I feel like I'm dying

Posted by srodriguez @srodriguez, Jan 26, 2012

i am a healthy (I thought) 43 year old female. 2 weeks ago I was at work. Stood up. Got this pulled muscle sensation in my back around my bra strap area. I then proceeded to have chest pain, shortness of breath, flushed, sensation of hot liquid seeping out into my chest, dizziness, and numb and tingly all over my body. I felt like I was gonna pass out or die. I was rushed to the ER. After several tests, and an overnight stay, they discharged me the next day with Synthroid (thyroid just a tad low) and Flexeril for my back pain. I still had the shortness of breath. But they assured me my heart and lungs were fine. Did not do any x-rays or anything for my back. The next day I was pretty much laid out at home due to the flexeril. The following day, I decided to go back to work. Got up, took a shower, then I started having all the same symptoms as before. I had my son take me to the ER again. They did several tests, said my heart and lungs were fine. The doctor diagnosed me with GERD, and sent me home with Prilosec. I took Prilosec for 4 days, then my PCP had me try Protonix, which by the way, both of these gave me horrible side effects (confusion, delirium-hallucinations) and were not helping my stomach pain and nausea. So, she started me on Zantac, which worked wonders the first couple of days, but seems to have worn off now too. Also, after numerous testing, doctor said my Vitamin D was low, was 11, and should be between 30-80. So I started taking Vitamin D3--400 units. 2 weeks later, I have been to the ER three times, had an endoscopy just yesterday (doctor said everything looked fine, but sending off stomach sample for biopsy). Still taking Zantac, and Vitamin D. Trying to eat more foods rich in Vitamin D and calcium. I continue to have nausea, stomach pains, body very weak, losing weight, diarrhea, dizziness, flushed and feel like passing out. I can't sleep, and feel very dehydrated. Every morning I feel like I'm dying with these symptoms. It feels as though it hurts from deep inside my muscles or bones, even my joints in my fingers and elbows hurt. Closer to noon, I feel a little better, try to eat a little something, then it starts all over around 9 or 10 in the evening, and keeping me up all night. I WAS TOTALLY FINE UNTIL 2 WEEKS AGO, THEN ALL THIS STARTED HAPPENING. CAN SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST GONNA SHRIVEL UP AND DIE.

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i need help something is wrong with me but i don’t know what, i haven’t been rene able to sleep i’ve been going to sleep around one in the morning amen have been waking up at five in the morning, i always feel like i’m going to faint/throw up, the front left side of my rib cage especially the top 3 ones are always in pain and so isn’t my back and i tell my mom but she won’t take me to see a doctor so i just want to know could i possibly be dying?

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I've felt like this for the past 2 month's now and they can't find anything wrong with me but I still feel like krap.... What is going on

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Sounds like nervous stomach , the acids accumulation is high right after you eat and especially at night.
I know these feelings all together , they are the worst feelings to have . Do you eat spicy foods or even black pepper for seasoning , it does not help at all.
Your diet needs to change , no alcohol drinks , no spicy foods or tobacco products like smoking.
Try eating a starchy food towards the night time , a small helping of rice will suffice.
They will probably want to do the upper G.I if it continues after correcting your intake.

Good luck , take the zantac before you eat and coffee does not help at all .

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Sorry, I know the feeling. I spent weeks off and on at thecE R, and hospital Hoth the very same thing. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN diognoist me with Functional Dispepsia. Mist Dr’s are unaware of this, certanley no one in a ER has. It is almost a fantasy disorder, but it is real! Studies in Europe have confirmed this ,but have no cure or what causes this. Try a sugar free, low fat diet for awhile, but the secret is a over the counter drug called FDguard. You can only get it at Wallgreens, cvs, or Amozon. A Dr at Mayo Clinic suggested it. It works wonders. Very expensive, but made for this condition. It is just peppermint oil and other natural ingredients. Do not be afraid to take it . Do what it says. Four days with special diet you will be feeling better. Look up this condition on the internet. I feel so good at times and have to be cautious others. I also was given a low dose of Celexa , a antidepressant, which helped my appetite, too much. I had lost 40 lbs in two months, before and well now I am on the mend. Good luck!

