Help!

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I'm a 21 year old female with no health issues other than anxiety. I been experiencing quick sharp chest pains and sharp upper back pains. Went to er last night and they did a ekg , blood work including d dimer test and a chest X-ray but everything came back normal. I'm still have the back pains so my question is should I still be worried about something life threatening like aortic dissection or is that just my anxiety making me think these things

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    No you shouldn't. The extraordinary thing about ascending aortic aneurysm is there are no symptoms. It is discovered by accident. Enjoy your good health.

  • Posted

    The d dimer test is not conclusive enough to rule out or rule in aortic dissection - https://www.jwatch.org/na37499/2015/04/10/d-dimer-test-aortic-dissection-relevant-or-not.

    A chest x-ray cannot detect an aortic dissection - it takes a CT scan or MRI (I think ultrasound may detect it too but not sure).

    At your age it seems unlikely that you have an aortic dissection, but the only way to be absolutely sure is with one of the tests mentioned above.

    • Posted

      How do I even tell if it's aortic aneurysm or something else? I've had a slight backache with aches running down my left buttock to the front of my left calf. I rubbed where the nerve was and my leg ache cleared up, now I have a slight back ache with split-second twinges in my sides and muscle aches on my shoulders that come and go. I was exercising two weeks prior and had cut out fast food completely before that. I don't have the money for an expensive scan and i have another hospital bill looming over my head.

    • Posted

      Aneurysms generally don't have any symptoms. I had an ascending thoracic aneurysm with no symptoms and my mom had the same thing also with no symptoms.

      What makes you think you have an aneurysm?

    • Posted

      After the weather got worse in my area (snow) I stopped walking and I had been walking for two weeks since my hospital visit, though I kept having small aches and pains in my left arm, chest shoulders and my left leg. I felt what felt like a pulled muscle going from my left buttock, down the outer side of my thigh and in front of my calf, and minor lower back ache. My calf felt weak and swollen, but there was no indication of such, just tight muscles. I am a hypochondriac and I look up every symptom that I have. I can't remember how I got to aortic aneurysm but it freaked me out. My back ache varies in intensity but it isn't painful, and I'm feeling split second stiches in my sides, like the kind you get after running. I hadn't eaten healthy since I was 13 (I've cut out sugar and I only have fast food once a week or every two weeks, and im trying to eat healthier. I had a bad panic attack that landed me in the hospital. I have a major fear of death, and the fact that there are no clear cut symptoms for this only worries me more.

  • Posted

    your anxiety disorder over your health is real and very disabling for you. I do hope you get some help for it. And some peace. keep as strong as you can and goodnight. Have you tried mindfulness classes? I find they are very helpful and are proven medically.
    • Posted

      I find it hard to be calm when I'm hypersensitive to what's going on in my body. I try not to worry, though I'm tempted sometimes to have a medical test done, just for peace of mind. Then I also keep in mind that the costs stack up.

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