Aa
very strange occurence
yesterday i was at the bank and while i was waiting i felt a pressure on the area above my stomach, it then spread to my shoulders, my back and my chest. a while later i felt very faint, i turned very pale, and broke in a sweat. i felt like i was going to pass out and couldnt coordinate myself correctly. I decided to head to the bathroom and forced myself to throw up. though i felt very tender and weak in the area above my stomach, i felt better afterwards. This was the first time anything like this had ever occured to me. Can someone give me any sort of explanation as to why this could've possibly happened?
thanks to all of you for posting and i will make sure to get a cardiac stress test. i will keep you posted.
You are absolutely correct, Drnee.
In answering such a question from an anonmyous poster I feel an enormous sense of responsibility.
On the one hand I don't want them to be overly upset over a potentially deadly medical problem that doesn't exist, and on the other hand must weigh the consequences of this person not seeing a physician immediately.
The combination of cold sweats, palor, and nausea point to myocardial ischemia. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
The shoulder discomfort symptoms represent something that is unclear. Typically pain can be in the shoulder and radiate down the left arm during oxygen deprivation, but ocasionally the presentation differs slightly.
While acidity may be a contributing factor, my gut feeling is that this incident reprresented a life-threating event.
The only way to determine this "after-the-fact" is through the test protocols I recommended.
A "spasm", constraining blood flow through a blood vessel, would not reflect itself on an EKG.
The precaution of having a vasodilator on hand, namesly nitroglycerine, has few contraindications and will result in life rather that death, if such an event again takes place, and it is due to constriction of a blood vessel.
Furthermore, nitroglycerine is used as a "challange" to differentially diagnose in such events. If the pain and discomfort are immediately relieved, the probability is that the vasodilation of the blood vessel was responsible. This lends evidence to such an etiology.
The definitive test to assuage all fears is a cardiac stress test, with dye contrast, and this is what I would urge.
Knowing the way typical triage takes place, and the weay many doctors offices operate, unless the patient strongly insists upon such an evaluation the likelihood is they will be told "take two aspirins and call me in the morning".
The cemetaries are full of people who relied on such advice.
In answering such a question from an anonmyous poster I feel an enormous sense of responsibility.
On the one hand I don't want them to be overly upset over a potentially deadly medical problem that doesn't exist, and on the other hand must weigh the consequences of this person not seeing a physician immediately.
The combination of cold sweats, palor, and nausea point to myocardial ischemia. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
The shoulder discomfort symptoms represent something that is unclear. Typically pain can be in the shoulder and radiate down the left arm during oxygen deprivation, but ocasionally the presentation differs slightly.
While acidity may be a contributing factor, my gut feeling is that this incident reprresented a life-threating event.
The only way to determine this "after-the-fact" is through the test protocols I recommended.
A "spasm", constraining blood flow through a blood vessel, would not reflect itself on an EKG.
The precaution of having a vasodilator on hand, namesly nitroglycerine, has few contraindications and will result in life rather that death, if such an event again takes place, and it is due to constriction of a blood vessel.
Furthermore, nitroglycerine is used as a "challange" to differentially diagnose in such events. If the pain and discomfort are immediately relieved, the probability is that the vasodilation of the blood vessel was responsible. This lends evidence to such an etiology.
The definitive test to assuage all fears is a cardiac stress test, with dye contrast, and this is what I would urge.
Knowing the way typical triage takes place, and the weay many doctors offices operate, unless the patient strongly insists upon such an evaluation the likelihood is they will be told "take two aspirins and call me in the morning".
The cemetaries are full of people who relied on such advice.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
As caregiver has pointed out, it could have been a cardiac event.
However there are other possibilities that you need to look into. Some people are not normally claustrophobic. However they can experience it while standing in a queue for a long time or say a closed place with lot of people and not having proper ventilation. The symptoms vary from person to person.
Another possibility is that you are having acidity. Maybe on that day you had not eaten for a long time and this could have precipitated the acid reflux.
Hope this helps. Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Thanks for writing to the forum!
As caregiver has pointed out, it could have been a cardiac event.
However there are other possibilities that you need to look into. Some people are not normally claustrophobic. However they can experience it while standing in a queue for a long time or say a closed place with lot of people and not having proper ventilation. The symptoms vary from person to person.
Another possibility is that you are having acidity. Maybe on that day you had not eaten for a long time and this could have precipitated the acid reflux.
Hope this helps. Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
The constellation of symptoms suggests a lack of oxygen to the heart.
Your presentation is not typical, however the palor, cold sweats, nausea and shoulder pain are consistant with a cardiac event.
The term "heart attack" is medically meaningless.
If this happens again, call 911 and have an ambulance transport you to an an emergency room.
The medical term for an admission such as yours is: ROMI (Rule Out Myocardial Infarct)
You need an immediate cardiac evaluation, including a stress test, and a test for cardiac enzymes. That means immediately. Not three weeks from now. Not next week. Not three days from now. Now. Do not go to work tomorrow.
Go to a physician.
As to "why" this happened, it could be a clot or one of the blood vessels providing oxygenated blood to the heart could have undergone a spasm ---- similar to a "charlie horse."
The stress test will involve injecting you with a radioactive dye contrast medium and taking pictures of your heart with a scanner.
The liklihood is this single event did not cause death of cardiac tissue, commonly known as an infarct, but this is possible.
Often, when getting an evaluation after such an event the EKG will be normal, unless there is definite heart damage, which will present with an abnormal ST segment.
My point is, if you go to a physician/ER and get an EKG and it is within normal limits, that is meaningless.
You require stress testing.
Please put this at the top of the list of "things to do".
When you see your physician request he write script for nitroglycerine pills or sublingual nitroglycerine. Do not leave his/her office without such a prescription.
God bless.
Your presentation is not typical, however the palor, cold sweats, nausea and shoulder pain are consistant with a cardiac event.
The term "heart attack" is medically meaningless.
If this happens again, call 911 and have an ambulance transport you to an an emergency room.
The medical term for an admission such as yours is: ROMI (Rule Out Myocardial Infarct)
You need an immediate cardiac evaluation, including a stress test, and a test for cardiac enzymes. That means immediately. Not three weeks from now. Not next week. Not three days from now. Now. Do not go to work tomorrow.
Go to a physician.
As to "why" this happened, it could be a clot or one of the blood vessels providing oxygenated blood to the heart could have undergone a spasm ---- similar to a "charlie horse."
The stress test will involve injecting you with a radioactive dye contrast medium and taking pictures of your heart with a scanner.
The liklihood is this single event did not cause death of cardiac tissue, commonly known as an infarct, but this is possible.
Often, when getting an evaluation after such an event the EKG will be normal, unless there is definite heart damage, which will present with an abnormal ST segment.
My point is, if you go to a physician/ER and get an EKG and it is within normal limits, that is meaningless.
You require stress testing.
Please put this at the top of the list of "things to do".
When you see your physician request he write script for nitroglycerine pills or sublingual nitroglycerine. Do not leave his/her office without such a prescription.
God bless.
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