Resolved question:
hello,
im 30 years old. i have pain for last 9-10 days that goes from around my heart to my left shoulder blade and sometimes to my arm. i was in er 4 days ago and they did ekg that was normal, heart rate and puls were a bit elevated 150/90 and pulse 110 i had temperature of 37.7 c . blood test was ok except sodium levels and lymphocites were a bit lower. they have done the xray and found that i have beggining of pneumonia on my right lower side. i got antibiotics and was sent home. my heart rate and pulse are back to normal, i guess that was elevated from anxiety of the er. the thing that bothers me is that the pain i came for in the er i still there, pneumonia is on the opposite side of the chest. by recomendation from my doctor i plan on going to the cardiologist when i cure pneumonia. i dont have temperature any more but the pain is still there. i does not get any worse if i move or breathe maby onlly when i lie on my left side but im not shure. if i had to describe the pain id say it is not pain like somebody is pressin something in to me but more like burning fealing, simmilar to heart burn.reading on the internet about pain in the chest and in the left shoulder it is one of the symptoms of pulmonary cancer pressing on the nerves. i was wondering how big does that cancer has to be to press on the nervs? would it have been seen on chest x-ray i have done in the er? im non smoker but i live with my parents who smoke two packs a day each for last 40 years.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Pulmonologist
Hello,
Thank you for your consult at DoctorSpring.com.
The good news is that the present x ray doesn't suggest any sorts of cancer in lung, you can definitely relax !
Are you an alcoholic?
Was the pain related to alcohol ingestion?
Has it worsened by sitting and leaning forward?
It hardly seems to be anything significant and I think its just from the muscles and bony cage.
Do you have any belching or feeling of upper abdominal fullness?
I can't find any definite cause of left sided chest pain from the chest x ray and the pneumonia on right can't be responsible for a left sided chest pain.
I would advise a rest, hot fomentation for 2 days along with topical anti inflammatory , analgesic sprays.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, I would be glad to answer any follow-up queries.
Regards
Dr. Jacob George P
MD, FCCP
I forgot to mention that i had 2 days of arrhythmias before the pain started. No im not an alcoholic, i rarely drink alcohol . Pain lasts for something like 10 days. I feels worse when i inhale as much as i can and then exhale, then it hurts near my shoulder blade. Im on a broad spectrum antibiotics now because of pneumonia and ill have a blood test in 6 days by recommendation from my doctor. I just wanted to be sure that this kind of pain is not from lung tumor. Although people on the internet usually complain on this kind of pain when they have cancer. So i just wanted to know is this possible in my case. First 10 things that pop out when you enter my symptoms in to google is lung cancer. I know the internet is not the place to search for medical problems and solutions , and i usually dont use it for that, but this just freaked me out.
Dear patient, regards again.
Well if it is not related to alcohol intake then a rare possibility of pancreas related cause is out.
The only remaining cause is muscular origin of pain. so it can be safely ignored.
Continue the full course of antibiotic as prescribed by your physician, and take a pain killer spray. It should do all the work.
I too agree that internet is not a good source for silly symptoms as the main reason they aim is to create social awareness against cancer. However, I now believe you can safely exclude that possibility from your mind.
You need a holter monitoring / cardio opinion to study the reason for arrhythmia. But I feel the pain is not related to that also.
Wishing you a speedy recovery,
Dr.Jacob George P
MD, FCCP
thanks for your consultation. further reading on the internet while awaiting your reply gave me more trouble than peace. i see that usualy people with cancer are mistreated for the shoulder and chest pain when xray does not show anything and few months later they find out that they have cancer after all.
Dear patient,
Chest radiograph has its own fallacies as a screening tool for lung tumour. Investigation of choice is ct thorax. However, your chest radiograph shows no direct or indirect signs of lung tumour. For lung tumour to be symptomatic so as to cause a pain as described by you, it cannot be missed on a chest radiograph.
Wishing you a speedy recovery
Regards
Dr. Jacob George P
MD FCCP