A sharp ache between your shoulder blades Could be: A heart attack About 30 percent of people who have heart attacks dont get the classic chest pressure. Pain between shoulder blades is common in women, as is jaw pain, shortness of breath and nausea. If you have these symptoms (youll likely have more than one), you need care ASAP. A muscle pain is like a dull ache. A heart attack is more like a sharp sudden onset. Call 911. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Its better not to have someone drive you to the hospital. Wait for the ambulance because they are set up to do triage immediately. A thunderclap headache Could be: An aneurysm, which is a balloon-like area in an artery Most of us have experienced mild or moderate headaches — usually an over the counter pain medication makes the pain go away. But if you have the worst headache of your life and it comes on suddenly, call 911. Again, do not drive the hospital yourself. How do you know it isnt a migraine? With a migraine, you feel nauseous, are sensitive to light and sound and its a gradual progression. Bleeding in the brain due to a ruptured aneurysm isnt all that common, but when it does happen, swift action is key. Surgeons can save your life by sealing off the weakened spot. If you arent treated right away, you could die. The biggest risk is, if it does rupture, and you are bleeding into your brain, it becomes difficult to treat, if it can be treated at all. Dont take aspirin for such a sudden, intense headache — it can increase the bleeding. Dull stomach pain to the lower right of abdomen Could be: Appendicitis The pain usually starts at the center of your stomach and gradually moves to the right. If the appendix does rupture, that can be a dangerous complication, with bacteria bursting into your bloodstream and infecting your entire body. If you feel this sensation, go straight to the ER. (Usually it gets more intense over a 24-hour period as it shifts location.) Usually with appendicitis, when pressing down on your stomach it doesnt hurt as much as when you let go quickly. Another test is where you use the muscle underlying the gall bladder: Bring your knee to your head and have someone push down with resistance. If that hurts, thats a sign of an irritated appendix, which would need to be evaluated further. Tooth pain that wakes you up Could be: Teeth grinding Frequent clenching can cause the nerve within the tooth to become inflamed and the protective enamel to wear away. You might even end up cracking teeth down to the root, which leads to extraction. Call your dentist so he or she can figure out the problem. The complications from grinding, which is often brought on by stress, can be prevented by wearing a night guard There are a lot of people who grind their teeth at night. At your annual checkup, your dentist can tell you if you need a night guard, for example, as an intervention. Mid-back pain with fever Could be: A kidney infection Dont assume that your temperature, nausea and back pain are just a stomach bug. This condition develops when bacteria that infiltrate the urinary tract spread to the kidneys, making the infection much more severe. You might start with urinary tract infection symptoms, like pain during urination, but some people dont notice anything until later. Youll likely need antibiotics ASAP, so call your doctor. Women are more susceptible to getting UTIs, which is precursor to kidney infection. If a kidney infection is untreated, your kidneys can shut down. But its usually so painful, people dont ignore it. Menstrual cramps that dont get better with medication Could be: Endometriosis If over-the-counter meds arent helping, this condition — in which the lining of the uterus grows somewhere else — might be to blame. Endometriosis impedes fertility, and its common. Forty percent to 60 percent of women whose periods are very painful may have it. Unless youre trying to conceive, your doctor can start you on oral contraceptives. If pain persists, you may need to have the tissue surgically removed. A tender spot on your calf Could be: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) If one small area of your leg is painful, you could have DVT, a blood clot in the deep veins. The spot may also be red and warm to the touch. DVT is more likely if you use birth control pills or recently took a long car or plane ride. Unless your leg is very swollen or the pain is getting worse rapidly, you can probably wait a day to see your doctor instead of going to the ER, but dont delay any longer. The clot could increase in size or break off, move toward the lungs and stop blood flow. It can go to your heart and give you a heart attack. It can go to your brain and give you a stroke. As a preventive measure, if youre on a long car ride or plane: get up every 1 to 2 hours and stretch or move around. write out the alphabet with your toes on the floor. Take your toes up and down, left to right. As you write the alphabet you squeeze the muscles, the veins, and pumping the blood back up, so it wont clot. drink fluids and stay hydrated. today/health/7-pains-you-should-never-ignore-2D79635526
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:56:53 +0000
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