should i get a second opinion? - Pain Management Message Board

rubyred716 · 03-01-2009, 10:22 PM

Ok I don't know if I'm acting crazy, but Ive had a hoarse voice for 6 years now and it's been getting worse. The last 2 weeks it's been really bad so I wen to the ENT finally and he said I had 2 vocal cord nodules on my vocal cords which can be cured with rest and voice therapy. Also for the last 2 weeks I've had very bad chest pain and tight breathing in my chest. It was the weekend and my doctor's office was closed so I just went to the Emergecny room. They listened to my heart and lungs and said my lungs were clear and my heart was beating fine. All my vitals were normal and they did an EKG and that was normal also. The nurse came in and pressed on my chest and asked me if it hurt and I said it did. She said that the way she was pressing it and how hard she was pressing it shouldn't have heard it that bad and she told me that I had costochondritis which is just when your sternum is inflamed near your rib cage and all you need to take is motrin which is an inflammatory...She gave me a motrin shot and it did go away, but then came back like a day later..I just took 2 motrin because I was getting the pain again and it didn't go away yet because I just took it..But don't you think she should have given me a chest x-ray ? I know I'm not a doctor and they all were but if someone is complaining of chest pain don't they HAVE TO check your chest with an xray? I'm nervous that there is something wrong with me and I'll never know now

Executor · 03-02-2009, 07:23 PM

It never hurts to get second opinion. By all means, if you are not comfortable with your diagnosis, you should seek another opinion.

Just a hunch....But, do you have asthma? Has anyone discussed this with you? When you describe your symptoms as "pain" and "tight breathing", it sounds asthma like. Many think that in order to have asthma, one has to be wheezing or coughing....Many times, it's nothing more than the feeling of someone sitting on your chest or even a more subtle feeling of restricted breathing.

Best of luck to you.

Regards,

Ex

americana1 · 03-04-2009, 05:33 AM

yes you should have gotten a chest xray, it couldnt hurt! my father in law had a hoarse throat for a month and i kept saying go to the dr. finally he did, it was cancer of the voice box stage 4 and it spread to the lymph nodes around his esophogus and to his lungs that was a year ago, we buried him friday, PLEASE go get get a second opinion. it cannot hurt.