Chest Pains Can Have Many Different Causes
The curb was made out of concrete and I came down hard onto my right knee, breaking the tibia. I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t put any weight on it and went to the hospital. This was all a new experience for me as I had never broken anything before and had never really had any experience going to the hospital. The wound was flushed out and sewn, x-rays were taken, and the thing was set. Within a few hours I was on my way back for a two months recovery at home. The second visit to the ER was a little more complicated. I had what seemed to be a severe sinus headache that had been about a week in duration. I did what most guys do, waited until I couldn’t stand it anymore and noticed that my left eye was starting to close. I also was experiencing double vision.
I called my doctor and he told me to go to the emergency room to get an MRI of my head and rule out any serious possibilities. When I got there I was registered, told that they were extremely busy, and put into the most uncomfortable wheelchair in the world. The chair had no padding, was bent at a very weird angle for sitting, and you had no way of moving yourself in it. Someone had to push you. Having the broken leg, there was no way that I could stand and walk, so I was essentially kept prisoner in the waiting room for about four hours, during which time I couldn’t get up even to go to the bathroom.
When I finally was able to see the doctor, he told me that they couldn’t order an MRI from the ER and that a CAT scan would have to do. After waiting several more hours for the CAT scan, I was released and told to follow up with a neuro-ophthalmologist in the next couple of days. She told me that without the MRI, the ER visit was essentially useless. After finally getting the MRI, I found out that it was a nerve problem that would eventually resolve itself.
So what do you do if you’re over 50 and you wake up in the middle of the night with chest pains? This happened recently to a friend of mine. John was pretty much a robust picture of health. He ate right and exercised three or four times a week. He could whip guys half his age at squash and basketball. After his visit to the ER, I found out that he was scheduled for a triple bypass operation in the next few days. It was quit a surprise.
To often the scenario goes like this: you have chest pain and you go to the ER. If there are any minor abnormalities on your EKG or blood test results, you’re told that you might be having a heart attack and admitted to the hospital. After another barrage of tests and a cardiac catherization, it’s not uncommon to be told that you have an 80-90% occlusion in an artery of your heart. Then you are told that if you don’t have an angioplasty or bypass, you could drop dead of a heart attack at any moment. The next thing you know, you’re on the operating table. If you have chest pain after the operation, you may face more operations. If you still have chest pain, then you are placed on the maximum dose of heart medication for the rest of your life.
Even if the initial tests don’t reveal any heart problems, then you will probably be diagnosed with acid reflux disease and given antacids for the rest of your life. If that doesn’t work, you will probably be told that the reason is stress and anxiety and put on medication for that. For those “difficult” patients who still have chest pain, the next step would be referral to a psychiatrist and a round of mind-altering medication to disconnect your mind from the pain.
So what do you do when you experience chest pain in the middle of the night? You should definitely go to the hospital immediately and follow through with the procedures of allopathic medicine. But don’t submit to invasive procedures like stent placements or a bypass operation without first considering other alternative or holistic therapies. Things like an infected tooth, pinched nerve, or even poor nutrition can sometimes cause chest pain. It’s always wise to get a second opinion.
