Medical help? D:

I've been experiencing a bit of discomfort in the left side of my chest for a few years now but I haven't really done anything about it. I'm experiencing a dull ache in my chest right now and some shortness of breath (although that might be because I'm feeling a little panicky right now). It feels tight, sort of like something is being constricted. When I stand and tilt my head back while breathing in, it's even worse.

I've tried panicking, praying (God still loves agnostics, right? D: ), and staring off into space. I'm not sure what else I should try, this is where you come in. Be a hero.

I'\m waking my parents up, i thoink I need to go to the ER.

Well, I dunno, it does seem serious. Just remain calm, don't do anything stupid, and call for help.

There are a lot of things that can cause these sensations, and nearly all are serious.

Pain in the chest could be constriction of a blood vessel in the heart (serious) or an embolism in the lung (serious) or even an infection.

Anxiety is probably the only one that won't do damage. A constricted muscle is also possible, but may cause some frightening pain.

Regardless of the cause, when chest pain occurs it's time to be checked out, without delay.

I belive calling the hospital would yield more reliable advice than the average lucid dreamer on dv.

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Originally Posted by GavinGill

God still loves agnostics, right? D:

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If god is as nice as christians say he is, he probably understands why you dont belive he exists. :)

Awh Gavinbby =(. Don't Google your symptoms. Google will tell you you have Cancer, Aids, Diabetes, etc. >_>

Stay calm, keep an open mind, and make a doctors appointment so you have some peace of mind. I'm sure you're alright and your worrying is making everything worse than it actually is.

Report back with what the doctor says.
Good luck xo

I ended up having to go to emergency. Apparently the muscles in my chest became inflamed and were preventing me from breathing properly, the doctor said a couple more things but I was too light headed to pay attention. They gave me some muscle relaxants and released me a few hours ago, but now they want me to come back because they noticed something on my x-rays. The guy on the phone said something popped so now there's air leaking from one of lungs. He said it probably isn't too serious though and that it should get better on it's own, but they want me to do a few more tests just in case.

On the bright side, this gives me a few extra days to finish my report. :content:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GavinGill

I ended up having to go to emergency. Apparently the muscles in my chest became inflamed and were preventing me from breathing properly, the doctor said a couple more things but I was too light headed to pay attention. They gave me some muscle relaxants and released me a few hours ago, but now they want me to come back because they noticed something on my x-rays. The guy on the phone said something popped so now there's air leaking from one of lungs. He said it probably isn't too serious though and that it should get better on it's own, but they want me to do a few more tests just in case.

On the bright side, this gives me a few extra days to finish my report. :content:

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Glad to hear it's nothing too serious and the doctors aren't worrying. =)

Glad you're back!!!

As someone who has had heart infections due to my bad tonsils and a pulmonary embolism caused by inactivity, I know the importance of having chest pain checked out. I'm so glad you did not wait!

*hugs*

Health first then work GavinGill!

Get well soon. And I don't know about things being not serious but air leaking from lung sounds serious. :shock:

Free healthcare, use it.

Sissy. I'd have drunk a fifth of rum, smoked a joint and beat up a midget.

I certainly wouldn't have gone to the hospital.

Turns out my left lung has a small hole in it and the lung has moved slightly out of place. They said it should heal it self in time but they want me to see a specialist on Sunday just to be sure. If everything goes well, I'll just have to wait it out. Worst comes to worst, they'll have to stick a tube in my lung and then manually inflate it. If it ends up being a reoccurring problem, they'll need to glue it along to the rib cage or something.

Until it heals, I can't breathe deeply or laugh too much. I have to stop smoking bud for now, but the doctor says I can go on merrily toking once everything heals up. :]

Definitely a serious issue, glad you got checked out.

Thankfully you have a good prognosis.

My dad can get some really nice kush that is super smooth, if that will help. ;)

Also, crushed ice in the bong mellows things out a lot too.

Add some poma or ginger ale to that.

What do doctors know. Chong away Gavin, Chong away. Just be careful.

