chest pain and hard to breathe, I need some help here

[retnav7696]

A little info about me. 53 years old (certified in 1982) and recently completed 03 dives with my newly certified daughter. Max depth in the lake was 28 ft for grand total of 49 minutes over a period of 4 hours. We were diving out of my ranger bass boat with a 3 step ladder. Crawling in and out of the boat was real tough with all of the gear on ( I didn't want to scratch the gel-coat). Four days later I ended up in the ER with chest pain/tightness, pain in both arms and difficulty breathing. After a bunch of tests it was determined that my lungs,heart, and artries were clear and I had no blockage. Its been 2 weeks and almost daily I still experience some pain in my upper chest and shortness of breath. All the doctors say is they think that its possible that I could have ruptured blood vessels in my chest/lungs getting in the boat and until they heal I am going to have these symptoms. All of the blood work came back normal. I am going to see a pulmonary guy in 3 days. Has anyone ever heard of ruptured blood vessels doing/causing breathing problems like this?

 

[stairman]

I sure havent but it could just be muscular. And I know your hoping it is. The straps and pulling on the chest from the weight out of the water could have caused it. Muscles were used that have been idle possibly and may have strained a bit. Neck pain is a normal symptom as well from the pulling down and back of the steps, I know Ive gotten that while wearing double 98's out of the water. A physical was a good idea but sore chest muscles is probably the case and it would effect breathing in as expansion results with full lungs. Good luck with it.

 

[Andyblue]

Four days later? Then it all started? That's odd, if you had of done damage I would have expected pain a little earlier that four days. Your wife didn't snap a quick elbow into your chest while sleeping did she? my girlfriends gold for it!!

 

[Bogie]

There are doctors and then there are doctors. Make sure your heart and lungs are ok. To find a blockage in your heart they have to put dye in you and xray it. My friend 46 very heathy had two blockages (60% and 90% blockage). He now has two stents. Get a chest xray. You want to eliminate all life threaten stuff.

It could be simple a muscle or tissue strain or tear.
I don't know if you are in good shape (lift weights, run, aerobics etc) but climbing up stairs with 50 pounds on your back can strain muscles and other tissues. You use different muscles carrying this gear than normal activity. I must work out to build muscle to carry this heavy cumbersome equipment. What other sport do you have to carry 50 pounds on your back, balance in water while climbing up on a rocking boat with all kinds of other gear on.

Good luck and good diving.

 

[idocsteve]

How's your weight?

 

[TSandM]

If you were completely asymptomatic during the four days between the dive and the ER visit, I'd have a very hard time connecting the two from a causation standpoint.

What workup did you have done in the ER? There are conditions that can cause your symptoms that would not be discovered without a CT scan, and another that cannot be excluded without at least a cardiac perfusion scan or treadmill. I would make an urgent appointment with my primary care physician, and get another opinion. At your age, there are too many potentially bad things that cause chest pain and shortness of breath, to take a vague diagnosis and some hand waving as a good answer.

 

[Jax]

A little info about me. 53 years old (certified in 1982) and recently completed 03 dives with my newly certified daughter. Max depth in the lake was 28 ft for grand total of 49 minutes over a period of 4 hours. We were diving out of my ranger bass boat with a 3 step ladder. Crawling in and out of the boat was real tough with all of the gear on ( I didn't want to scratch the gel-coat). Four days later I ended up in the ER with chest pain/tightness, pain in both arms and difficulty breathing. After a bunch of tests it was determined that my lungs,heart, and artries were clear and I had no blockage. Its been 2 weeks and almost daily I still experience some pain in my upper chest and shortness of breath. All the doctors say is they think that its possible that I could have ruptured blood vessels in my chest/lungs getting in the boat and until they heal I am going to have these symptoms. All of the blood work came back normal. I am going to see a pulmonary guy in 3 days. Has anyone ever heard of ruptured blood vessels doing/causing breathing problems like this?

I'm no doctor, but you descibe the same symptoms as a woman I know. She had an infection of the lining around the lungs - ?peritonitis? - no, that's the abdomin lining - anyway, it's a thought.

 

[TSandM]

Pericarditis is what you are thinking about, Jax. And yes, that would be in the differential diagnosis as well. I can list at least ten things right off the top of my head that could produce the OP's symptoms, and most of them are not good things to have, and only a few can be eliminated as possibilities from the typical ER workup.

 

[pjhansman]

Maybe save yourself some grief next time and take your gear off before you get in the boat...?

Easy enough to lean over and pull it up, especially if somebody is there to hold it while you climb into the boat.

 

[lamont]

I can get knotted muscles that pinch nerves sometimes, particularly after periods of inactivity, and in the chest area this can produce chest pain (add in a pile of anxiety over it and you'd probably get shortness of breath and wind up in the ER), but its sharp/nervy pain and localized to the chest area and 'surface'. Ibuprofen for a day usually clears it up for me. Stress also makes it worse. I think its a pinched nerve in my armpit/shoulders area that causes displaced pain in the chest.