Help! Need serious health advice! (Long)

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hi,

I just wanted to get the opinions of some nurses out there who might have run across this before. I seem to have developed an annoying and yet kind of scary condition. It's scary because no one has been able to tell me what it is yet. Here's my story.

I'm 23, 5'2", 165 lbs, manic/depressive (though not overly so), BP is generally 119/73, and I'm on no meds. This has been the norm for my body since I was 18. When I turned 19, the problem started. I was sitting on the couch studying lazily for a test in Zoology, when I got a sharp pain in my right side located exactly 6 inches to the side of my belly button. Immediately after feeling the pain, I became extremely light headed. I looked at the clock to determine where my mom would be at this time of day, so I could call her. I turned left towards the phone.....then I woke up staring at the ceiling! I looked at the clock. I had been out for 2 minutes. I was still very woozy and light headed, but I managed to call my mom and scare the crap out of her. She came home. I was reclined on the couch and couldn't stand up but felt better. So we waited awhile. Then, we called the hospital to schedule some tests.

I don't recall what all the tests were called or all the tests they did, because there were a lot. I'll relate the main ones. Blood, urine, pregnancy tests. Physical exam. They had me lie on my side while a nurse placed a hand held ultrasound against my ribs, and we watched my heart while I did something she called a Valsava (contracting stomach like I'm trying to poop). They then placed a kind of net-like head-piece/hat on me that had little pokey things that poked my head. It was hooked up to another machine. They turned out the lights and flashed a strobe light at me while I breathed in and out at a high pace. Next, they hooked up a type of portable heart monitor to me. There where wires taped to my chest that led to a little recorder that looped onto my belt. I wore this for 24 hours and then turned it in. All the tests came back normal! They wrote it off as stress.

Meanwhile, for almost a month, I felt exceptionally weak. If I stood up too fast or put my head below my heart, then my heart would beat like a thundercloud for a few seconds. About a year passed before something else happened. I started to get sharp pains in my side that would last for 10-30 seconds, making it difficult to stand straight or breathe deeply, and then they would go away. They didn't feel exactly like the first pain I had gotten a year before, but they were in the same location. Sometimes I got a little light headed, but I never passed out. Figuring it must be stress like they told me a year ago, I didn't bother going to the hospital. Well, at the end of four months, the pains were becoming too frequent, so I went back to the hospital. They determined that I had a urinary tract infection and gave me medication for it. The pains went away.

Now, my most recent experience was more like the first pain. I had this pain 6 months ago. I was at work. I worked alone in an office. Very easy work, in fact, I read a book for 3/4 of the day usually! Anyway, I got that sharp, horrible pain in the same place on my right side, and I recognized it as being like the pain I had passed out from 4 years ago (believe me, you would not forget this pain). I called my coworker who worked in an office about a quarter mile down the same road, and told her I was having the pain. A wave of dizziness swept over me. I told her briefly that I had experienced this before and had passed out from it. I just wanted to have her on the phone in case I passed out, since I work alone. She asked me if I was nauseous, I began to reply yes.....then I woke up staring at the ceiling, sprawled across the office chair in the weirdest manner. Just as I woke up, my bladder let go, and I peed my pants. The phone was dangling from the cord in my hand. I sat up and called my coworker, she said she had already called my mom and the maintenance man, and that they were on their way. The maintenance guy got there first and brought me some water and a wet towel. When my mom arrived, she began checking my vitals (she was an LPN in the navy eons ago). She said I was in stage 1 shock. Cold, clammy, low BP, weak but rapid pulse. They got me to the ER, and they gave me a "banana" bag on my IV. It took me 2 1/2 hours to feel good enough to sit up. They took blood, urine and pregnancy tests, then gave a physical (Tests all came back normal). The lady who discharged me said that I had syncope (fainting), and that it was probably due to dehydration. She said I should lie down anytime this starts to happen and take sips of water. She then basically told me that this is just "something that happens," and not to worry about it.

