any clue what this is? (birdgirl perhaps?)

[slipknotpsycho]

ok i'm having a problem.... my entire right upper side is hurting... like from my heart, to my shoulder, to my elbow... it's like pulses at that, it'll hurt for a couple of minutes then go back to normal... it's a very unusual pain as well, it burns, stabs and feels like i worked out way too much all at the same time. i still got a couple of weeks before i go to the doctor next, but i'm kinda worried, i'm not exactly what you'd call 'healthy'. i get pains and shit all the time, never worries me but this is so diffrent, i've never felt like this before... it's been going on for 2-3 hours now... so it doesn't look like it's going to cease anytime soon

btw i know this belongs in medicinal and health, but no one ever goes there, and i'm worried so i need answers...

[BizzleLuvin]

yikes i hope you didnt have a heart attack.

[LIP]

What ever you do dont worry. Relax. I cant give you any answers cos i dont know, i wont lie, but just incase, relax, smoke a bowl and just sit. Listen to music, but dont get your heart racing, that wont do it any good.

[yoda]

yikes i hope you didnt have a heart attack.

that would be the left side

[cannabis campbell]

yup just relax if u can sleep

[birdgirl73]

Actually, we get a lot of traffic in Medical, believe it or not.

Slipknot, you need to go to the ER. Heart attacks aren't only felt on the left side. Frequently people have pain on the right as well. And it also sounds plausible that you could be having a gallbladder attack of some kind--or just muscle spasms. No one can diagnose you online, though, which is why you need to go ahead and visit the ER. The stakes are too high not to go ahead and play it safe!

[slipknotpsycho]

i meant to say left >.<

[josh180]

Go to the Er

[birdgirl73]

It's on your left side? Slipknot, definitely go in to the ER, OK?

Are you sweaty and shaky? Any nausea? Does it feel like you have a vice grip around your chest?

I truly think you need to go to the hospital. NOW. My husband is reading over my shoulder and says the same thing. Seriously, don't wait.

[KindMidasSoundman]

Slip, heed Birdgirl's advice - go get looked at ASAP (now)
I hope you have health insurance, but even if you don't, don't let that stop you from going to the ER and getting checked out.
Keep us poted as to what is going on.

[smoke it]

go to the hospital dude...fast

[slipknotpsycho]

it's starting to subside some, i'm still scared as hell it's hard to stay calm, but i'm deathly afraid of going to the hospital.... but if this keeps up much longer i'm going...

Are you sweaty and shaky? Any nausea? Does it feel like you have a vice grip around your chest?

no none of those, just pain.

edit edit: ok now the pain is gone.... man i really don't want to go to the hospital...

[birdgirl73]

Well, I know hospitals are scary to many people. But the alternative, especially if this is heart-related, is much scarier. Trust me on that. And it's important to go now while you have time. They're not going to hurt you at the hospital. They'll do some bloodwork and check your cardiac enzymes. Hook up up to an EKG. It's just much better to be safe than sorry. Truly.

Let me ask you this. Did this come on after any exertion? Or after taking any substances? Or did it come on, by any chance, after you ate something? Do you have a history of heart disease in your family, Slipknot?

[slipknotpsycho]

no history of it that i know of, no exertion, no eatting... i was just watching a movie..

[Skink]

This happen to me,it was the kind of pain that is indescribable,meaning "different from any other" from my sholder to my hand... I ended up calling 911 and took an ambulance ride,turned out to be a clogged artery in my heart...

call 911 the EMT will give you Nitro and if the pain goes away with nitro,you know...

EMT people will stick you like a VooDoo doll,so if you feel you can get a ride do that,,,But go it coiuld be serious...

[KindMidasSoundman]

also: don't be afraid to tell the ER docs that you smoke 'the herb', they need to know that kind of stuff in order to treat you as efficiently as possible.

After further review, maybe you have some type of nasty upper-respiritory infection going on. Either way, get to a doctor ASAP.

[Skrappie]

Slip, i hope that you are well

[slipknotpsycho]

i don't even know what to tell the people when i get there....

[birdgirl73]

Skink's right that if nitroglycerin relieves the pain, that's a good sign it's angina (heart-related chest pain).