And remember, I am not a lawyer even if I should probably get one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GavinGill

Turns out my left lung has a small hole in it and the lung has moved slightly out of place. They said it should heal it self in time but they want me to see a specialist on Sunday just to be sure. If everything goes well, I'll just have to wait it out. Worst comes to worst, they'll have to stick a tube in my lung and then manually inflate it. If it ends up being a reoccurring problem, they'll need to glue it along to the rib cage or something.

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Glad you're all right. But how the hell did that happen?

Yeah, and also don't hold your hits in. Seriously it's the dumbest thing that 90% of stoners do.
It serves no purpose.

That said, it could have just been your lungs, and not the smoking method.

I hope you don't have to get your lung glued. I was reading about that a while back, and it would suck, basically every breath is agony for a few weeks.

So, did they tell you if these pains you've had for years before were related? I get them too, but my dad (doctor) said it was probably just inflamed muscles or the muscles getting caught on my ribs or whatever. Hope I don't have this same thing.

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Originally Posted by khh

Glad you're all right. But how the hell did that happen?

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He said it had something to do with me being tall and thin, plus the inflamed muscles in my chest. I guess it put too much pressure on the lungs. I didn't really ask too many questions, I was tired and just wanted to go home. The specialist should go into more detail tomorrow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tommo

That said, it could have just been your lungs, and not the smoking method.

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Yup, I've been having chest pains before I started smoking. The doctor said smoking marijuana shouldn't be a problem as long as I wait a little while before lighting up again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tommo

I hope you don't have to get your lung glued. I was reading about that a while back, and it would suck, basically every breath is agony for a few weeks.

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Ugh, not looking forward to that. =/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tommo

So, did they tell you if these pains you've had for years before were related? I get them too, but my dad (doctor) said it was probably just inflamed muscles or the muscles getting caught on my ribs or whatever. Hope I don't have this same thing.

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They think it may have been related. The chest pains had always been minor in comparison, save for one time in India where I blacked out. The doctor there didn't really give me a check up though, he just gave me some pills and sent me on my way. I probably should have gotten a few tests done once I got back though. Which reminds me, I'll have to let the doctor know about that tomorrow.

Your Dad might be right about the inflamed muscles, but it's better to be safe than sorry. The doctor said this kind of thing tends to happen to a fair number of people so you might want to get checked out just to be sure.

I guess I'll ask next time I go to the doctor.... probably in a few years :P

Hope it works out not too bad man, and definitely without glue.
:hug:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GavinGill

Until it heals, I can't breathe deeply or laugh too much. I have to stop smoking bud for now, but the doctor says I can go on merrily toking once everything heals up. :]

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See this is why I love Canada you probably straight up asked the doctor, can I smoke dope?

Pneumothorax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Originally Posted by mooseantlers

See this is why I love Canada you probably straight up asked the doctor, can I smoke dope?

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Pretty much. MD's expect that kind of thing here in BC. :P

I had a few more x-rays done today, and it seems to have stabilized. Air doesn't seem to be leaking any more so they think the hole has healed up already. As for the air that already escaped, I'm not sure how it would get out of my system but they said my body should take care of that on it's own. If not, they might have to resort to the chest tube. I have to go back for more x-rays on Tuesday but they expect my condition to have improved by then.

YAY!!!

Hope you don't ever have to experience this again!

Neither do I, and thanks. :P

During some (?) surgery, they fill the person up with air so they can get a better look around. Maybe it's just for laser surgeries. Anyhow... they say all that air is eventually absorbed by the body. But there's a LOT of gas pain until that happens!
I imagine, in your case, the air will be absorbed the same way.

I'm glad to hear you're doing better!!

