain is, it could be many things. Any organ or tissue in your chest can be the source of pain, including your heart, lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, tendons, or nerves.
They already eliminated a myocardial infarction (the medical term for a heart attack.) This occurs when there is an occlusion of a vessel in the heart, causing an area of tissue to not receive oxygenated blood. This is the most life threatening cause of chest pain. You could have a condition known as pericarditis. This is an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart. If this is the case, pain will be worsened by breathing and movement, especially when leaning forward. This is not very likely.

You could have experienced a pulmonary embolism, also known as a blood clot in the lungs. You would likely have experienced difficulty breathing with this, but not everyone does, especially with a small clot. When they did your blood work at the hospital, they would have found elevated levels of D-dimer if this were the case.

You could have a condition known as coastal chondritis. This is an inflammation of the cartilage tissue bteween the ribs. This pain is more wide spread about the chest and does not typically present as radiating down the arm.

Another possibility is an ulcer, severe heart burn or indigestion, but the GI cocktail (lidocaine & mylanta) they gave you should have taken care of that immediately. Problems with your esophagus could also be a factor. A gastroenterologist could help you further diagnose these issues. Gallbladder disease or gall stones could cause chest pain symptoms like you described. Chest pain of gallbladder origin usually worsens after a large meal, particularly if it was high fat content.

If you exerted yourself heavily you could have pulled a muscle in the chest area, which could cause the symptoms you described. It would not have been relieved by any of the treatment measures they used. You could have experienced a panic attack. This is very common, and it would be my most likely guess. You may not even realize you were upset about something. Patients often experience feelings of impending doom, crushing chest pain, breathing difficulty, and radiating pain down the arm. There is no test for either of these last two conditions. They are diagnosed by correlating symptoms in the absence of any other testable diagnosis."
 
Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
I've had physicians with esophageal spasms that thought they were having an acute MI.

I love the way we can stratify chest pain nowdays. We used to admit people for days and do serial cardiac enzymes to rule an mi in or out...
 
episodic

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
I really hope it turns out to be nothing. I'm anxious about the cost of all of this. I have insurance - but never have been able to afford to use it if you know what I mean. Looks like I'm only out 100$ for the ER.

I hope it is nothing serious, but I'm going to feel so stupid if this all turns out to be nothing after all of this money/time.

I'm under alot of stress with bills and stuff, and that is what my wife says she thinks it is. Plus, I'm changing jobs (lots of stress here). I'm in terrible shape, although improving. I did weigh 340 at the start of summer. I'm down to 315, but I'm still fat. I excercise alot - probably walking 7 miles a week or so (yea, I know that is nothing for some of you, but are you 300 + pounds). In fact, just other day I out rode my 14 year old son up a steep hill in town on a bike ride (I was worthless after the hill, but I digress). . .

Coupled with the fact that both of my brothers have had diabetes and one refused to be compliant (lost his legs), and that my mother has heart disease - well I was/am really worried. Dad died young, in his 40's while I was a baby - of guess what. . . a heart attack. I'm approaching the 4 - 0 (34), and well I need to get my kids grown before I have time for a heart attack :p

My problem is constant anxiety. I'm always worried about something (mostly job/money). . .

Sigh, I'll report back when I know something. Thanks for the thoughts.
 
dartworth

dartworth

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
15,200
10
81
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I've had physicians with esophageal spasms that thought they were having an acute MI.

I love the way we can stratify chest pain nowdays. We used to admit people for days and do serial cardiac enzymes to rule an mi in or out...
Click to expand...

I was kind of curious about this myself...the kept me in the CDU overnight drawing blood every few hours...

 
dartworth

dartworth

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
15,200
10
81
Originally posted by: episodic

I'm going to feel so stupid if this all turns out to be nothing after all of this money/time.
Click to expand...


don't worry about stupid shit like that. It is better to know than to find out to late...:(

 
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