My mom is an anesthestistand she said that my symtoms sound more like
my gallbladder acting up. Here are all my symtoms: heartburn,
tiredness, weakness, chest pain around my sternum and over to my right
side, occurs at anytime of the day, not just after meals, arms hurt
(dull ache), no nausea really but my back hurts alot, right in the
middle. I also burp (ALOT), feel very bloated, my stomach feels huge!
So what do ya think? This is just a guess, and I am definately seeing
my doctor on thursday ( he is out of town till then) but I think it
sounds like gallbladder. But now, I am just confused and tired of
reading about all these symtoms that sound like mine and could be this
and could be that. I know, without testing, it could be anything.

Hi there,

First of all, I'd like to note that I am not a doctor, I just work in
a medical library and provide health information to people.  Clearly
(as you note in your question) I can't diagnose your condition.  In
addition, by this time you may have seen your physician and found an
answer to your question from him/her.

However, I have some resources that you might find interesting for
your reference.  Whenever someone comes to me with a personal health
question I almost always go to MEDLINEplus, the National Library of
Health's consumer health resource.  I did that to look up the two
diseases you noted as well as some of your symptoms.

MEDLINEplus has a number of health topics that you might find
interesting.  Among them are the following:

Gallbladder and Bile Duct Diseases
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/gallbladderandbileductdiseases.html

Gastroesophageal Reflux/ Hiatal Hernia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/gastroesophagealrefluxhiatalhernia.html

These pages contain links to a variety of good health sources,
including information from various societies, information
clearinghouses, and government agencies.  I think you may find some
"good stuff" in them.

In particular, Familydoctor.org has a number of self-care flowcharts
available.  The one for "chest pain, chronic" may be of interest to
you: http://familydoctor.org/flowcharts/524.html.  I found this one
through the MEDLINEplus system as well.  You will notice that question
#5 points to a possible diagnosis of a hiatal hernia (GERD) and #6
points to gallbladder disease.  Both of them say "see your doctor".

Good luck with your doctor's visit!  I hope your condition clears up
soon.

librariankt

Hi -
 
For some information regarding health, please see the response [plus
addendum] to this question:
 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=161776
  
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher

Hello desperateinwv-ga:

I feel for you: I had many of these same symptoms just a few months
back (although the pain was in my sternum and left side). I was
diagnosed with GERD and costochondritis, which is the inflammation of
the sternum and ribs.

For more information on costochondritis, see:

http://orthopedics.about.com/blcostochondritis.htm

and Mary D. Brown's article:

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/4687/86154

By now you've seen your doctor and I do hope you're on the road to
diagnosis and proper treatment for whatever this ailment is.

Best wishes,
nancylynn-ga

Just wondering if the doctor was ever going to answer my question. And
to the girl who posted a comment earlier (nancylynn) that
costochronditis stuff sound exactly like what I have.  Advil takes all
the pain away every time. Even just ONE advil.  Is that what you did? 
How long will it last? It is starting to drive me crazy.  But when I
go back to see my doctor, I am going to have him take a chest x-ray
and do some blood work (cholesterol and everything). I am determined
to feel better.  Still scared sometimes, but determined.  Thanks a
bunch!!

Hello jbf777-ga:

My bout with costochondritis began in July following pneumonia. The
pain was so intense over the summer and early fall, I thought I'd go
mad! (So I feel for you.) Because last summer was so hot, I had to
spend a lot of time in air-conditioned room, which made the pain even
worse. (But wilting from heat wasn't any fun either.)

If you follow the links I gave you and do a Google search on
costochondritis, you'll see that many patients wind up having terrible
anxiety attacks because of the chronic pain. Costochondritis is a
condition that is usually diagnosed only after other, more serious,
conditions have been ruled out, so it's good that your doctor had you
get an X-ray.

If Advil is working well for you, that's great! (another over the
counter pain reliever, Orudis, should work well too.) If it is
costochondritis, you really just have to put up with it and let it run
its course, distressing though it is. Some patients have pain that
won't respond to OTC drugs and have to be put on prescription pain and
anti-inflammatory drugs, or even anti-anxiety meds.

As of mid-December I'd reached the point where I can do aerobics and
even lift small weights a few times a week, though that activity does
cause some discomfort, even at this point. However, I no longer have
intense pain -- and am grateful for that!

Many conditions have overlapping symptoms, so I hope your doctor has
come to a precise diagnosis by now and that you're feeling better.

Good luck to you,
nancylynn-ga