Thanks, I was wondering how that would work. Does this mean that I'll be burping more than usual? :P

hehe, I really don't know. I don't think that the absorbed gas works the same way as normal gas. After my surgery, I asked if gas-x could be useful and they pretty much said no. :uhm:

... well fuck. I'm feeling the exact same pain right now... Although I think it's stress related. I'm been under a lot of stress lately, and unfortunately, don't really know how to deal with it -.- . Anyway, glad to see your Ok Gavin. Don't think DV would be the same without you :)

EDIT: that came out wrong... I didn't mean you dying or anything. Just meant you leaving for a bit for a medical emergency. Imma shut my trap now -.-

lol spart.

Also, with the air, I'm pretty sure that it just disperses. Not like your body uses it or anything, just think of it like air going out of a balloon, but in your body it would happen more quickly obviously.

I googled "How does a body absorb air after surgery" (for lack of a better guide line :))
I found some interesting things but this link sounds more like the OP
Pneumothorax - Cedars-Sinai

I hope, whatever ails you, that you recover quickly and don't have to resort to tubes!!
:hug:

I never did find a simple answer to my question though lol

The body absorbs air after surgery. Simple answer. The internal tissues of your body are designed to absorb oxygen. Just because it isn't transported by blood doesn't mean oxygen can't be absorbed out of where it doesn't belong.

I searched for "Gas In Body Cavity" on Google.

I found this abstract designed for medical students. The full paper is located here.

After finishing the tables, students should understand that due to tissue metabolism, venous blood is poor in oxygen and rich in CO2, making the total pressure of all gases reduced (in tables, 706 mmHg). In collapsible cavities (pleural cavity, lung tissue, etc.), there is no subatmospheric pressure and almost no pain, because the surrounding pressure reduces cavity volume and thus makes intracavitary pressure to be 760 mmHg. This compression increases partial pressures in the cavity above pressures in the venous blood. Reabsorption of gases continues until no gas is left in the collapsible cavity. In closed bone cavities, subatmospheric pressure develops due to partial resorption of oxygen by venous blood. Blood is forced to enter mucosa by the subatmospheric pressure that sucks it inside. Mucosal interstitial hydrostatic pressure is also more negative than normal, and a painful mucosal edema develops. An added volume of interstitial water in mucosal tissue together with secretion of free fluid from the edematous mucosa into the cavity reduces the negativity of the intracavitary pressure. Further absorption of trapped gas will stop when the balance of partial pressures with mucosal blood is once reached.

We can conclude that low total gas pressure in venous blood, mainly due to tissue clearance of oxygen, is important in resorption of entrapped air in body cavities.


Some info on pneumothorax follows.

Spontaneous pneumothorax: Often called a collapsed lung, this condition occurs when air enters the saclike space between the chest wall and the lung tissue. Normally, negative pressure in the chest cavity allows the lungs to expand. When a spontaneous pneumothorax occurs, air enters the chest cavity. When the pressure balance is lost, the lung is unable to re-expand. This cuts off the normal oxygen supply in the body.



Air in the Chest

Also known as: Pneumothorax, collapsed lung, or collapsed chest

Normal http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/dat..._Chest_nor.jpg

Abnormal http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/dat...e_Chest_ab.jpg

The lungs are covered by a saclike membrane known as the pleura, which separates the lungs from the chest wall (ribs). The pleurae have two layers: one covers the lungs (visceral), the other is attached to the inside of the chest cavity (parietal). Between the two layers there is a thin film of fluid that lubricates the lungs, allowing them to move smoothly during respiration (breathing). Under normal conditions, there should be no air between the lungs and the chest cavity. The introduction of air into this cavity will cause the lung to collapse, and compromise breathing.
The air may leak from a cut or hole in the visceral pleura (i.e., lung problem) or in the parietal pleura (i.e., bullet or knife wound). When air enters the chest cavity, the condition is known as Pneumothorax (p.).

SYMPTOMS
Depends on the size of p.
Chest pain:Sudden
Sharp or stabbing
Chest tightness
Made worse by breathing or coughing
Shortness of breath
Cyanosis or bluish color to the skin and lips due to hypoxia (low oxygen level)
Rapid rate of breathing
Fatigue
Wheezing
Anxiety
Patient may be in Shock or unconscious, especially with trauma or tension p.