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@srodriguez

This happened to me back in 2012. I'm pretty much back to normal now. At the time, I did feel like I was dying. There were so many tests done on me which all came back fine. They never really figured out what was wrong with me. There were speculations of Fibromyalgia, Auto Immune disease, and Low Thyroid. I did have low Vitamin D, and started taking a Vitamin D supplement for that. Even though I didn't have much energy, I started doing Zumba. That was a Godsend. I was already eating pretty healthy, but I cut out all gluten, and that seemed to help as well. Slowly but surely I became myself again. I am much older than you, about to be 50 in September. I don't know if my case had anything to do with Pre-Menopause. Nevertheless, try eliminating gluten, sodas, don't eat too many sweets, drink plenty of water, and exercise every day. That's what worked for me. Good luck!!

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Hi,
I read your post and I’m having the exact same symptoms. They hit me about 4 weeks ago. I’ve been to the ER 4 times and they pregnancy test and did a CT on my head, blood work everything came back normal. I’m a lot younger then you I’ll be 22 in a couple weeks. The first couple weeks were the worst, I actually felt like I was about to die. Scared my Boyfriend and family, I’m going on the fourth week, I’m still having Dizzyness stomach and chest/neck pains that bring me to having to sit and be still. I’ll have times throughout the day where I feel alittle normal, like (me) wants to break through this. I just haven’t been able to shake it off. So my question is when did you start feeling like YOU again? Please reply when you can!
Thanks!

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Ok everyone who may be reading this now...PLEASE get a CT scan and check for pulmonary emboli and/or pulmonary infarct! I had these EXACT symptoms last week, and after initially being diagnosed with pneumonia (my vitals were good, oxygen levels good, x ray doesn't show blood clots, etc...) I had a hunch something more serious was wrong. Thank God my PCP recognized my symptoms immediately and sent me for a scan which revealed numerous clots in my lungs along with an infarct. Anyone who has these symptoms most likely has a clot that moved into the lungs and is now blocking off blood supply. The longer you wait, the more damage will be done to your lungs and the more risk of death you will have. It feels like a pulled muscle at first along the back in almost all cases, and many people recall not doing any major movements prior to the "pull." Then, it progresses from there into sharp, stabbing pains that can come and go periodically depending on position. Laying down on your back or stomach usually makes it worse. Breathing deeply hurts. Ribs can begin to feel like they are almost "popping" in and out. If you have any of these or all of these symptoms, DO NOT WAIT and do not leave the ER until you have a CT scan of your lungs done! Even if you are low risk for clots. I am perfectly healthy, fit, active 33 year old female with no smoking in my history and only birth control years ago. Do not think that this couldn't happen to you, and don't listen to any doctor who doesn't at least test for clots! This could save your life! A similar story is what saved mine and made me go back for a second opinion. Please take this as your sign to go get checked now! (also note that everyone's symptoms can vary slightly, but most certainly if you have these specific symptoms, do not hesitate, go NOW to the ER!)

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@kcheck

Hi,
I read your post and I’m having the exact same symptoms. They hit me about 4 weeks ago. I’ve been to the ER 4 times and they pregnancy test and did a CT on my head, blood work everything came back normal. I’m a lot younger then you I’ll be 22 in a couple weeks. The first couple weeks were the worst, I actually felt like I was about to die. Scared my Boyfriend and family, I’m going on the fourth week, I’m still having Dizzyness stomach and chest/neck pains that bring me to having to sit and be still. I’ll have times throughout the day where I feel alittle normal, like (me) wants to break through this. I just haven’t been able to shake it off. So my question is when did you start feeling like YOU again? Please reply when you can!
Thanks!

