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What Causes Back Pain In An Elderly Person?
Question: My husband is 50 years old and having problems at work in which he has to work to overtime on some evenings and every weekend. He also operates a karate school. I've been wanting him to close it down but he says it is the thing that makes him the happiest. This week he told me there was so much pressure at work he felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He stills has a couple of drinks at night and I know he never gets a good night's sleep. I asked him to find someone else to teach today so he could sleep in the morning and get the rest he needs but he refused. He told me tonight that he felt tightness and pressure in his chest. I made the mistake of asking him if the symptoms he was experiencing were similar to the ones I've been struggling with the past couple of months. The purpose of asking these questions so I could understand his symptoms better. Unfortunately, he did not see it this way and accused me of completely self-centered when I sincerely was trying to get a grasp as to what was happening. His main symptoms are that he feels tightness and heaviness in the center of his chest. He also feels some back pain on the right side. He said what troubled him the most is that he was having trouble understanding simple instructions and felt out of sorts. Not that this matters but it is very painful to be accused of being self-centered, selfish, and only caring about myself when I have always been there for him and continue to do my best to help. I'm not sure what I should do. He is in bed but he says his chest still does feel heavy especially in the center. He said he was going to wait and see how he felt in the morning. Based on this information, (and I know you can't tell me what to do since you are unable to examine him), but do you feel I should take him to the hospital or should I let him make his decision in the morning.
Brief Answer:
Can be ongoing unstable angina or heart attack.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your query.
As per the details given by you it can be angina.An ongoing angina can be unstable in nature also and may further progress to myocardial infarction.
I would suggest you not to waste time and visit the nearest emergency room get a ekg blood tests and 2d echocardiogram done to rule out possibility of ongoing myocardial infarction.
An angiogram can also be done-Coronary artery is located on the surface of the heart.They are the arteries which supplies blood to heart.Greater then 75% blockage results in hampered blood supply to various parts of heart causing angina while if blockage is more then 90% pain will continue and may even result in myocardial infarction.In order to see if these vessels are open or block we need to reach them.These vessels are connected to Femoral artery in leg and radial artery in hand.So to access coronary artery we make a pucture in femoral or radial artery after making a puncture a plastic tube is inserted into it,which guides the way to coronary artery(Catheter). Now to see if there is blocage or not a radioactive XXXXXXX is injected into guide wire.If all vessels are open this XXXXXXX mixes in blood and reaches to all part of heart however in case if there is a blockage this radiopaque XXXXXXX fails to reach the part of heart distal to blocked zone. A scanner catches the diffusion of XXXXXXX in coronary vessels.Cardiologist see the pictures taken by scanner and decides the percentage of block.
"He told me tonight that he felt tightness and pressure in his chest"-This is a text book classical feature of angina(pain due to heart).
If you have disprin(acetyl salicylic acid) with you give him 300mg dose stat.
Don't waste time.Go to the nearest emergency room nd get the baselines tests done.
Follow up with reports.
Thanks.
Can be ongoing unstable angina or heart attack.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your query.
As per the details given by you it can be angina.An ongoing angina can be unstable in nature also and may further progress to myocardial infarction.
I would suggest you not to waste time and visit the nearest emergency room get a ekg blood tests and 2d echocardiogram done to rule out possibility of ongoing myocardial infarction.
An angiogram can also be done-Coronary artery is located on the surface of the heart.They are the arteries which supplies blood to heart.Greater then 75% blockage results in hampered blood supply to various parts of heart causing angina while if blockage is more then 90% pain will continue and may even result in myocardial infarction.In order to see if these vessels are open or block we need to reach them.These vessels are connected to Femoral artery in leg and radial artery in hand.So to access coronary artery we make a pucture in femoral or radial artery after making a puncture a plastic tube is inserted into it,which guides the way to coronary artery(Catheter). Now to see if there is blocage or not a radioactive XXXXXXX is injected into guide wire.If all vessels are open this XXXXXXX mixes in blood and reaches to all part of heart however in case if there is a blockage this radiopaque XXXXXXX fails to reach the part of heart distal to blocked zone. A scanner catches the diffusion of XXXXXXX in coronary vessels.Cardiologist see the pictures taken by scanner and decides the percentage of block.
"He told me tonight that he felt tightness and pressure in his chest"-This is a text book classical feature of angina(pain due to heart).
If you have disprin(acetyl salicylic acid) with you give him 300mg dose stat.
Don't waste time.Go to the nearest emergency room nd get the baselines tests done.
Follow up with reports.
Thanks.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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