A Chest That Is Heavy & Tiredness With A Shortness Of Breath
With the advent of the Internet and ready access to medical information, both professional and lay, researching illnesses and their symptoms is just a few mouse clicks away. This easy availability of information sometimes makes for arm-chair doctors when the real thing is necessary. Its important to rationally review your symptoms and, if ever in doubt, seek medical advice.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
What To Expect At Your Office Visit
Your provider may ask questions such as:
- Is the pain between the shoulder blades? Under the breast bone? Does the pain change location? Is it on one side only?
- How would you describe the pain?
- Does it begin suddenly? Does the pain occur at the same time each day?
- Does the pain get better or worse when you walk or change positions?
- Can you make the pain happen by pressing on a part of your chest?
- Is the pain getting worse? How long does the pain last?
- Does the pain go from your chest into your shoulder, arm, neck, jaw, or back?
- Is the pain worse when you are breathing deeply, coughing, eating, or bending?
- Is the pain worse when you are exercising? Is it better after you rest? Does it go away completely, or is there just less pain?
- Is the pain better after you take nitroglycerin medicine? After you eat or take antacids? After you belch?
- What other symptoms do you have?
The types of tests that are done depend on the cause of the pain, and what other medical problems or risk factors you have.
Chronically Tired Fatigue May Be A Sign Of Heart Problems
Heart disease is one of the number one killers in the United States. Our womens health care providers are here to help you stay healthy. Thats why were spreading the word about a subtle, but dangerous sign that you could have heart disease: fatigue.
Fatigue can stop you in your tracks and even signal serious problems like heart disease. Feeling abnormally tired? Talk to our womens health care provider.
Many of us mistakenly believe that heart disease is mainly a concern for men. However, women are also at risk for this serious health condition.
Here are some quick facts on heart disease in women:
- Heart disease is responsible for 1 in every 5 female deaths
- 1 in 16 women 20 years old or older have coronary artery disease
Women often experience different symptoms of heart disease than men, which can make it hard to notice early warning signs. If youre experiencing unexplained tiredness and fatigue, come to our womens health clinicto help find the root of the problem.
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Sudden Confusion Or Change In Mental Status
Whenever someone has a change in mental status that is not caused by substance abuse, intoxication, or withdrawal of medications, they should immediately see a doctor, says Dr. Rajput. In addition, if the confusion occurs while the person has a fever, they are at a higher risk of infection of the brain, such as meningitis and encephalitis. Sudden confusion can also be the result of a head injury, a reaction to a new medication, dangerously low blood sugar, or a neurological problem, such as a stroke. Whatever the root cause, immediate medical attention is necessary. Check out these 15 stroke symptoms that women should never ignore.
Is This Unique To Covid
“We really don’t know what’s causing these symptoms. That’s a major focus of the research right now,” Dr. Allison Navis, a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said during a call with the Infectious Diseases Society of America on Friday.
“There’s a question of whether this is something that’s unique to Covid itself and it’s the Covid virus that’s triggering these symptoms or if this could be part of a general post-viral syndrome,” Navis said, adding that medical experts see similar long-term symptoms after other viral infections.
Another study published in early January in the medical journal The Lancet studied 1,733 patients who were discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, China, between January and May of last year. Of those patients, 76% reported at least one symptom six months after their initial illness. The proportion was higher in women.
“We found that fatigue or muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, and anxiety or depression were common, even at 6 months after symptom onset,” researchers wrote in the study.
They noted that the symptoms reported months after someone’s Covid-19 diagnosis were consistent with data that was previously found in follow-up studies of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which is also a coronavirus.
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Is More Research On Long Covid And Cardiac
Yes. An important one in which Altman is involved is a large National Institutes of Health study of long COVID called RECOVER. Among other efforts, RECOVER aims to recruit 17,000 patients across the United States to study not only long COVID patients but also those who recovered without long COVID and healthy controls. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is part of a consortium with the University of Utah, Intermountain Healthcare, University of New Mexico and Denver Health and Hospitals involved in the initiative.
What Does Having Both Chest Pain And Headache Mean
Experiencing chest pain and a headache at the same time may be related to the heart, the immune system, or psychological factors.
The cause is usually not serious, but people may be concerned that these symptoms indicate a problem with high blood pressure or a heart attack.
In this article, we look at conditions that can cause chest pain and a headache. We also explain whether or not they are serious and when to see a doctor.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , anxiety can cause both headaches and chest pain.