You've been under lots of stress lately, Slipknot. That's part of why I'm trying to persuade you to go on in. Even if you don't have a family history of heart disease, you can easily still be at risk yourself. The other thing is that gallbladder pain has an eerie way of masquerading as heart attack pain in men.

[Skink]

Don't let them give you a "Nuclear Stress Test" They shoot you up with """RADIO ACTIVE""" fluid they take out of a lead box... I developed bladder cancer a year later and,,,I believe it could of been the cause...

[birdgirl73]

i don't even know what to tell the people when i get there....
They'll lead you through it. Just tell them when the pain started and how it felt. Describe any other symptoms. They're not going to linger too long on those questions, to be honest. They'll be able to tell more once they get you hooked up to an EKG and have drawn blood.

[slipknotpsycho]

god i hate this ..

[birdgirl73]

I know you do, sweetie, but you're a young husband and father. You'd hate dying a lot worse. Think of it from the perspective of Snookums and your son. They need you to make sure you're OK. For that matter, after what your family's been through these last couple of years, so do the rest of them.

[Skink]

god i hate this ..

it sucks,,,but???

[KindMidasSoundman]

stop procrastinating! (like I would be doing) get to the doctor already!!

[Storm Crow]

Young man, I don't want to hear another word from you until you can tell us what the doctor said! Get your sweet arse to the hospital, NOW! That's an order from Granny!

[NightProwler]

dude i get the weirdest pains. ive had my heat stinging before and it was twitching and spazzing out. ive had insane pains throughout my whole body and really weird things. but hey at least im alive for now

[slipknotpsycho]

nothing... i spent like hours in there to get told there's nothing wrong with me... it just doesn't make sense to me. ok, i've gone through alot of pain hurting myself (not intentionly... i'm just a walking accident) and i get chest pains all the time... but this is something i've never felt before, i still feel it too...

[Mean Green Charlene]

I'd suggest a new doctor. Often times they do not always know what they're talking about.If it doesn't go away, try at least one more, if not two more different doctors. Tell them you've been to previous doctors and the whole deal. Until then, keep toking :thumbsup:

Feel better.

[Crusnik117]

nothing... i spent like hours in there to get told there's nothing wrong with me... it just doesn't make sense to me. ok, i've gone through alot of pain hurting myself (not intentionly... i'm just a walking accident) and i get chest pains all the time... but this is something i've never felt before, i still feel it too...

I use to get chest pains all the time, and none of it had to do with my heart. I ended up seeing tons of doctors, had chest xrays, ekgs and shit. But none of them thought of it being "anxiety" until months later. Got some meds for panic attack and stuff and I guess they've helped cause I havn't had much chest pains anymore.

(I seriously use to think I was having a heart attack when I was 13)
But then again, haha I'd never believe them either when they told me I was fine.

MANY things can cause heart/chest pains, with anxiety I always thought I was in my final hour.

Anxiety, depression, or panic attacks: Panic attacks may cause chest pain that feels like you have a serious health problem, even though it is not life threatening. Hyperventilation (breathing too fast) can also cause bad chest pain. People who have depression (feeling sad most or all of the time) may have chest pain or heaviness.

Lung problems: Examples include infections (such as bronchitis), or inflammation (swelling) in or around a lung. A blood clot in a lung or lung diseases may cause chest pain. Breathing in smoke or fumes can cause chest pain.

Digestive tract problems: Acid reflux, ulcers, or other stomach and esophagus (food pipe) problems may cause chest pain. Problems with too much gas in your stomach or intestines, or other digestion problems may cause chest pain. Gallbladder or pancreas problems may also cause chest pain.

What are signs that my chest pain may be serious? It is often hard to tell what is causing your chest pain. Even caregivers may have trouble finding the cause without doing tests. Chest pain may sometimes be caused by life threatening health problems.

Never try to drive yourself to the hospital if you have signs of a serious health problem. Call 9-1-1 or 0 for an ambulance right away if you have chest pain with any of the following symptoms:


Any new chest pain that is severe, or that lasts for 15 minutes or longer.


Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, weak, or faint.


Sudden sweating for no reason that you know of.


Nausea or vomiting.


New or worsening trouble breathing.


New or worsening trouble with thinking clearly or speaking.


Any new numbness, tingling, or loss of movement in any part of your body.


