Aches & pains we should not ignore

At my age, when I wake up in the morning without any aches and pains, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!" my father said. "So I pinch myself hard to make sure that I am still alive!"

We burst out laughing and he continued, "When I was in my 40s, I could play 18 holes of golf, and go to the gym afterward for more exercise. Now in my 80s, after a round of golf, I need to go to a physical therapist to soothe out all my aches and pains."

This was the conversation during a reunion of sorts that my father had at his home for his senior-citizen golfing buddies. It was so hilarious to listen to them talk about their numerous ailments. Looks can indeed be deceiving because all of them looked fit enough to play golf on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis. There was a doctor in our midst and the conversation took on a serious tone after I consulted with him about a girl friend’s severe headaches. I told him that she would often be incommunicado for days when she was in this state of pain. He said that it could be serious and that I should bring my girlfriend in for consultation. It was a very long consultation and luckily I brought my tape recorder because the information he imparted to us is of vital interest to everyone.

Pain is the body’s way of getting your attention when something is wrong. You are probably in tune enough with your body to know when pain is just a bother, perhaps the result of helping the movers carry some heavy load out of the house, or having indigestion after three servings of burritos. You know that an Alaxan or an Alka Seltzer will solve the problem. It’s when pain might signal something serious that the internal conflict begins. So when in doubt, don’t hesitate. Get some medical attention as early as possible. There are seven kinds of pain you should not ignore:

1. The worst headache of your life. When someone says to me "I have the worst headache of my life," I immediately tell him or her to go the emergency room. It could be an aneurysm, brain hemorrhage or brain tumor. If that person has a cold, it could be a sinus headache; otherwise, it could be all of the above.

2. Pain or discomfort in the chest, throat, jaw or shoulder, arm or abdomen. Chest pains could be pneumonia or a heart attack. Heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. Heart patients talk about pressure, like an elephant is sitting on their chest. Heart disease can masquerade as stomach trouble such as bloating or discomfort in the abdomen. Pain associated with heart disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder, or arm, accompanied by nausea. Do not take it lightly. Have it diagnosed right away, especially menopausal women and elderly men who are high-risk because they have high blood pressure.

3. Pain in the lower back or between shoulder blades. Most often it is arthritis, but other possibilities are a heart attack or abdominal problems. One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk are those who have high blood, a history of circulatory problems, smokers and diabetics.

4. Severe abdominal pain. Still have your appendix? Don’t flirt with the possibility of a rupture. Gall bladder and pancreas, stomach ulcers, intestinal blockages are some possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention.

5. Calf pain. One of the lesser-known dangers is vein thrombosis, a blood clot that can occur in the leg’s deep veins. It affects millions of people a year. It can be life threatening because a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism (a clot in the lungs), which could be fatal. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy and advanced age are among the risk factors. So if you have swelling or pain in your calf muscles, see your doctor immediately.

6. Burning feet or legs. Some people don’t know that they have diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy could be one of the first signs. It’s a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage.

7. Vague, combined or medically unexplained pains. Various painful and physical symptoms are common in depression. Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pains or limb pain, sometimes in combination. Because the pain may be chronic and not terribly debilitating, depressed people, their families and health-care professionals might dismiss the symptoms. Other symptoms of depression: loss of interest in activities, inability to work or think effectively and difficulty in getting along with people.

This wise doctor adds there’s more to depression than deterioration of quality of life. It has to be treated aggressively before it causes structural changes in the brain.

I know several cases of the above conditions that were diagnosed properly, some a bit late but came out okay. For instance, a friend’s husband had severe abdominal pains. It took several days before the doctor thought of a ruptured appendix. At this point, the patient was almost blue and dead.

Another bad case was that of a very dear lady friend who had chest pains that were actually a heart attack. She was diagnosed as a case of walking pneumonia even if she did not have a cold. Luckily, a cardiologist was around and saved her life.

I could go on and on, but for fear of turning this article into a crying lady’s archive of illnesses, suffice it for me to say that on top of recognizing your pains as serious, one should also go to an expert for the right diagnosis. Go for a second, third, and fourth opinion if need be. Life is short and you have only one life to live!