CAUSE
Primary p. -- in healthy individuals this occurs without any underlying diseases
Secondary -- complication of underlying lung disease
Spontaneous p. -- often occurs after the rupture of a bulla (a.k.a bleb) or blister (not found in normal lungs), which are small air-filled sacs in the lungs of individuals with certain risk factors. Could be primary or secondary.

HOW THE DIAGNOSIS IS MADE

-History:
Symptoms
Injuries
Procedures or surgeries
Illnesses
Medications
Habits
Occupation
Allergies
Medical exam:
Skin may show the site of trauma
Low Blood Pressure
Fever may be present
Cyanosis
Air can leak under the skin (subcutaneous Emphysema) and has a spongy feel
Pallor -- pale skin
Rapid heart and respiration rate
The chest movements are not symmetrical
The trachea (major airway -- located in the center of the neck) may be shifted in tension p.
When the doctor listens to the heart or the lungs, the normal sounds may be diminished or absent.
-Tests:
Chest X-Ray will show the abnormal air pocket, and Collapsed Lung or structures that have been pushed to one side.
CAT scan, using computer imaging, shows detailed views of the chest and lungs.
Blood tests may show low oxygen levels (<80 mm Hg) and acidic blood (acidosis = pH <7.35).

RISK FACTORS
Spontaneous p.:
Tall thin males in their 20-40s (Marfan's and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes)
Family history of p.
History of p. -- 50% chance of recurrence after one episode
Cigarettes
Asthma
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or Emphysema
Histiocytosis
Cystic Fibrosis
Whooping Cough
Tuberculosis
Cancer
Rapid climbing to high altitudes or while scuba diving
Pneumonias such as with Klebsiella or Staph. aureus
Secondary p.:
Traumatic -- injury to the chest such as in knife or gunshot wounds, automobile accident, procedures like pleural biopsy, endoscopy, Thoracentesis, chest tube placement
Tension p. -- the air is trapped and builds up with each breath. It can put pressure on and shift other structures in the chest, such as the esophagus, trachea, heart, and blood vessels.
Tension p. risk factors -- lung infections, trauma to the chest, mechanical ventilation (a machine that breathes for the patient), and CPR.


TREATMENT
Outpatient treatment -- if there is no hypoxia (reduction of oxygen supply to tissues) and the collapse is less than 30%:
Rest
Assurance that air will be absorbed into the body without special treatment
Oxygen therapy
Monitor blood pressure, heart rate and breathing

In patient with severe symptoms and collapse >30%:
Objective is to remove the air.
General physician may consult with a surgeon or a pulmonologist (lung doctor).
A needle may be used to remove the air.
Aspiration involves inserting a catheter (Teflon tube) into the chest cavity (between the ribs) and attaching to a simple bottle (vacuum inside with no air). This may be enough to expand the Collapsed Lung.
A plastic chest tube is inserted through an incision in the chest (between the ribs) and then connected to suction. This method may take few days to drain the trapped air and expand the Collapsed Lung.
Multiple episodes of Pneumothorax may require surgery or injection of medicines (talc or Doxycycline) into the pleural space.


IF YOU SUSPECT THIS CONDITION:
Contact 911 and seek immediate medical attention. If you've had previous episodes, Quit Smoking and talk to your doctor before high altitude climbing, flying, or scuba diving.


SIMILAR CONDITIONS
Pericarditis -- inflammation of the sac covering the heart (Melanie has had pericarditis 5 times)
Pleurisy -- inflammation of the pleura
Pulmonary Embolism -- blood clot in the lungs
Myocardial Infarction -- heart attack

Thanks, that cleared things up a bit. :content:

I had some more x-rays done today and it turns out that there's a little more air between the chest wall than their was last time. They said I'm still a long ways away from needing a chest tube, but they want me to come back next week for a few more tests. >_<

At least you know they're paying attention.


I totally feel that frustration. After I had my embolism I was in my doctor's office every single week for months.

This will pass, and soon you'll be back, running with the big dogs!