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Suggest Treatment For Pain In The Left Side Of The Chest
Question: I'm a 56 yr old female, 5'0. 100 pounds. I exercise moderately and eat fairly well. My father had a heart attack and had triple bypass at age 60. I do have panic attacks and take 0.05 klonipin . With that, I find myself so tired most of the time I just want to go to bed and sleep all day. My blood pressure has been up and down over the last 25 years, I have eleven children that have been wonderful and not perfect. There have been alot of stress over the years. I have a 15 yr left at home and I feel that I have alot less stress.
I was sitting in bed the other night and my mid to left side of my chest felt if I took a breath to deep it hurt just a bit. Then I noticed dull aching at the top of my left shoulder going down. The next day behind my left shoulder was very sore and climbed up to the bottom of my neck.
With all that, none has been severe pain. I also fell like maybe it could be arthritis .
I don't want to go to the Dr. and just be wasting anyone's time. Should I be concerned, what should I be looking for?
I was sitting in bed the other night and my mid to left side of my chest felt if I took a breath to deep it hurt just a bit. Then I noticed dull aching at the top of my left shoulder going down. The next day behind my left shoulder was very sore and climbed up to the bottom of my neck.
With all that, none has been severe pain. I also fell like maybe it could be arthritis .
I don't want to go to the Dr. and just be wasting anyone's time. Should I be concerned, what should I be looking for?
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms do not seem to be related to any cardiac disorders.
A musculo-skeletal pain or inflammation seem to be the main cause of your symptoms.
Gastro-esophageal reflux can not be excluded either.
The fact that the pain is triggered by deep breathing is another argument in favor of musculo-skeletal pain.
Coming to this point, I would recommend taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen three times daily to help relieve your symptoms.
An antiacid could also help, especially if the above drugs cause heartburn (indicative of reflux).
But, if the pain is not relieved by the above mentioned drugs, I would recommend consulting with your doctor for a physical exam and some tests:
- a chest X ray study
- complete blood count, ESR, PCR for inflammation
- resting ECG
- a cervico-thoracic spine X Ray study for possible chronic degeneration of the vertebral column, leading to irradiating nerve pain in this region.
Anyway, I do not think that your symptoms are indicative of any serious medical condition. So, just try to relax.
Regarding klonopin, I would recommend discussing with your doctor on other possible treatment options for anxiety like an antidepressants. Sertraline or Mirtazapine can be helpful in this regard, without showing the adverse effects of Klonopin.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask me again whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms do not seem to be related to any cardiac disorders.
A musculo-skeletal pain or inflammation seem to be the main cause of your symptoms.
Gastro-esophageal reflux can not be excluded either.
The fact that the pain is triggered by deep breathing is another argument in favor of musculo-skeletal pain.
Coming to this point, I would recommend taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen three times daily to help relieve your symptoms.
An antiacid could also help, especially if the above drugs cause heartburn (indicative of reflux).
But, if the pain is not relieved by the above mentioned drugs, I would recommend consulting with your doctor for a physical exam and some tests:
- a chest X ray study
- complete blood count, ESR, PCR for inflammation
- resting ECG
- a cervico-thoracic spine X Ray study for possible chronic degeneration of the vertebral column, leading to irradiating nerve pain in this region.
Anyway, I do not think that your symptoms are indicative of any serious medical condition. So, just try to relax.
Regarding klonopin, I would recommend discussing with your doctor on other possible treatment options for anxiety like an antidepressants. Sertraline or Mirtazapine can be helpful in this regard, without showing the adverse effects of Klonopin.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask me again 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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