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Suggest Treatment For Nausea, Slight Left Arm Pain And Light-headed Feeling
Question: I have been nausea and lightheaded most of the day. I'm having slight left arm pain...should I be concerned
Brief Answer:
I recommend performing some tests:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I understand your concern and would explain that it is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different possible causes of your symptoms:
- a viral infection could lead to nausea and lightheadedness
- a cervical column disorder (cervicarthrosys or a slipped cervical disk) could lead to lightheadedness, nausea, dizziness and neck pain irradiating in one of the arms. Is the pain in the arm modulated by body movements or arm movements?
- low blood pressure, including orthostatic hypotension could cause this clinical scenario. Have you measured your blood pressure today?
- the last thing to exclude would be a possible cardiac ischemia. This cause would be less possible because of your age and the symptoms you have, which are atypical for such a disorder.
I recommend you to closely monitor your blood pressure during the day and refer those values to your attending physician.
Besides a careful physical examination, I would recommend also performing some tests:
- a resting ECG
- a cervical spine X ray study for spondylarthrosis
- a chest X ray study
- lab blood tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, kidney and liver function tests, blood electrolytes, fasting glucose, CPK).
A head up tilt test may be needed if suspicions of possible orthostatic hypotension are raised. But I would also explain that this would be a more chronic situation than just 1 day symptomatology.
Hope to have been of help!
Feel free to ask any other questions, whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I recommend performing some tests:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I understand your concern and would explain that it is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different possible causes of your symptoms:
- a viral infection could lead to nausea and lightheadedness
- a cervical column disorder (cervicarthrosys or a slipped cervical disk) could lead to lightheadedness, nausea, dizziness and neck pain irradiating in one of the arms. Is the pain in the arm modulated by body movements or arm movements?
- low blood pressure, including orthostatic hypotension could cause this clinical scenario. Have you measured your blood pressure today?
- the last thing to exclude would be a possible cardiac ischemia. This cause would be less possible because of your age and the symptoms you have, which are atypical for such a disorder.
I recommend you to closely monitor your blood pressure during the day and refer those values to your attending physician.
Besides a careful physical examination, I would recommend also performing some tests:
- a resting ECG
- a cervical spine X ray study for spondylarthrosis
- a chest X ray study
- lab blood tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, kidney and liver function tests, blood electrolytes, fasting glucose, CPK).
A head up tilt test may be needed if suspicions of possible orthostatic hypotension are raised. But I would also explain that this would be a more chronic situation than just 1 day symptomatology.
Hope to have been of help!
Feel free to ask any other questions, whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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