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Please go to the ER and get tested for blood clots in the lungs. (pulmonary embolism) These are the EXACT symptoms I had last week and almost died because I was misdiagnosed due to otherwise being completely "healthy." But if you really are having these symptoms, do not wait another minute., Go and get a CT scan of your chest. Accept nothing less because x rays do not pick these up and blood tests can even fail to show enough symptoms. A head CT would not show this either. My blood test as I laid in the hospital was only slightly too high in only one category, and they said it would've been overlooked if that was the only test I had. CT scan with contrast is what you need to truly rule out PEs. And they are so much more common than we are lead to believe. I have a handful of friends who are now coming to me with their stories and we are all young and healthy, male and female. All symptoms sound exactly like what we all have experienced. I would shoot upright in the middle of the night for a couple weeks before treatment and felt intense panic and anxiety, unlike anything I've had before. I kept joking with my best friend that I thought I was dying. I had intense, deep fear that I truly was dying, but I still brushed it off at first. Breathing was ok too right up until a huge clot broke off and blocked my lower right lung. I now have permanent damage from it, but thankfully that happened or else I may have never gone back to the doc until it was too late. It happens to the best of us! Please get checked out again. Your gut is telling you something is still wrong and blood clots are some of the most missed issues in healthcare. If you have already been to the ER 4 times, this is proof that something is terribly wrong. I'm surprised they haven't already done a CT scan of your lungs! Of course it could be something else, but this needs to be ruled out asap.

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@monkeytine

Ok everyone who may be reading this now...PLEASE get a CT scan and check for pulmonary emboli and/or pulmonary infarct! I had these EXACT symptoms last week, and after initially being diagnosed with pneumonia (my vitals were good, oxygen levels good, x ray doesn't show blood clots, etc...) I had a hunch something more serious was wrong. Thank God my PCP recognized my symptoms immediately and sent me for a scan which revealed numerous clots in my lungs along with an infarct. Anyone who has these symptoms most likely has a clot that moved into the lungs and is now blocking off blood supply. The longer you wait, the more damage will be done to your lungs and the more risk of death you will have. It feels like a pulled muscle at first along the back in almost all cases, and many people recall not doing any major movements prior to the "pull." Then, it progresses from there into sharp, stabbing pains that can come and go periodically depending on position. Laying down on your back or stomach usually makes it worse. Breathing deeply hurts. Ribs can begin to feel like they are almost "popping" in and out. If you have any of these or all of these symptoms, DO NOT WAIT and do not leave the ER until you have a CT scan of your lungs done! Even if you are low risk for clots. I am perfectly healthy, fit, active 33 year old female with no smoking in my history and only birth control years ago. Do not think that this couldn't happen to you, and don't listen to any doctor who doesn't at least test for clots! This could save your life! A similar story is what saved mine and made me go back for a second opinion. Please take this as your sign to go get checked now! (also note that everyone's symptoms can vary slightly, but most certainly if you have these specific symptoms, do not hesitate, go NOW to the ER!)

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Hi, @monkeytine and welcome to Connect.
Thanks for such valuable information. I am so glad you persisted in the ER. We really do need to be our own advocates when it comes to health care, something I have learned myself from experience.
What did they do to treat this, and how are you doing now?
JK

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Same here. Since December 2018 and getting worst. Weight loss, sick to my stomach everyday,feeling faint and more. Test shows small things. My family has given up on me. Praying for you.

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@hopeful33250

Hello @starlight_msp

I see that this is your first post at Mayo Connect, welcome!

It is certainly understandable that you would be frightened by these types of symptoms. Have you talked with your doctor about this yet? Understanding the reason for your symptoms will help reduce your fears which is very important. The teen years can be stressful enough without added stress.

As you are comfortable sharing more, please let us know how long you have had these symptoms and if you have seen a doctor.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Teresa

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The original post is 7 years old, Teresa. FYI

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