Comments on: Should my friend go to the hospital? Symptoms inside...

Question: Should my friend go to the hospital? Symptoms inside...

dobbs — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:29:34 -0800

YANMFD... I have a friend who, on Thursday, experienced sharp pains in his left side--he described the location as, "About an inch inside, directly aligned with my underarm". He felt it about 15 times over the course of the day and said it was "sharp and sudden" and caused him to wince and bend over. The next day, he woke up and there was blood in his right eye--not bloodshot, but blood, like a pool. It went away over the course of the day. He insists these things are not related and won't go to the doctor. As a result, I'm worried. Could these things be connected and what could they be? He's 44.

He doesn't want to go to the doctor because he just spent time in emergency a few weeks ago with a kidney stone and is tired of being there.

By: readery

readery — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:32:12 -0800

Eye on the same side as the pain? Consider Shingles.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:45:53 -0800

If someone just had a kidney stone and then experiences sharp internal pain and blood pooling in the eye, that seems like a good reason to seek medical attention.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:46:53 -0800

No, eye on opposite side.

By: snorkmaiden

snorkmaiden — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:57:02 -0800

Chest pain is one of those things you don't fuck around with. He needs to talk about this with a doctor.

By: Coatlicue

Coatlicue — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:11:23 -0800

Yes, he should probably at least go to an urgent care. But you said he refuses to go to a doctor.

What sort of information are you trying to acquire, that you think would convince him that he needs to go? He's already told you that he's not going to the doctor, despite that his symptoms would be ridiculous to ignore. What evidence can be provided that will convince him, in light of the fact that he's not convinced by his own recent medical issues and his own physical pain?

By: Johnny Wallflower

Johnny Wallflower — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:11:58 -0800

This is unusual. He should definitely see a doc.

By: guster4lovers

guster4lovers — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:24:37 -0800

I can't think of a scenario where BLOOD IN THE EYE isn't an emergency room trip.

IANAD. I could see how both would be blood vessel related, though. And that's ER worthy.

If his problem is more the ER thing, why can't he schedule an emergency/immediate appointment with his GP?

By: limeonaire

limeonaire — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:29:17 -0800

He should really go to the doctor.

By: alms

alms — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:32:41 -0800

My spouse can make me go to the emergency room against my wishes. My friends cannot.

Perhaps you can convince him to call his GP's after-hours line or call his GP on Monday.

By: vignettist

vignettist — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:40:58 -0800

I have gotten blood in my eye like that a couple of times following severe blood pressure spikes. In my case, I did not have any attendant pain or recent medical issues. If I had, I most likely would have gone to the dr.

By: rmhsinc

rmhsinc — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:42:36 -0800

If the is eye completely cleared up and the pain has not recurred it may or may not be coincidental--if in fact--he has no continuing symptoms and feels well/energetic/normal he might wait. It can be difficult for a physician to DX a condition that is no longer present--particularly in the absence of other symptoms. I can not think of a relationship between blood pooling in the eye and a recurrent sharp pain. If the pain was in fact episodic, sharp, of short duration and subsided quickly it does not suggest organ involvement. Is it possible he strained an intercostal muscle--if so he could also have ruptured a vessel in the eye. If he has any residual symptoms from Thursday it probably is not life threatening. If either of the symptoms recur go the physician ASAP.

By: rmhsinc

rmhsinc — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:49:01 -0800

" If he has any residual symptoms" should read " If he has no residual symptoms"

By: Corvid

Corvid — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:08:58 -0800

It may well be that your friend is not being as reckless as you think. Blood in the eye does not always indicate any serious condition at all. A subconjunctival hemorrhage, for instance, can look very alarming, yet be utterly benign. Or, it can sometimes be a sign of something serious. This article explains when it does and doesn't need medical evaluation (assuming that's what it is). The pain in his side could be from a muscle spasm, or heartburn. Sometimes it isn't a bad idea to stay clear of doctors and hospitals and give things a chance to get better on their own.

Does your friend have some sort of health insurance? Many insurers these days have some sort of a "nurse line" you can call at any time, and ask if your symptoms seem to require immediate medical attention. That's what I'd do.

By: treehorn+bunny

treehorn+bunny — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:20:14 -0800

I'm with corvid here. Have you tried Google image searching subconjunctival hemorrhage? I bet it will look just like your friend's eye did - and it's a benign condition. It typically occurs after some event has increased the pressure there and caused a blood vessel to burst - like coughing or vomiting. It resolves on its own when the blood reabsorbs.

Regarding sharp pains in the left side, my bet is another kidney stone, but there's really not enough information here to tell. IANY (or his) D.

By: treehorn+bunny

treehorn+bunny — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:23:15 -0800

I should add, people often experience nausea and vomiting, or just spiking blood pressure with the severe sharp pains caused by kidney stones (or any other severe sharp visceral pain). Therefore a subconjunctival hemorrhage could be related to the pain.

By: Johnny Wallflower

Johnny Wallflower — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:39:03 -0800

Good grief. Why are people so blasé about this? Pain that causes him to bend over several times per day and blood in the eye are not symptoms that should be ignored. This isn't a rash, this is an acute problem. He needs to see a doc.

By: theora55

theora55 — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 13:50:23 -0800

Friend, I'm worried about you. I'd feel a lot better if you would call your doctor or the ER where you went with kidney stones. They can tell you if you should get care or not. I'd be very unhappy if anything happened to you.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 13:51:14 -0800

Just got back from ER. Doc says he's fine and symptoms not related.

By: BlueHorse

BlueHorse — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:30:40 -0800

Good. Hope you both feel better!