A panic attack can often feel similar to a heart attack, which can further increase a persons anxiety. Symptoms of a panic attack include:
Panic attacks can arise spontaneously and without warning, or can occur as a result of a stressful event. Learning to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack can ease a persons worry when they arise.
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Chest Pain Is The Most Recognizable Indicator Of A Cardiac Event But Know These Symptoms Toosome Of Which Can Be Mistaken For Other Medical Conditions
Chest pain is among the most common symptoms associated with heart attacks, but there are other less-common signs that are worth knowing.
If you were to list symptoms of a heart attack, youd probably start with chest pain. You might follow that up with shortness of breath and nausea. These are all correct, but they dont tell the whole story. A comprehensive list of heart attack signs includes many symptoms that the average person probably wouldnt associate with heart trouble. Sweating and vomiting, for example, are common symptoms not always immediately associated with a heart attack, experts say.
While understanding these and other symptoms of a heart attack is important for everyone, its particularly vital for those at high risk for a heart attack.
Chills Fatigue Fever And Headache
- Medical Author: Melinda Ratini, DO
Last Editorial Review: 6/15/2020
An infection of any kind can cause you to have a fever and chills, and can make you headachy and tired. It can be something as localized as a sinus infection to one that affects the whole body, like mono. It can be relatively minor like a viral sore throat to something as serious as meningitis.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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What Causes Chest Pressure With Headache
Chest Pain or pressure is perhaps one of the most common symptom for which an individual goes to an emergency department for even though about 90% of individuals complaining of chest pain are not diagnosed of a cardiovascular condition as a cause of their chest pains.
There are cases when chest pressure occurs in tandem with headaches. When these two conditions occur together then it may indicate certain underlying medical conditions of which some may require emergent medical attention even though they may not be cardiovascular related. Some of the cases for chest pressure with headaches are:
Depression:Depression is not a medical condition but is rather a state of mind of an individual. Excessive stress, discontent in family or work, deteriorating relationship all cumulate together and make an individual depressed. If an individual is under depression then he or she may feel helpless and hopeless and may feel like nothing is working out for them. Some of them may even go to the extent of attempting suicide.
An individual with depression will often complain of chest pressure along with headaches and is one of the primary symptoms of depression. An individual who is depressed needs to consult with a psychiatrist or a psychologist for therapies or medications to overcome their depression.
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Swollen And Red Joints
While aches and pains may be a sign of injury, if the skin is also red and warm to the touch, it could indicate a serious infection. Bacterial or septic arthritiscaused when bacteria infiltrate the area, according to the Mayo Clinicprogresses quickly and damages cartilage and bone. Getting treatment early is the key to avoiding permanent joint disability and, in the worst-case scenario, sepsis. The two demographic groups most affected by bacterial arthritis are children and the elderly . Here are 6 instances when your joint pain may actually be more serious than you realize.
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Chest Pain Under Strain Get It Checked Out
In older white males, we know chest pain may be a sign of heart attack. But we havent gotten that same sort of education with women, Baechler says. Women fear breast cancer more than heart disease, but they are more likely to have heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the No.1 killer of women in America today, causing more deaths than all types of cancer combined.
If you lift something and have chest pain that youve never had before, get it checked out. You should also see your doctor about any new chest pain when you walk upstairs or exert yourself in some way. This is particularly important if the pain goes away after a short period of rest. Women are more likely than men to have atypical symptoms of a heart attack: shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, extreme fatigue, a cold sweat, or pain in the arms, back, neck, or stomach, Baechler says. Get these, and any of the more traditional symptoms, checked out.
Anxiety Or Panic Attacks
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , anxiety can cause both headaches and chest pain.
A panic attack can often feel similar to a heart attack, which can further increase a persons anxiety. Symptoms of a panic attack include:
- chest pain
- a feeling of losing control
Panic attacks can arise spontaneously and without warning, or can occur as a result of a stressful event. Learning to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack can ease a persons worry when they arise.
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Can Long Covid Patients Help Themselves Through Chronic Fatigue
Yes. Altman recommends staying active and exercising but within boundaries. A good way to start is with recumbent biking and rowing, which helps to exercise the heart while reducing strain on the joints and muscles.
Start out with very low-intensity exercise and resistance, Altman said. If youre wiped out after five minutes, try two and slowly increase the time and resistance that you can tolerate. She added that its a mistake for chronically fatigued patients to believe that they can simply push their way through it.
