Chest pain -- paranoid or cause for concern?
- Thread starter volyblmn
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It could be a number of things. If you still have the pain today, I'd go see the doc. It could be nothing more than acid reflux/heart burn or muscle strain from the swim back (were you using your arms?) or it could be cardiac related. I doubt the barotrauma too. You would have likely felt that much sooner after the dive or even during the dive. Too difficult to tell without diagnostic tests. I took care of a 20 year old army soldier that came in with heart burn like symptoms once after his morning physical fitness training. It ended up he was having a heart attack. Get yourself checked out just to be safe.
I'm no Doctor nor do I play one on TV.
First, go to your own Dr. and check it out. Chest pain is no joke.
Second, after visiting your Dr. and you are fine, the dive again and again.
Leave the camera on-shore for a while, practice hovering and buoyancy control.
One last thing (very rare) bad air in the tank. This can and does present similar symptoms.
Dave
First, go to your own Dr. and check it out. Chest pain is no joke.
Second, after visiting your Dr. and you are fine, the dive again and again.
Leave the camera on-shore for a while, practice hovering and buoyancy control.
One last thing (very rare) bad air in the tank. This can and does present similar symptoms.
Dave
lamont
Contributor
volyblmn:
the fact that it hurts when you lie down instead of standing/sitting and on an inhale sounds like pericarditis.
i recommend a trip to the doc/ER and get an EKG and have someone listen to your heartbeat.
and pericarditis has zip to do with the heart muscle, heart disease, health, high blood pressure, activity level, fitness, or diving.
i have no idea if that is actually what is affecting you, but the gross symptoms are close enough to be screaming 'go see a doctor' to me.
fisherdvm
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I agree, I think you should see a doctor. If you had good insurance, I would request a chest xray to be sure. Can't always trust a good physical exam.
It certainly could be heart burn, especially if the pain is worse on lying down. But because it was associated with diving, and there might be a brief episode of breath holding, even a mild shift in your depth of 2 or 3 ft can induce barotrauma. A chest Xray can spot changes that a stethescope can't.
Honestly, I haven't listened to a chest for nearly 10 years.... But not all doctors are good at physical exams.
It certainly could be heart burn, especially if the pain is worse on lying down. But because it was associated with diving, and there might be a brief episode of breath holding, even a mild shift in your depth of 2 or 3 ft can induce barotrauma. A chest Xray can spot changes that a stethescope can't.
Honestly, I haven't listened to a chest for nearly 10 years.... But not all doctors are good at physical exams.
divindoc
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I am a doctor (emergency medicine, hyperbaric-trained) though I don't play one on TV.
Don't try to diagnose medical conditions on the Internet, or the phone for that matter. When people call me and describe symptoms over the phone, sometimes I get a good idea of what's going on, and sometimes the real problem is totally obscured by their description.
Could it be pericarditis? Sure. Could it be pneumomediastinum? Sure - I've seen it more than once in task-loaded spearfishers ( you mentioned a camera). Could it be something totally benign? Sure.
My advice? See a competent physician, hopefully one with an interest in diving and/or training in hyperbaric medicine, fully and accurately describe your dive profile and give an accurate history of the incident. I would think a minimal workup would include a 12-lead EKG and PA/Lat chest xray. If symptoms warrent and a chest xray is nondiagnostic, a CT of the thorax may be indicated. Bottom line - See a doctor!
Don't try to diagnose medical conditions on the Internet, or the phone for that matter. When people call me and describe symptoms over the phone, sometimes I get a good idea of what's going on, and sometimes the real problem is totally obscured by their description.
Could it be pericarditis? Sure. Could it be pneumomediastinum? Sure - I've seen it more than once in task-loaded spearfishers ( you mentioned a camera). Could it be something totally benign? Sure.
My advice? See a competent physician, hopefully one with an interest in diving and/or training in hyperbaric medicine, fully and accurately describe your dive profile and give an accurate history of the incident. I would think a minimal workup would include a 12-lead EKG and PA/Lat chest xray. If symptoms warrent and a chest xray is nondiagnostic, a CT of the thorax may be indicated. Bottom line - See a doctor!
Well, after 4 and a half hours in the waiting room (and believe me, about 4 of it was actually just waiting...) the doc determined it was nothing serious. They took a couple chest xrays and didn't see anything indicating lung damage, he didn't hear anything strange when he listened to my breathing, etc. He didn't see the need for a CT. I don't think he was heavily trained in diving medicine but he is a scuba diver so hopefully he knows what he's talking about. He just recommended no diving for a couple weeks. Thanks for all your advice -- I know you're not all doctors but it helps to hear others' opinions and I appreciate the concern. Looks like I'll be staying dry for a while...
Good choice, and I'm glad to hear everything is alright!
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