I can only tell my story, and hope it helps!
When an ache started on the left side of my chest about four months ago, I disregarded it, associating it to anxiety. A few days later, the pain went from an inconvenience, to debilitating within an hour, expanding to my underarm and down my hand. I was at work, desperate for every hour, so I didn't want to leave. A friend of mine noticed I was pale, asked what was wrong, and immediately went for chewable aspirin, convinced I was having a heart attack.
Work sent me to the closest er, where the radiologist told me I had a small aneurysm on my aortic valve. I quit work, went on blood pressure and antianxiety meds to keep my stress to a minimum, wrote up a new will, had a dozen restrictions on activity and diet from my doctor, and tried to function as all of my medical treatment was based on one radiologist's report.
The pain never hit so bad again, though I perpetually had pressure in my chest, and discomfort under my arm.
Until a few nights ago.
I was watching a movie with my son, relaxing on the couch, when I felt like I was hit with a sledgehammer in my left breast. My arm, the side of my chest, and underarm felt as if it had been tourniqueted too long and were about to explode.
I went to the er of a wonderful hospital, where they told me after another CT... That there was nothing in my breast- nor was there ANYTHING wrong with my heart. The nurse pressed on my back, right behind where my heart is, and I jumped- because of all the pain, I hadn't even realized it was super-sensitized.
Come to find out, the discs in my upper back are herniated, which has caused all of my symptoms, even though it was all on one side. C7-T2 disc damage is becoming more and more common as more people than ever are slumped over computers, though mine was from repetitive work with my arms.
My first advice would always be to check your heart- these are symptoms of a heart attack for women(even nausea). Obviously, always look into the danger of breast cancer. If you don't find anything there, though- take a look at your back!!! I'm stuck with this agony which no pill or shot has been able to touch for at least a few months, but if I wouldn't have been so terrified by my first diagnosis, and asked for more tests, the further damage to my discs would have been preventable.
Good luck, everyone!
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I can only tell my story, and hope it helps!
March 23, 2015 - 11:28amWhen an ache started on the left side of my chest about four months ago, I disregarded it, associating it to anxiety. A few days later, the pain went from an inconvenience, to debilitating within an hour, expanding to my underarm and down my hand. I was at work, desperate for every hour, so I didn't want to leave. A friend of mine noticed I was pale, asked what was wrong, and immediately went for chewable aspirin, convinced I was having a heart attack.
Work sent me to the closest er, where the radiologist told me I had a small aneurysm on my aortic valve. I quit work, went on blood pressure and antianxiety meds to keep my stress to a minimum, wrote up a new will, had a dozen restrictions on activity and diet from my doctor, and tried to function as all of my medical treatment was based on one radiologist's report.
The pain never hit so bad again, though I perpetually had pressure in my chest, and discomfort under my arm.
Until a few nights ago.
I was watching a movie with my son, relaxing on the couch, when I felt like I was hit with a sledgehammer in my left breast. My arm, the side of my chest, and underarm felt as if it had been tourniqueted too long and were about to explode.
I went to the er of a wonderful hospital, where they told me after another CT... That there was nothing in my breast- nor was there ANYTHING wrong with my heart. The nurse pressed on my back, right behind where my heart is, and I jumped- because of all the pain, I hadn't even realized it was super-sensitized.
Come to find out, the discs in my upper back are herniated, which has caused all of my symptoms, even though it was all on one side. C7-T2 disc damage is becoming more and more common as more people than ever are slumped over computers, though mine was from repetitive work with my arms.
My first advice would always be to check your heart- these are symptoms of a heart attack for women(even nausea). Obviously, always look into the danger of breast cancer. If you don't find anything there, though- take a look at your back!!! I'm stuck with this agony which no pill or shot has been able to touch for at least a few months, but if I wouldn't have been so terrified by my first diagnosis, and asked for more tests, the further damage to my discs would have been preventable.
Good luck, everyone!
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