breaking in interesting ways
Oct. 13th, 2004 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotsofplantsI really wish I knew what my body was doing, sometimes.
This morning, I got one of those nasty hurts-under-ribs-can't-breathe things again. Haven't gotten one that bad since the first time, back in 97 or 98 (I forget which at the moment). Made some interesting observations about this one; I donno if it is the same or different from the last time, because last time I didn't have the opportunity or awareness to monitor the beginning so closely.
I'd gotten up briefly, woken by my roommate's alarm, then went back to my warm comfy bed to think for a while before getting up. Shortly after lying down again, started to feel sharp pains on the front left side of my chest, below my breast and roughly the same level as the bottom of my sternum. Oddly, also heard some gurgling noises, similar to what an empty stomach might make, but apparently located in and just lower than the pain. Somewhat disturbing, really. Pain increased, reaching the point which always reminds me of what being stabbed between the ribs must feel like; development of a definite sensation of pressure interior to ribs. Mental image of an air bubble formed within the lung lining (don't ask me where the air was supposed to come from, that was just the mental image I developed). Still haven't determined a good way of reducing pain--direct pressure does not seem to work, deeply inhaling makes it worse, struggling not to breath has its own problems. Sat up, listening to the radio, after ~15 minutes no longer noticed pain or pressure. Lay down again, experimentally, experienced small twinges while lying on either side or on back. Got up and got going, have been aware of periodic ((approx every 20 minutes or so) minor twinges, but nothing particularly noteworthy, mostly background pain level.
Last time it didn't drop off so quickly down to background pain levels, either. I wish I knew what it was, though. I've had people suggest pleurisy, and the medical person I went to the first time seemed to be completely flummoxed (but that was Hall Health, and I doubt they're capable of identifying much that the average student can't), but there doesn't seem to be much to do for it. If it happens again once I have real health insurance, I may try to get it identified. Maybe by then there will be something they can do for it, too. :)
This morning, I got one of those nasty hurts-under-ribs-can't-breathe things again. Haven't gotten one that bad since the first time, back in 97 or 98 (I forget which at the moment). Made some interesting observations about this one; I donno if it is the same or different from the last time, because last time I didn't have the opportunity or awareness to monitor the beginning so closely.
I'd gotten up briefly, woken by my roommate's alarm, then went back to my warm comfy bed to think for a while before getting up. Shortly after lying down again, started to feel sharp pains on the front left side of my chest, below my breast and roughly the same level as the bottom of my sternum. Oddly, also heard some gurgling noises, similar to what an empty stomach might make, but apparently located in and just lower than the pain. Somewhat disturbing, really. Pain increased, reaching the point which always reminds me of what being stabbed between the ribs must feel like; development of a definite sensation of pressure interior to ribs. Mental image of an air bubble formed within the lung lining (don't ask me where the air was supposed to come from, that was just the mental image I developed). Still haven't determined a good way of reducing pain--direct pressure does not seem to work, deeply inhaling makes it worse, struggling not to breath has its own problems. Sat up, listening to the radio, after ~15 minutes no longer noticed pain or pressure. Lay down again, experimentally, experienced small twinges while lying on either side or on back. Got up and got going, have been aware of periodic ((approx every 20 minutes or so) minor twinges, but nothing particularly noteworthy, mostly background pain level.
Last time it didn't drop off so quickly down to background pain levels, either. I wish I knew what it was, though. I've had people suggest pleurisy, and the medical person I went to the first time seemed to be completely flummoxed (but that was Hall Health, and I doubt they're capable of identifying much that the average student can't), but there doesn't seem to be much to do for it. If it happens again once I have real health insurance, I may try to get it identified. Maybe by then there will be something they can do for it, too. :)
