Non cardiac causes of chest pain

When do you go to the emergency room?

I knew the answers, and the persistent, severe pain I felt in my chest told me that I needed to seek medical help. While I didn’t have “classic” symptoms of heart attack, “Pain radiating from chest to arm or neck, nausea, feeling dizzy or faint,” I could not explain the severe pain under my left breast.

I’ve told other people, “Get to the ER NOW.” This time it was my turn to take my own advice. Here’s what happened:

I had to butcher one of my geese that had been limping for several weeks and refused to leave the safety of the pond. She was in pain and it was hard getting food to her in the water. It was time to try roast domestic goose.

Supper was just about ready – my goose was cooked, giblet dressing prepared, table set…I went out to the barn to do evening chores. Suddenly I felt hunger pains in the pit of my stomach. After feeding my barnyard “kids,” the hunger pain seemed to move to my ribcage under my left breast. I walked to the house and sat down to enjoy a pre-supper Cerveza (Mexican beer with lemon and salt)hoping that relaxing would ease the pain. Sitting on the deck in the cool breeze was indeed relaxing, but the pain did not subside.

I tried to eat some of the goose giblet dressing and sweet potatoes hoping that a little food would make the pain go away, but it didn’t help. It was difficult to breathe…in or out.

Okay…persistent pain in chest…and pain along back of left arm…well darn….

To avoid the unsavory prospect of my waking up dead, it was time to head for the ER.

My pulse felt okay to me…and I didn’t feel nausea or dizziness (any more than normal:)…but that stabbing pain under my left breast when I tried to breathe or bend over was something I couldn’t ignore. For safety, I asked a friend to drive me to the hospital.

In the ER, while hooked up to a single-lead monitor, things didn’t add up. My oxygen level was very good, my pulse was between 50 and 60, my blood pressure was a little high, but that was probably due to feeling like a knife was stuck in my ribcage.

I was told that when dealing with a patient of my age, “no offense,” of over 50, they need to rule things out…beginning with heart attack then down to things like gall bladder, appendix (those words alarmed me…appendix pain under my left breast?…lets go back to anatomy 101…but the doctor was still talking…)

Answering the doctor’s questions about recent activities – I had been walking

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