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Suggest Treatment For Severe Pain In The Arms And Elbows
Posted on
Mon, 24 Oct 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 24 Oct 2016
Answered on
Mon, 14 Nov 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : Already been on i wento my doctor today as i have alot of pain in my arms throbbing in elbow and hand pain also my nailbeds are all purple so my doctor said its cynosis but im terrified its my heart ive had echo ecg stress test chest xray couple months back im 24 year old female can you help me
Brief Answer:
Your symptoms are not related to any cardiac causes.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back on HCM!
I would explain that cianosis is a medical term used to indicate low blood supply or oxygen supply to a certain region of the body.
Cardiac disorders that cause cianosis are usually related to an abnormal communication between the cardiac chambers. But as your cardiac ultrasound has resulted normal, such possible causes have been excluded.
So, I can say for sure that your symptoms are not related to any cardiac disorders.
Raynaud's syndrome or a lung disorder could explain these symptoms (nailbeds turning purple).
From the other hand the throbbing pain in the elbow and hand, could be caused by a nerve compression (like the ulnar nerve in the ulnary groove which lies right in the elbow).
Thoracic outlet syndrome could cause both nerve compression and low blood oxygen perfusion to the hands.
Another possible cause that may mimic all this symptomatology is an autoimmune or connective tissue disorder (like vasculitis, etc.).
That is why I would recommend performing further tests to exclude the above mentioned disorders:
- a blood gas analysis to check your blood oxygen levels
- inflammation tests (PCR, sedimentation rate)
- a nerve conduction study and a cervical spine X ray study to investigate for possible nerve compression
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical vessels including the subclavian arteries (which supply blood flow to the arms and hand).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me again!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Your symptoms are not related to any cardiac causes.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back on HCM!
I would explain that cianosis is a medical term used to indicate low blood supply or oxygen supply to a certain region of the body.
Cardiac disorders that cause cianosis are usually related to an abnormal communication between the cardiac chambers. But as your cardiac ultrasound has resulted normal, such possible causes have been excluded.
So, I can say for sure that your symptoms are not related to any cardiac disorders.
Raynaud's syndrome or a lung disorder could explain these symptoms (nailbeds turning purple).
From the other hand the throbbing pain in the elbow and hand, could be caused by a nerve compression (like the ulnar nerve in the ulnary groove which lies right in the elbow).
Thoracic outlet syndrome could cause both nerve compression and low blood oxygen perfusion to the hands.
Another possible cause that may mimic all this symptomatology is an autoimmune or connective tissue disorder (like vasculitis, etc.).
That is why I would recommend performing further tests to exclude the above mentioned disorders:
- a blood gas analysis to check your blood oxygen levels
- inflammation tests (PCR, sedimentation rate)
- a nerve conduction study and a cervical spine X ray study to investigate for possible nerve compression
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical vessels including the subclavian arteries (which supply blood flow to the arms and hand).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me again!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I know you must be sick of my questions sorry for that , ok thats fine tonight though i have like shooting pains on left side of chest behind breast ? Im terrified they are so sharp and sore thats making me think its heart
Brief Answer:
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi again!
You shouldn't be sorry for anything! I am here to help you whenever you need!
Now, considering your symptoms, I would explain that this kind of pain (shooting pain in the left side of the chest behind the breast) is not typical of any cardiac disorder (including coronary artery disease or a heart attack).
Is the pain triggered by respiration or body movements? This would be indicative of a musculoskeletal pain.
In such case ibuprofen 400mg would be helpful!
But, relax! It does not seem to be anything serious!
I would be happy to answer to all of your questions! Don't hesitate to ask me!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi again!
You shouldn't be sorry for anything! I am here to help you whenever you need!
Now, considering your symptoms, I would explain that this kind of pain (shooting pain in the left side of the chest behind the breast) is not typical of any cardiac disorder (including coronary artery disease or a heart attack).
Is the pain triggered by respiration or body movements? This would be indicative of a musculoskeletal pain.
In such case ibuprofen 400mg would be helpful!
But, relax! It does not seem to be anything serious!
