Let me first start off by giving some details about myself. I’m 23 years old, female, never any major medical issues besides an abundance of kidney stones when I was a teenager that seem to not be bothering me now for about 5 years. I am average weight and height. I haven’t been to the doctor in to have an actual physical examination or diagnosis in about 3 years (haven’t had health insurance). The last time I was in the hospital was 3 years ago when I had, what the hospital called "an anxiety attack" where I passed out and became very overwhelmed with my breathing. They ran several tests and could not figure out what caused it. They said stress but I don’t accept that because I am one of the most easy going people you’ll ever meet and try not to let things worry me. I do think i suffer from Acid Reflux because I take OTC heartburn prevention everyday to stop the burning sensation in my throat and I have had instances where it becomes so intense that "acid" shoots up into my mouth sometimes making me almost vomit and choke, but again, I have not had this diagnosed by a doctor because I cannot afford to go to one right now. Others things that have been going on that I consider minor right now are, cold extremities, very cold sometimes, unusual dry skin which I have been moisturizing the crap out of lately but can’t seem to fix, and quite brittle nails and hair to the point where my nails just wont stop peeling off and wont grow and my hair breaks off everywhere anytime i touch it. Like I said, I consider all this minor compared to whats been going on with me for the past two days. Saturday I was curling my hair and left the house completely fine in my normal routine. I have about a half hour drive to where I was going at the time and over the course of that half hour my shoulder, collar bone, and armpit area became very sore and sensitive. I noticed that I couldn’t lift my left arm off of my side any more than maybe a couple inches and I couldn’t bear any weight on that side. I also noticed a burning and tingling sensation in the shoulder and neck area for about an hour. I can’t pick up anything with my left arm without it shooting pains from my middle finger all the way up to the previous mentioned areas. I’ve been icing it and taking ibuprofen and keeping it snug with an Ace bandage but that doesn’t seem to be helping. It’s starting to feel like very weak and tingly at times. I tried soaking in a hot bath with some Epsom salt and that did nothing for it as well. I’ve tried applying Icy Hot and that just set my skin on fire without very much relief. The last part I will add to this is the scariest part for me. Yesterday, I clipped my dogs hair (he is a 6 pound, overly fluffy shih tzu) and bathed him like I do about every 2 weeks. I was sitting on the bed with blow drying him and all of a sudden this tightness came over my chest and my throat felt like it was closing up. I literally got so scared I started crying and ran to the window to get some fresh air which seemed to help for a second. Then I used a nebulizer machine that I had from when I had pneumonia as a kid and that seemed to do the trick, but the tightness still remains in my chest. I feel like I can’t quite catch my breath. I had written it off to an allergic reaction at first because I do have some severe allergies to grasses, pollen, and dogs. I know, dogs. BUT, I have had this dog for 7 months now, never an allergic reaction to him, he is considered hypoallergenic and does not shed, AND I have been cutting his hair and bathing him every 2 weeks for 7 months now and never an issue. Anyways, I guess my question is, with the details provided, Can anyone tell me what may be going on with my shoulder area and my breathing? Those are my two mains concerns and like I said I don’t have health insurance so I can’t really afford to go the doctor or hospital unless it is life threatening. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, and apologies for the long question, just felt like it was necessary to provide as much details as possible.
Raina- you’re right, it does feel like I have to work extra hard to catch my breath but it also feels like there is something in my throat over my windpipe that is not allowing air to come through. I’ve tried clearing my throat on several occasions but nothing different. I did just get over a terrible sinus infection that I did not see a doctor about, but I know it was a sinus infection because i’ve dealt with them my whole life due to my severe allergies. It’s a vicious cycle. Lol. I thought maybe I just had an extreme amout of phlegm or snot buildup in my throat that was blocking my airways, but my sinus infection ended about a week and a half ago. I don’t know, i’m puzzled i guess. Do you think this could be related to the shoulder thing? Like if I pulled a chest muscle or something (although I don’t know how I would have done that) I’m so frustrated. I don’t know what to do.
There is no bruising or swelling in the shoulder area, but when I do run my hands over it, the trapezius muscle (the one that runs from the shoulder up to the neck) seems to be very tight and unrelaxed and the shoulder blade on that side hurts when you touch it and the armpit is sore when I poke it. The area below the armpit, above the ribs and beside the left breast doesn’t hurt when you touch it, it just seems tender. It doesn’t hurt in my chest at all except for the soreness in my chest when I inhale and then there is the weird tingle in my throat when I take deep breaths. My mom is begging me to go to the ER or doctor, but I don’t have insurance and just can’t imagine what that bill would look like. I can’t make myself go unless I am just dying from pain. Right now, on a scale from 1-10 my pain is a 5 with the breathing a 6 for the shoulder. But yesterday and the day before I would say the shoulder pain would have been a 7 or 8 and the breathing pain a 8 be
Technorati Tags: 23 years, 3 years, abundance, acid reflux, anxiety attack, armpit, brittle nails, burning sensation, cold extremities, collar bone, couple inches, dry skin, half hour, health insurance, heartburn prevention, kidney stones, left arm, medical issues, otc, physical examination