Coughing up blood.

Yea thats some info I got for you. GL

[BabySnookums]

yeah the dr. was a total moron...we waited forever...luckily he's ok (or so they say >< ) but what if he'd actually been dying? he coulda been dead and the dr. was nowhere to be found. he got an EKG and x-rays and they sent him to a room. we waited there for over an hour and the dr. comes, says "your ekg was fine i'm gonna get some x-rays" we're like, "uh...we already went and got em" and he's like "ok i'm gonna go look at them" over an hour later he comes back and says they looked fine. told us its probably just a chest wall problem (didn't elaborate and was in a hurry to rush us out) and said "i'm gonna give you this prescription, we're gonna unhook you from the machines and you can go" then almost another 30mins to an hr. later someone unhooked him, then about 15 mins waiting to do paperwork before we could leave....

the prescription is indomethican (sp?), an anti-inflammitory

thank you everyone for your thoughts though...especially you birdgirl...i can't help but think your words are what finally prompted him to get offa his arse and go in

[birdgirl73]

You're welcome, Snookums. I'm glad he went, too, but I'm sorry the ER was such a bad experience. Did y'all go to the Hermann ER by any chance? ERs are notoriously bad, and people often do have to wait far too long to be seen because the places are so full of uninsured people who use the ER for routine health care. If they have decent triage nurses, the desperately sick people get sorted out and seen sooner and don't die while they're waiting, but sometimes that still happens anyway.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to follow up fairly soon with a regular doctor in his office. I know that's the last thing you want to hear, Slipknot, but it won't hurt you. If, as the ER doc suggested it might be, it's a chest wall problem, then that's likely to be pleurisy, which is basically when an air bubble gets trapped in the double-layered membrane that surrounds the lungs. It can cause serious chest pain and be very painful. Happens when people have had lung infections like bronchitis or pneumonia, and it sometimes happens for no reason at all, especially in smokers. Like I said, it hurts like the devil, and it takes a while for that air to reabsorb and for things to feel better. If it's a big enough air bubble, it'll be visible on the X-rays, but often they're not visible.

I was so worried about you yesterday, Slipknot, and am glad you went in. Even though I know you hated doing that, it was a good thing you did because, if that'd been a heart attack, you would have been in deep doo-doo if you'd waited. Sorry it felt like a wasted trip, but I don't think it was. Still, if you keep hurting, I think it might be prudent to follow up with someone who'll take a bit more time with you and help you figure out what's up.

Take care, my friends!

[BabySnookums]

nope....we went to San Jacinto Methodist *gags*

[Skink]

good to hear it wasn't major...

I've been reading up on the pleurisy thing lately because I think I may have it... after my stent my chest pain did not go away... The chest pains are accompanied by some weird gas that if I release it,,,the chest pain subsides,,,baffling... the pain is usually bought on by exercise or eating a big meal... I also think it could be a rupture in the lining of my stomach that is restricting an artery and causing the pain,,,there's a name for it but it escapes me atm...

anyways get the Xrays,they are yours!!! and see someone else like BG suggests... and be careful of prescribed meds,research it,maybe start with Erowid...

Peace...

[TheSmokingMonkey]

Yes, please, go to the hospital.

And for everyone else: heart attack symptoms can include pain in the chest, back, arms, and even the jaw. So don't ignore sudden intense pain of ANY kind. Better safe than sorry.

Most knowledgeable doctors will use the information that you smoke cannabis responsibly; please tell them if you think it might be relevant.

[rebgirl420]

wtf stop writing on the site and get to the hospital GOOOOO DON'T DIE

[TheSmokingMonkey]

He already went. :thumbsup:

Yeah, I read that just now... my attention span just isn't what it used to be. :o

And regarding that... get some more opinions. No doctor has all the answers.

I've had chronic stress-related pain for several years now, I've had to just accept palliative care because nobody can pin in down to anything more specific than "stress" or "anxiety". I can't feasibly reduce my stress (sadly) so I have turned to weed. And booze. And cigarettes.

I tried acupuncture and herbal cures and the chiropractor; they all helped but nothing really "cures" my pain.

So I know all about doctors not knowing and I think the best cure is to get second and third and fourth opinions until you are satisfied, if not with your diagnosis, at least with your palliative care.