I would be happy to answer to all of your questions! Don't hesitate to ask me!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok so is it definetly not my heart ? Its like electric shock type pain ? Im so scared my arms feel heavy and burning sensation over neck terrified to sleep incase i have heart attack do you think this could happen? What if these sharp pains are coming from my heart ? They are coming every so often ive not noticed if its with moving or breathing i have been panicking today though my doctor gave me amitriptyline ! As a cardiologist are these pains definetly not heart ? Im scared because its shooting at left side
Brief Answer:
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Yes, definitely it is not your heart!
So relax and don't worry about it! You are not going to have any heart attack!
I agree with your doctor advise on starting amytriptiline. It can help against anxiety and is also very recommended for nerve pain.
If the problem persists, I would recommend switching to duloxetine. This is another type of antidepressant, which can be helpful in fibromyalgia (which is a disorder that may mimic all your complaints).
You should discuss with your doctor about that!
Now, I recommend you to close your eyes and take a deep breath! Nothing bad is going to happen! I can assure you about that! You can sleep without any fears!
Let me know about everything!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Yes, definitely it is not your heart!
So relax and don't worry about it! You are not going to have any heart attack!
I agree with your doctor advise on starting amytriptiline. It can help against anxiety and is also very recommended for nerve pain.
If the problem persists, I would recommend switching to duloxetine. This is another type of antidepressant, which can be helpful in fibromyalgia (which is a disorder that may mimic all your complaints).
You should discuss with your doctor about that!
Now, I recommend you to close your eyes and take a deep breath! Nothing bad is going to happen! I can assure you about that! You can sleep without any fears!
Let me know about everything!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok thanks so much uv been amazing at helping me , so today i have like a burny feeling ove my upper neck and back and upper arms feels so hot what could this be ? Im so worried that this and signs of purplish nails mean im headed for heart attack or stroke is it anything to worry about ? Also feel breathless doing things but i think thats panic and heart racing . See the heart echo what if it missed something as i didnt have my bluish nails at that time would i have to repeat it ? All my tests were before my nails so now im paniking somethings went wrong from there and ive read you could have a stroke with bluish nails .. And this burny hot feeling over my neck and upper back arms is strange ? Thanks so much
Brief Answer:
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Your symptoms are not related to the heart.
So relax and do not worry about it! You are not going to have a heart attack.
The bluish nails are not a sign of to stroke or any heart attack.
As, I explained to you before they could be related to Raynaud's phenomena or thoracic outlet syndrome or an inflammatory connective tissue disorder.
No one of this disorders is related to heart attack or a stroke.
These are usually chronic disorders, which need further tests to be ruled in/out.
Regarding the hot feeling over your neck and upper back it could be explained by a nerve issues.
Anxiety could also trigger this feeling.
But, it is not a sign of any serious disorder. So relax and don't worry about it!
I recommend you to follow my advise and perform the above mentioned tests to investigate for the possible cause of your symptoms.
But, you should not worry about any heart attack or any stroke! I can assure you that no one of your symptoms is concerning about any of the above disorders.
So take a deep breath and try not to think about it!
Let me know about everything!
Regards,
Dr. Iliri
My answer as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Your symptoms are not related to the heart.
So relax and do not worry about it! You are not going to have a heart attack.
The bluish nails are not a sign of to stroke or any heart attack.
As, I explained to you before they could be related to Raynaud's phenomena or thoracic outlet syndrome or an inflammatory connective tissue disorder.
No one of this disorders is related to heart attack or a stroke.
These are usually chronic disorders, which need further tests to be ruled in/out.
Regarding the hot feeling over your neck and upper back it could be explained by a nerve issues.
Anxiety could also trigger this feeling.
But, it is not a sign of any serious disorder. So relax and don't worry about it!
I recommend you to follow my advise and perform the above mentioned tests to investigate for the possible cause of your symptoms.
But, you should not worry about any heart attack or any stroke! I can assure you that no one of your symptoms is concerning about any of the above disorders.
So take a deep breath and try not to think about it!
Let me know about everything!
Regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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