People tend to exercise hard, then crash and have a huge setback, Altman said. Know your limitations and recognize those warning signs of when you are going to crash.
Its also important to stay hydrated with three to four liters a day of fluid while avoiding alcohol and caffeine and modestly increasing salt intake .
Do Colds Flu And Covid
Colds and flu tend to cause wet, productive coughs when youre sick. Later, dry coughs may linger during recovery.
It can take a while for inflammation from respiratory infections to go away. During this time, the lungs and airways may be extra sensitive to inhaled irritants. This sensitivity can make your throat more ticklish, causing you to cough.
Most people who get sick with COVID-19 have dry coughs not wet coughs like with the cold or flu. However, wet coughs can also happen with COVID-19 infections. Your healthcare provider may recommend a COVID-19 test to identify the cause of the cough.
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Are These Molecular Receptors Responsible For Sensory Muscle Fatigue And Muscle Pain
As part of a larger investigative group interested in muscle pain and sensations related to muscle fatigue, we recognized that these are greatly increased in people following exhausting exercise. Muscle pain and sensory muscle fatigue ameliorate quickly once exercise is ended, but increase again in untrained muscles 1224 hours later and can last 48 hours or longer before diminishing. The pain has been studied extensively and is often called delayed-onset muscle soreness , and most of us know that a sense of muscle fatigue is also increased during DOMS. The explanation for DOMS has been that exercise of untrained muscle causes micro-tears that result in inflammation however, this explanation is controversial . Whether or not micro trauma is involved, the sensory receptors encoding muscle pain and fatigue must be sensitized in order for these enhanced sensations to be apparent because the metabolite levels are not increased at rest in DOMS. As increases in ASIC3 have been shown in some models of long-term muscle pain , we hypothesized that one or more of the molecular receptors involved in metabolite signaling of muscle pain would reveal increased mRNA following exercise that produced DOMS.
Mouse DRG mRNA increases caused by exhausting exercise, measured 16 hours after a bout of exercise .
Autonomic Testing Guides Treatment For Improved Autonomic Function
The autonomic nervous system can be tested and evaluated through a process known as spectral analysis. This simple, quick and painless test can provide the critical understanding that helps your physician for their treatment plan.
The ANS can become imbalanced in many different ways. Some ANS dysfunction requires a short course of medication alone or in concert with nutritional strategies to reduce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in order for the brain to regain maximal function. The safest way to reverse heartburn is with a map of your autonomic nervous systems to guide treatment.
Dr. Nemechek often performs autonomic testing prior to initiating treatment for orthostatic hypotension and other autonomic symptoms . To learn more about this technique contact Dr Patrick Nemechek.
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Diagnosing The Underlying Cause
A doctor will use several tests to determine whats causing your symptoms. This will likely include:
- Physical exam. A doctor will examine your chest, neck, and head. Theyll also listen to your heartbeat and measure your blood pressure.
- Medical history. This helps the doctor understand your risk for certain conditions.
- Imaging tests. You might get a chest X-ray and CT scan. These tests take detailed photos of your heart, lungs, and arteries.
- Blood tests. Some heart-related conditions increase blood levels of proteins or enzymes. The doctor might order blood tests to measure these levels.
- Electrocardiogram . An ECG measures your hearts electrical activity. The results can help a cardiologist determine if part of the heart muscle is injured.
- Echocardiogram. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to capture a video of your heart, which can help identify heart muscle problems.
- Stress test. A stress test examines how physical exertion affects your heart and blood vessels. A common example is walking on a treadmill while hooked up to a heart monitor.
- Angiogram. Also known as an arteriogram, this test helps a doctor find damaged arteries. A dye is injected into your hearts blood vessels, which makes them easier to see in an X-ray.
The goal of treatment is to manage the underlying condition. Therefore, the best treatment plan depends on whats causing your symptoms. It may include:
Sudden Vision Changes May Be Signs Of A Stroke
As you age, its normal for your vision to progressively worsen. But dont ever ignore visual changes that affect only one eye, the sudden onset of double vision, or the inability to see the center of what youre looking at.
Vision changes that occur suddenly can be signs of a stroke. Theyre particularly alarming if they come with other warning symptoms of stroke, such as numbness on one side of the body, or difficulty speaking or finding the right words. More subtle variations on these symptoms could indicate a transient ischemic attack, commonly called a mini-stroke. Getting them checked out could prevent a larger stroke later, Baechler says.
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