Okay

[hyphenate]

So last week I got to spend the night at the hospital being "observed" for potential heart related problems pertaining to this pain I had/have on the right side of my chest and sometimes radiating down my right arm.

Turns out it had nothing to do with my heart, which was fine, because I didn't think it did, I was just trying to be sure, but even after I went home, the pain has persisted, and in fact now is not only in my right chest area, but now radiates to my upper back and has gotten so painful that even sitting for anything longer than an hour is pure hell.

I have a few pain pills left and they help, but it's not the way to end this, since this pain isn't going away. I checked out a few things, and there is a possibility it is something else that no one seemed to think off: gallstones. The fact that the pain goes from the front to the back, that it is constant, and that it radiates down my arm are all there, though I don't have much nausea, just the reflux.

Anyone go through gallstones? Is the pain so bad you want to just kill yourself and get it done with? I'm seeing the doctor on Tuesday, so I might get a few answers, but this is the doctor who I'm sure believes I'm a hypochondriac and nothing else....if she doesn't take me seriously, I am prepared to talk out of her office and go straight to the emergency room from there.

I suppose the more general conditions and illnesses you have, the more likely someone is believe you're faking it; I would be more than happy to just everything go and die peacefully, but I already promised myself I would give myself a bit of a break from that kind of thinking. Pain is a powerful motivator to do things you really ought not to do.

[Warpy]

1. Gallstone pain can wax and wane

and is typically worse after a fatty meal. Opiates can make it much worse, instead of better. Demerol is the drug of choice for gallbladder pain.

However, the pain is bad enough to be mistaken for anginal pain.

I'd be a little shocked if a reasonable physician hadn't already considered this. Definitely ask your doctor about it on Tuesday. Nobody should have to live with that kind of pain.

[Susang]

2. Have you looked into Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

I have it on the left side. I went to the doctor's fearing a heart attack, but the EKG and all other tests were normal. My doctor tested me for this and it turned out to be the problem. As long as I do my physical therapy, I'm pretty pain free (at least for this problem!). Read this link, maybe it will help: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=206

[mopinko]

3. my hubby had a couple of attacks, went through the whole

trip in the ambulance after being knocked on his ass by the pain. whole big ass cardiac workup in one of the best hospitals on the planet. the whole time saying-"no, i don't think this is a heart attack" "no, you didn't have a heart attack, your heart is fine, go home." he kept asking what WAS wrong, but they just assured him he wasn't gonna die. coulda done a simple ultrasound, found the big ass stones, and got him on the surgery calendar before he had to go through 2 more huge attacks. but no- rather do a huge ass workup.
he had had brewing heartburn and stabs of pain for quite a while, but a couple of real kick ass attacks, and he finally got a doctor, and then got it taken out.
it was a crappy couple weeks after the surgery, but he is fine now. although fatty foods will go through a little quickly.