HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Pain In Arm, Shoulder, Neck, Jaw, Chest. Shortness Of Breath, Dizziness. Normal Tests. Cause?

Posted on Tue, 20 Aug 2013

Question: Im a 28 yr old female with constant pain in.my.left arm,shoulder,neck,jaw for.days now it kinda.seems like it gets worse.when lifting up on my arm but pain is.stil serve even if.I.domt.move it im having some chest pain, short of breath an dizzy I went to er last week they did ekg n labs n xray everything came bak neg. also last year I had a stress test ,labs,ct, xray, all normal ive also had like a d dimer test last year im just confused as to what could cause this serve pain an why they cant find ne thing wrong im so scared an I dont waht to do ne more please help. this pain is deep down in bones it feels like and its from my jaw to my wrist

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (2 hours later)

Hello and thank you for sending the question.

Your question is a very good one and I can appreciate your dealing with a very frustrating situation.

My only additional consideration in your case would be that you might have some type of structural abnormality which is putting pressure on one of the nerves in your neck or upper back.

The best way to assess this would be with and MRI. This is an exam which can be expensive and you should discuss this with your primary care doctor.

I feel the MRI will provide you with some additional information which might explain some of the pain you are experiencing.

Thanks again for sending your question. Please let me know if you have any additional specific concerns.

Dr XXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Robert Galamaga (59 minutes later)

So could that cause the inner part of my arm to be numb and the sharp pains I get on side of breast and between shoulder blades cause ive been having serve pain ive been.to family dr all she did was lab work and told me to see gastritis dr anyways im just wondering if not heart or stroke related what could cause so many symptoms of that its scary an the fact they don't kno makes it worse

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (17 hours later)

Hello again. I am sorry that you're dealing with these problematic symptoms. Regarding your compression or pinched nerve this can caused a multitude of symptoms. I am not saying that it is 100% likely that you have this type of problem but it is something that we might consider. You might discuss the possibility of performing an MRI with your primary care doctor.

Another possible contributing factor to your symptoms might be a variant of what we refer to as panic disorder. This is quite difficult to determine in the absence of being able to speak with you and examine you but if you have significant concerns regarding anxiety this can definitely cause some type of musculoskeletal symptoms. We refer to this as psychosomatic symptoms. Again this is something you might want to discuss with your primary care doctor.

Regarding recommendations I would consider certainly maintaining a very healthy diet. In addition it is absolutely important that you exercise at least three or four times per week. This will help your mind and body.

Thanks again for sending your question. Please let me know if I can help you with any additional concerns.

Dr. XXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vasanth

Follow up: Dr. Robert Galamaga (5 hours later)

WELL I DO HAVE ANXIETY I ALSO HAVE PTSD IVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH AND HAVE BEEN OFF MY MEDS FOR TWO MONTHS TRYING TO GET BACK ON THEM BUT HAVEN'T GOT THERE YET ALSO WOULD THAT CAUSE DEEP PAIN LEFT SHOULDER BLADE AREA AND NIMBNESS DOWN LEFT ARM ALSO DEEP PAIN DOWN MY WHOLE LEFT ARM DEEP FEELS LIKE ITS IN MY BONES PAIN GETS SERVE THEY KEEP SAYING ITS NOT MY HEART OR BLOOD CLOT BUT I FEEL LIKE ITS ONE OR THE OTHER AND THERE NOT FINDING IT PLZ HELP I DONT KNO WHAT ELSE TO DO AND I CANT GET THEM TO DO NE MORE TEST IVE TRIED SO YOUR ADVISE WOULD BE APPRECIATED

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (4 hours later)

Hello again.

It is extremely difficult to determine what could be causing your symptoms in the absence of being able to examine you. I think it is extremely important that you see your primary care doctor as soon as possible to review your symptoms.

As I did mention certain psychological disorders can cause some of the symptoms you are experiencing. Your doctor needs to review this with you and determine the next best step in management of your condition. If you have discontinue certain medications this is very important for you to discuss with your doctor as well. It might be beneficial for you to initiate an additional medication to help keep your anxiety under control.

Thanks again for sending your question. Please let me know if I can be of any additional assistance.

Dr. XXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Robert Galamaga (1 hour later)

I just seen my dr Thursday she only did labs and said it may be stomach related to see a gastro dr and to see my obgyn and tht all my labs where stable she checked my cholesterol n stuff while I was not fasting so I think that messed that up a little bit she knows I havent been on mu meds and says she dont give meds like that out so im lost here ive been to like four er visits and two dr app and all did labs and xray ekgs and all good

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (12 hours later)

Hello again.

I completely understand your frustration. I am confident that with some additional time your doctors will help figure out what is going on and work towards helping you feel slowly better and better every day.

I would encourage you to contact your primary care physician again to reiterate your current concerns.

Thanks again for sending a question. Please let us know if we can help you with any additional concerns.

Dr XXXX

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vasanth