2
   

Medical Mystery (Breathing problems and 5 visited to the ER)

 
 
Titan17
 
Reply Thu 8 Mar, 2012 08:40 pm
5 visits to the ER, 2 Xrays, multiple physicals, blood samples, 2 EKGs, and blood pressure checks and here I still am, without an answer.

I'm 18 years old, and My body has been out of whack for the past 4 weeks, and no one can tell me why. I am turning to the internet as I'm afraid I have no where else to go. It's a medical mystery, and I'm hoping someone can help me figure it out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I'll start from the beginning.

About 4 weeks ago I began experiencing a dull pain in my left testicle. This pain went away, and then I began having different symptoms. Random spurts of pain and shortness of breath.

I went to the ER for the first time; had an Xray, and had my blood pressure checked. Doctor said he thought it was stress and prescribed with pills to help with it. I didn't take them, as I was convinced it was NOT stress, as there was nothing going on in my life at that time that was stressful.

As the symptoms persisted, I went back once again. This time, I asked them to do a physical of my lower body in case it was something like testiticular cancer, he didn't feel anything odd, he also checked for hernias. They didn't do an Xray that time, but they did do the EKG for the first time then and also they checked out my lungs and breathing with the stethescope. Everything read normal once again.

At this point, my symptoms included:

1) A very constant shortness of breath
2) Random spurts of mild pain: Including the groin area, the back, the heart, and the stomach
3) Sluggishness and the feeling of the body just not being...right

It had been about 2 1/2 weeks of putting up with it, and one night I just couldn't sleep, so I went once more and still nothing.

The symptoms persisted, and at school a few days later I became very light headed. I called the ambulance and they picked me up. I arrived at a different hospital and explained to them about my shortness of breath and pain episodes, but also said I was here today because of NEW symptoms, the light headedness. The doctor told me these new symptoms were due to a hyperventilation attack, but he agreed to test for the symptoms I has been having for 3 weeks now. This is where I had my 2nd Xray done and my 1st blood test. They also did the standard blood pressure, stethescope to the chest, etc. The doctor reccomended that I see a pulmonologist, so my parents booked one for the 20th of this month. In the mean time, this doctor has prescribed me an albuturol inhaler.

On the way home from this hospital, right before I got into my house I began hyperventilating really bad, It felt like I was becoming paralyzed but I came inside and got myself back down to normal using a paper bag.

SO, yet ANOTHER week went by with me putting up with my breathing troubles. A few days ago, I took my most recent visit to the ER due to a new symptom completely, the feeling of being choked. I woke up that way, and I couldn't seem to shake it. I became very nervous, thinking it could be a heart attack, so I went in again (to a new hospital). They didn't perform any new "major" tests, but instead told me they feel strongly that it's anxiety.

After being told "anxiety" for the second time, I decided to just believe it. I filled the precription for the calming mediation (can't remember the name) and started taking it this past week. It helped, a little.

It's been about 3 days since my last visit, and the choking feeling persists. It's not so much breathing trouble anymore, it's the choking, the heart pain, and the pain on other parts of my body that comes and go. I take that back, the breathing problem IS still there, but the choking seems to be masking it a bit so I don't notice it as much...fun stuff.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just don't understand this. I'm a very happy kid...I don't work, I'm doing good in school, what the heck is going on here? What CAN this be other than stress that an Xray, an EKG, blood samples, physicals, and ER doctors can't spot??

It's been nearly a month and it's still here, still real, and I'm still scared that it could be something harmful that should be dealt with and not ignored.

Please help, and please ask questions as I will be more than willing to answer them. I'll go ahead and wrap the symtoms up in a convenient list below if that helps...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Old (has been here for the past 3/4 weeks)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Shortness of breath;
It's like there's a cap to my breathing, breathing is more active than passive
-Pain
Pain comes and goes, it's in my groin, my chest, my back, my stomach, and recently my heart
-Soreness
My back is sore sometimes, frequently
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New (Within last few days)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-More frequent heart pain
-My gums hurt behind my last tooth on the right side of my mouth
-Choking, I feel like my throat, right where the tongue arches down is being constricted constantly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weird (maybe insignificant, but who knows)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Sometimes I become a bit light headed
-Soemtimes my lower back feels hot
  • Topic Stats
  • Top Replies
  • Link to this Topic
Type: Question • Score: 2 • Views: 1,638 • Replies: 3
No top replies

 
MontereyJack
 
  1  
Reply Thu 8 Mar, 2012 09:33 pm
Kinda surprises me they didn't do allergy tests on you. I had recurring shortness of breath, felt like I couldn't draw a deep breath at all, instead of being able to inhale or exhale for many seconds, I couldn't do either for more than 2 or 3. The first thing they did was an allergy test--they have a grid of thirty-something little needles with likely allergens on them, they prick your back with it and if you're allergic to something, you get a little reaction at that spot. Takes about an hour. Turns out I was basically allergic to the world, reacted to something like twenty of them. Gave me a long-lasting inhalant (albuterol is a short-term emergency inhalant), and over-the-counter cetirizine anti-allergy pills (that's the generic, the brand name is Zyrtec, unless it's Zantac, one is advertised on TV for something else, but I can never remember which it is, because I just get the generic). Are you allergic to anything you know about? Hay fever, pet hair or dander, bugs, roaches, mice, pollens of any sort, food allergies? Might want to get that checked out.
CalamityJane
 
  1  
Reply Thu 8 Mar, 2012 10:09 pm
@MontereyJack,
You know, MJack, that's the first thing I thought when reading the OP's post.
It came so sudden and affected his breathing and respiratory system, it sounds like allergies.

Have you had any changes the past 4 weeks? New furniture, paint, wallpaper - things of that nature. Have you eaten something that could
trigger this? You could have a peanut allergy, even if you never had it before...your best bet would be an allergy specialist at this point.
Good luck!
0 Replies
 
demonhunter
 
  1  
Reply Fri 9 Mar, 2012 06:48 am
@Titan17,
What is your ethnicity? Do you have any siblings? Do you have a copy of the blood tests?
0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

Immortality and Doctor Volkov - Discussion by edgarblythe
Sleep Paralysis - Discussion by Nick Ashley
On the edge and toppling off.... - Discussion by Izzie
Surgery--Again - Discussion by Roberta
PTSD, is it caused by a blow to the head? - Question by Rickoshay75
THE GIRL IS ILL - Discussion by Setanta
 
  1. Forums
  2. » Medical Mystery (Breathing problems and 5 visited to the ER)
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.16 seconds on 12/22/2024 at 12:17:04