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Carotid Artery Pain / Neck

Recently I have been experiencing pain on the right side of my neck, in what feels to be my carotid artery.  The pain is a very sharp pain that only last a couple of seconds, and starts up every 15-20 seconds.  This can last about a minute or two, and then sometimes even longer.  I'm worried about some type of carotid artery disease?  Is this something I should go right to the dr's about?  I had my blood pressure taken yesterday and is was 126/73.
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Avatar universal
A number of you mentioned working out heavily, or feeling pain when/during/after working out.  I have had some vein pain in both sides of my neck off and on lately--noticed it when the weather changed here to a warmer climate.  Sweating more, working out the same=dehydration big time.  I drank more H2O and the pain went away.  Here is a related article (non-medical article, just interesting).

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-most-common-causes-of-side-of-the-neck-pain.htm#didyouknowout
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I think you hit it in the head here for me. Thank you.
Avatar universal
Have a look at this article...

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1961.hed0101009.x/abstract
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553283 tn?1409694311
You need to go to work in a hospital.
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Avatar universal
I cannot find answers and the doctors keep wanting to run test after test but still no clear answers.  Does anyone else have these corresponding symptoms?  I am in my mid 50s, in fairly good health but too sedentary a job and need to lose some weight.  I have developed very high cholesterol which had always been high but healthy with very high good cholesterol which offset the bad. A few years ago it skyrocketed (family inheritance) along with HBP and BP spikes.

1.  sharp, passing pain that goes up the neck and seems to dissipate after it passes by my ear. I used to think the neck pain was due to old spinal (neck & back) injuries but now it seems cardiovascular.  Sometimes it happens 2 or 3 times immediately in a row.  Afterwards a "shadowy" part of the aching pain remains.  I've experienced this occasionally over several years but it has returned with a marked increase.  

2.  Last year I noticed a flickering, flashing light in my left eye's field of vision & the opthamologist insisted I come in immediately.  It was due to retinal bleeding and the dr. advised my carotid arteries should be scanned asap as retinal bleeding is often a precursor of stroke.  

My GP sent me for a scan and they found my right carotid artery was over 46% blocked and my left carotid artery was fine.  I had a stress test at my cardiologist's 6 months prior to that and my heart was pronounced fine.  They prescribed statins which have some unpleasant, disturbing side effects including painful muscle spasms and memory loss.  Sometimes I substitute red yeast rice - stenols - ubiquinol - garcinia cambogia which have been helping with high cholesterol reduction but cannot be taken in tandem with statins.  

3.  A pain in my URQ has returned after a 3 year hiatus.  I've never had gallstones but after many tests, the specialist stated the terrible attacks were likely bilary dysfunction (blocked or spasming bile ducts).  The specialist advised that too little was understood about these problems and removing the gallbladder often did not solve the problem, so I was prescribed nitroglycerin tablets.  It's been over a year since I took the last tablet and now I'm out & my new ins doesn't cover the specialist.

Over the past weeks the sharp pains up the neck have increased.  I've noticed that when the near constant URQ ache / twisting suddenly increases it is often followed by the sharp neck pain.  Or it just happened the other way around.    

Does anyone else have any of the corresponding symptoms or just 2 of them?  I don't want to drop dead before the doctors figure out what is happening.

Thanks!
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Avatar universal
Pay attention to the nerves in your neck and back, as certain back injuries and (herniated discs and compressions) can cause nerve pain (neuralgia). If the nerve going from your spine to a certain part of your body (say, for example, your heart, or your esophageal area) is compressed, it may be causing pain. Maybe talk to your doctor about that. If anti-inflammatories (even NSAID's) or muscle relaxers help the pain any, this may be why. Good luck.
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Avatar universal
It sounds as if your providers were thorough, and there is some sort of underlying pathology (perhaps a neuropathy secondary to a viral or bacterial infection). With pain being around the carotid artery area, it's difficult to determine without clinical diagnostics if the pain is originating from the artery itself or surrounding areas.If the pain is around the carotid artery a cardiologist may also offer diagnostic feedback to rule out any heart or circulatory disease. Additionally, consulting a rhumatologist for immunodeficiencies may not be a bad investment. Diagnostics for systemic infections (bacteriological, mycological, virological) may find the root cause for the infection, but may not (as some infections present in stages and may remain undetected if not actively attacking the system). Knowing the signs (physical indications) and symptoms (pains reported to provider), as well as a thorough medical history is important when considering pathogenesis (the "lifespan" of a disease), as many diagnoses are issued over time, and based upon clinical medical history, signs and symptoms. Good luck. Feel free to reply and keep the community informed.
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