What to do when the doctors shrug their shoulders?

Oriole Adams — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:34:48 -0800

Diagnosis Filter: Looking for opinions of what might be wrong with my mom. (more inside - long) My mom (76 years old) just spent four days in the hospital, after my brother took her to the ER. Her symptoms were a burning sort of pain under the skin in her back, which radiated to the front and in her upper arms. Sometimes the pain was so intense her eyes involuntarily teared up (that is, she wasn't actively crying). She has a history of some heart artery blockage, and has a stent in one artery. She also has a history of pancreatitis.

She was admitted to the hospital and given a battery of tests, mainly related to her heart and also checking for blood clots (she'd developed blood clots on her lungs about 12 years ago after gall bladder surgery). All those tests turned up negative. They gave her Morphine for the pain, and blood thinning IVs just to be safe. Many tests later, and she was discharged last night with both her cardiac specialist and her GP saying whatever it was, it wasn't her heart.

She just phone me and said she's still getting bouts of that same type of pain - it feels like a hot burning pain underneath the skin. It starts in her back, across her shoulders, then radiates to the chest and arms, and now is also going down the backs of her legs. When I spoke with her, she sounded as if she was breathing heavily, and she said that that happens when the pain hits. Her other complaints when it happens are a feeling of pressure in her ears, and a tightness in her jaw, as if she's clenching her teeth (even though she isn't). Her stomach feels slightly upset, but she's not experiencing any nausea.

She's obviously going to have to pursue this with further doctors and tests, but I don't know where to start, what type of specialist (if any), etc. Any ideas out there as to what might be wrong?

Are my chest pain and shortness of breath cause by stress?

jimdanger — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:24:33 -0800

Could a recurring pain in my chest and recent shortness of breath be caused by stress, or something more serious? I'm 24 years old, stand 75 inches and weigh in at 228lbs. My BMI is about 20% I lead a semi-physical lifestyle and eat pretty well. I'm able to run a mile and a half in about 12 minutes and regularly play racquetball and such.

About 9 months ago I started noticing a slight sharp pain in my chest, around the area of the heart. I didn't think much of it because it was very random and might happen once every two weeks. I didn't really notice a pattern, so I just figured I had some kind of cramp or something. Within the past two months it's been getting more frequent, and seems to happen more commonly after physical exercise. It's always in the same spot and while dull, the pain might increase a little when I take an initial breath. It usually lasts for a few minutes after that as the slightly sharp pain.

On top of that I've been having shortness of breath for the past month. It's as if I'm not able to inhale fully and get a deep satisfying breath. Instead, I'm only able to take shallow breaths until I'm forced to yawn and get the air I'm not able to get on my own. Strangely, it's not as bad when I'm running a mile or so, as it is when I'm just walking up some stairs or to my apartment. I'll find myself trying to take in a deep breath, but not being able to fully expand my lungs. I start to kind of panic, so I'll do these exaggerated breaths, like I'm trying to take weight off my diaphragm, but again I have to wait for the yawn. It's even gotten to the point where I pretty much have to have my mouth open all the time to breath.

I went to the doctor who had me do some chest x-rays, but said he saw nothing. My vitals were good, and the blood test checking my cholesterol and stuff was good. He gave me an inhaler for the shortness of breath, which is doing absolutely nothing. He basically said it was due to my high level of stress at work and gave me some contacts for stress management classes.

What the hell is wrong with me? Am I doomed or just doing it to myself?

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What to do when the doctors shrug their shoulders?

Are my chest pain and shortness of breath cause by stress?