Emergency room visit Fri. 8/24...need advice

On Friday... I had another bout of this pain I have had for the last 4 years,BUT,it was always fleeting. The longest it had ever lasted was about 1/2 hour. This time...was extremely severe and pain that is hard to describe and went on for 6.  The pain is just under my sternum and it shoots straight though to my back... my whole chest from deep inside just under my sternum is hurts...even my breasts hurt.  I cannot breathe... I am choking to breathe.  The pain in my back is right across about where my bra back is and it radiates across my back about to my sides. I wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack, a bad back problem or what.  The pain was unbearable...no position made me comfortable.I tried Tylenol,with no effect, tried a heating pad for my back and it seemed to ease a little.  I could not sit still with the pain. I was belching a little during this. I was very pale.  My husband got me to the emergency room and they ran a lot of tests and xrays.  All normal...no elevated enzymes, xrays,heart were fine.  The PA gave me a pill,no relief.. then some liquid concoction...no relief...then finally a shot of combo demerol and visteril and it was over an hour later before the pain subsided.  I was very tender in my stomach since then and cannot, scared to eat anything much.  Heres a little of my history...I am a 51 year old woman with high bp, 2 meds, arthritis, 500 mg etodolac for that, which I take when I need it. The PA prescribed Prilosec and says he thinks its gastritis maybe an ulcer.  ??? This pain is paralyzing.. is he right? suggestions???

sue

[jmaxi]

Have your gallbldder checked out, thoroughly.  An attack can cause severe pain, right under your breastbone, stomach and the right side of your back,the pain is unbearable and can last for hours. Medications, painkillers etc. will not ease the pain. Your gallbladder stores bile which helps break up fat to be digested, if your gallbladder is not working properly, your body will not be breaking down the fat and you will have attacks, some are less severe than others.  A low fat diet is highly recommended. I suffered from these attacks for years until they finally figured it out.  I had several ultra sounds which revealed no gallstones, so doctors thought nothing was wrong with this organ.  After a few more years of suffering, having attacks anywhere from once a month to three times a week, he finally did further testing and it was found that my gallbladder was not working at all, again no gallstones were found.  I had laproscopic surgery and have never suffered from that pain again, however I now suffer from IBS, uncontrollable diareahea, and severe bloating...Good luck!!

[blueheaven]

geez...sounds like I'm gonna need it!  Thanks for the reply!  I just do not want to go through that ever again.  My God... I am not used to experiencing severe pain like that, crushing, angry pain that is relentless. If having a heart attack is worse than that...I really feel for people with heart problems even moreso now!! Calling a doctor today and plan to go in this week.  This am LOTS of tenderness, like I better be real careful what I put eat.  I'm running out of bland things to eat around here and ate a hamburger last night...probably a big mistake.  I am at a loss as to what I should do to not go through that again.  I sure hope a doctor will have an answerand work a miracle! I don't have time for illness in my life!!  but who does,eh!  btw...I am pretty overweight..I hear that makes a difference for gallbladder probs...true??

sue

[lisaj]

Hi, I am a 36 year old women who takes tylenol pm's every night
I have taken them for years. I have just recently started taking more because the effect would not work with just two pills. So I increased it to 3 pills a night. That still didn't give me the relaxing effect that I wanted so I took five tonight. I am so scared that I have become so ammune (immune) to these. I don't no what to do. I don't know the effect these have on my body. I just wanted to see if you have some information that can help me.
                                   Thank you

[sukii511]

Hi SUe,

I've been dealing with similar pain as you have described and i'm still dealing with it... unfortunatly...
I'm sick daily and it is no fun.. I have had some testing which shows enlargement of the pancreas head and something called pancreas divisum which is a defect from birth that only 5% of the U.S have.. Anyway my doctor is suggesting and ERCP test.
This doctor took my mri's to her radiologist who says there is something with the pancreas but not to sure if it is pancreas divisum or not... So I just wanted to suggest that maybe your pancreas is possibly the problme, but then again I'm not doctor, just a victim of similar illness...
Have you tried the Open MRI?

Good luck

[ihurt]

oh if anyone had an answer for me email me..***@**** that pain that starts in breastbone and goes through back and up into my jaw......have a few a yr,,,im not dead yet..so don't think it a heart attack..please help