Thursday, February 16, 2012

Saturday, June 21, 2008 Donna asks

Q: could there be a blockage if there is pain in the left arm causing nausea

I am a 53 year old woman with high cholesterol.  A couple of weeks ago I had pain in my left arm so severe that I experienced nausea.  It started in the evening and continued after going to bed for several hours...I almost had my family take me to the ER in the middle of the night.  I decided to take Ibuprofen and it did subside after an hour or so.  I have been extremely fatigued, but I haven't experienced any more pain.  Could there be a blockage of some sort...concerned.  Thank you!

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6/23/08 7:16pm

The internet is not the right forum for this kind of information.  Do you have an aversion to doctors?  You definitely need to get checked out--especially with high cholesterol, sex and age factors.  Pain on the left side that feels heavy, crushing or throbbing, along with nausea is a strong sign you may be experiencing a heart attack (or even angina, which is also serious).  But if you don't get your blood tested within a few hours (after that, the C-reactive proteins dissipate--a sign of cardiac muscle damage) and also an ECG (EKG), then there is no way to know for sure.  Better to go to the ER, to be safe and sure, than to be in harm's way and sorry.  Also, the sooner after symptoms start, the better. Nothing to be embarassed about if it turns out to be nothing serious--that's what the ER and the doctors are there for.

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