Help!

Hello everyone. For about the last 5 hours everytime i take a deep breath in i get sharp pains on the right side of my chest and my right shoulder, as well as my right side of my lower back (over the kidneys), and on the right side just below my ribs. Im not sure whats going on. Any suggestions on what i should do about this? Im starting to get a little worried

Jana

Hi Jana, It could be a gallstone or kidney stone. Are you running a temperture. I mean 101 or so? If it 's too bad you may need to go to the ER. If it isn't bad enough for the ER or it goes away you need to keep an eye on it anyway and mention it to your doctor.

hugs

carol

Hi, Jana. The first thing I thought of was a chest ex-ray. I have lung involvement with my lupus. They can see fluid on a simple chest ex-ray. The way you describe the assorted pains in your chest, back, and shoulder are very familiar. If this continues happening especially associated with the deep breathing, that's a simple way to rule that one out. Take care and I hope the problem gets better for you,

Hello everyone! I am having some problems with the doctors here. They are not listening, and its sooo frustrating! I told my doctor today about my chest pains and she just brushed it off really. Didnt ask me any further questions....nothing. As well i mentioned to her that i thought i had Raynaud's and i said in fact right now my fingers are numb, cold and turning a bluish colour and she didnt look at that either! Problem is, she isnt the first doctor who hasnt listened to me. Im beginning to think that its going to take me dropping dead in pain and screaming before they listen to what im saying. My doctor said "i think all your symptoms have to do with mood". I was like, excuse me? lol. She said im too stressed. Which is so ridiculous! Im a massage therapy student, i get massaged EVERY DAY. And if thats not enough, my class does yoga twice a week, as well everyday we do relaxation exercises and breathing. Also, im already taking Welbutrin (i did have depression, however recently ive been thinking i dont think i need them anymore). Anyways, this doctor told me to keep taking Welbutrin AND to start taking Celexa! To me, this is totally absurd. I am the happiest ive been in sooo long (minus the whole being in pain etc.). But in general im happy. I lost my best friend 4 years ago in a car accident and became SEVERLY depressed and i wasnt even on two antidepressants. Ugh, sorry this has turned into a rant. Im just not sure what i'm suppose to do. Also, she said "you will just have to hang in there until you get better or until you get more symptoms". I was just like ah! you arent listening to me, i just told you 2 new symptoms. Anyways, im getting angry now. If anything else comes up ill post it for sure! But without a doubt, if i get bad breathing pains again im going to the er. even if i have to wait 4 hours....

Hi JD . . . SO sorry your doctor is SO indifferent. When she says mood . . . she may be referring to seratonin. My new rheumy actually talked about that. He said that low seratonin can account for huge muscular/skeletal problems. I have a really hard time sleeping and he suggested that eventually we do a sleep study to see what's wrong. But pain also depletes seratonin . . . so although she isn't saying it in a way you could understand, she might actually be right. But having said that, I don't know that Celexa is the best anti-d for that, there are some others like cymbalta that really help even more with pain. *sigh* I feel so bad when people get ripped off at their doctor visits . . . we wait so long to get our 5 minutes. Did you go in with your list??? I don't know why, but the written word goes deeper into their heads (most of them). Just a thought. And . . . that chest pain??? ER for you with the next attack! Some hot tea for you sis!! Blessings!

Thank you so much everyone. You are all so wonderful and your comments make me feel so much better.

The whole me taking Celexa thing because of physical depression symptoms i can absolutely understand. Just one problem and that is i'm not depressed. lol. So frustrating. However, im in the process of looking for a second opinion because i actually CANNOT live like this anymore. I can barely function in daily life. I feel like im just dragging myself around everywhere, but wherever i go im not actually "there". Anyways, thank you all for letting me vent to you. Hopefully someone will listen to me and what i'm saying soon.

Gidget- I live in Canada and its somewhat difficult to find a doctor- let alone a doctor who knows what lupus or any autoimmune disease is for that matter. My parents are actually considering flying me to Phoenix to the mayo clinic and just paying the ridiculous amount of money. It would be worth it at this point!

Just a side note on how retarded doctors here are in my experience (im sure they aren't all like this!!)....I had a really bad eye infection in my left eye two years ago and i passed along from doctor to doctor and finally one of them diagnosed me as having herpes simplex virus in my eye. It was the most excrutiating pain ive ever felt in my life. The doctor did absolutely NOTHING. He gave me medicine that made it TRIPLE in severity and then kind of said in a round about way "ooops, i think im making you go blind". then he called a doctor in another city 2 hours from here to get him to see me and they were booked solid and i couldnt get in for 3 months. Long story short...........im only 22 and im completely blind in my left eye because he diagnosed me wrong and did nothing to fix it. However on the up side, i just need a cornea transplant now. But it could be four years until that happens. Anyways just a little side note. Would this kind of infection be lupus related by chance? Its called Acanthomoeba Keratitis

Lynnwood, I hope you are right! I think i will give it a try. I hope shes right, but her voice didnt sound hopeful. *sigh* Oh how life is so complicated sometimes

JD,

I am so sorry what has happened to you.  I hope that in the future you will be able to have a cornea transplant.  I feel bad complaining about my health care after the things you have gone through. 

How is your chest pain, has it let up at all? 

Please keep in touch with us and don't disappear ... and please please take care of yourself and if those chest pains reappear, please go to the ER.

Redrose- Oh my goodness! The gallbladder thing with no stones happens to me too!!! I cant count how many times ive gone to the er with pain over my gallbladder and they send me home because there are no stones. Do you know exactly what this is? I'm so sorry you have to go through that pain. It is awful!

Also, i'm only 22 so I will have to talk to my parents about taking me to the States because they will have to pay for it. Im in school and have no money! But I am definitly going to talk about it with them. Today was AWFUL.

And just an update.....my chest pain is getting better. It only happens occasionally throughout the day but nothing serious enough for th ER. Thank you everyone! You are all so fantastic! I love all of you!!