Since then, I get light headed spells, and I've had the pain one more time, but I didn't pass out. Each time, I just lie down, remain calm, and sip water. It seems to work every time. I just don't buy the stress or dehydration explanation, though. I drink plenty of water, and I hardly ever get stressed. I have a regular workout routine to help my heart and relieve stress. I just don't buy it. I'm just wondering if any of you out there have seen this type of weirdness before, and if so, what it was. I'm terrified that this is something serious, but that no one around here knows what it is, so they just say stress or dehydration as a way to shut me up. Thank you so much for your assistance.

PS I have sought second opinions and gotten the same answers.

[rhoda4christ]

Hello Bumashes,

I am not a full-blown nurse yet. I am just a student nurse due to graduate in Dec 2006. Neither have i ever seen that type of situation that you are describing. However, I am a born-again christian. I put God even before my nursing skills and it has always helped and worked for me. I have come across situations that the doctors and nurses have considered idiopathic, but they were however spiritual. After these people became born-again and started praying about their situation, God completely healed them and they testify to their healing till this day. I just wanted to know if you a born again. Do you beleive in God? Do you beleive He loves you and can heal you? When i read your thread, i was empathic and i understand where u r coming from. However, since i cannot medically help you, i thought i could atleast refer you to someone who can help you: GOD. Sincerely, take this serious and try it. God heals for real. He is the greatest physician. I have seen God heal before. I wouldn't recommend something that i don't think will benefit you. Holla if i've been of any help at all.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

We cannot give out medical advice on this board.

You really need to get another opinion from a qualified doctor. I'm sorry!

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hello Bumashes,

I am not a full-blown nurse yet. I am just a student nurse due to graduate in Dec 2006. Neither have i ever seen that type of situation that you are describing. However, I am a born-again christian. I put God even before my nursing skills and it has always helped and worked for me. I have come across situations that the doctors and nurses have considered idiopathic, but they were however spiritual. After these people became born-again and started praying about their situation, God completely healed them and they testify to their healing till this day. I just wanted to know if you a born again. Do you beleive in God? Do you beleive He loves you and can heal you? When i read your thread, i was empathic and i understand where u r coming from. However, since i cannot medically help you, i thought i could atleast refer you to someone who can help you: GOD. Sincerely, take this serious and try it. God heals for real. He is the greatest physician. I have seen God heal before. I wouldn't recommend something that i don't think will benefit you. Holla if i've been of any help at all.

Hi, yes, I pray about it often. So either it's just destined to be, or God thinks I need a little more time to endure this. Everyone has their own personal tests. Personally, I think it has a little to do with my choice of a career. I was in college for elementary education for 4 years, but wasn't liking it. Before last semester started is when I had the last episode. I think maybe I was meant to see the nurses, because it was shortly after that when I decided to become fully comitted to nursing instead of teaching. Now I've been accepted into nursing school for this coming Fall!

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

We cannot give out medical advice on this board.

You really need to get another opinion from a qualified doctor. I'm sorry!

Oh, sorry about that. And yes, I have sought several doctors opinions. Some say the same things about stress and whatnot, and others cannot come to a conclusion. Oh well. That's okay about the medical advice. Is it okay for someone to maybe just say, hey, check out so and so disease, or look at this website, or something like that? Then they wouldn't be giving advice, they'd just be letting me do research for myself. I don't know. Thanks.

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hey all, just wanted to say that perhaps I should have rephrased my title to this post. As I have been reminded by one member, we are not allowed to give out medical advice. I really am just looking to see if there is maybe a website about this kind of thing or if it has been seen before. Don't tell me what to do medically, just point me in a researching direction so that maybe I can find something out for myself. Thanks.

[Nurse Ratched, RN]

I would ask you to go back again to your doc and get another opinion elsewhere if you're not satisfied. I wish you well.