u/mister-rufus

I've had the same exact pain for almost a week now. A month ago, I had a clean troponin test; two weeks ago, I had a clean 72-hour heart monitor; a few days ago, I had a clean EKG. I have been referred to cardiology just in case. I'm almost positive this has to be muscular? I can feel the pain on the inside of my left breast, down around my breast and through my ribs, up my back and stopping in between my shoulder blade and my spine. Sometimes the pain goes down my left arm, and when I stretch, I can feel the exact pathway the pain is going. Does this sound like inflammation where my ribs meet my spine more than cardiac pain? I've always had this on/off pain in my shoulder blade area, particularly on days where my posture has been poor, but it's never been for days on end with accompanying chest pain. I'm also 18weeks pregnant and have a higher than normal (for me) heart rate because of the pregnancy, so that certainly isn't helping. Icy hot, heat, stretching, and rest helps, but activity makes it worse. The one thing that doesn't match what an internet search says is that when I breathe in deeply, it actually feels better.

What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain? I've had the same exact pain for almost a week now. A month ago, I had a clean troponin test; two weeks ago, I had a clean 72-hour heart monitor; a few days ago, I had a clean EKG. I have been referred to cardiology just in case. I'm almost positive this has to be muscular? I can feel the pain on the inside of my left breast, down around my breast and through my ribs, up my back and stopping in between my shoulder blade and my spine. Does this sound like inflammation where my ribs meet my spine more than cardiac pain? I've always had this on/off pain in my shoulder blade area, particularly on days where my posture has been poor, but it's never been for days on end with accompanying chest pain. I'm also 18weeks pregnant and have a higher than normal (for me) heart rate because of the pregnancy, so that certainly isn't helping. My average heart rate, according to the monitor, was 85bpm.

TLDR; What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain?

What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain? I've had the same exact pain for almost a week now. A month ago, I had a clean troponin test; two weeks ago, I had a clean 72-hour heart monitor; a few days ago, I had a clean EKG. I have been referred to cardiology just in case. I'm almost positive this has to be muscular? I can feel the pain on the inside of my left breast, down around my breast and through my ribs, up my back and stopping in between my shoulder blade and my spine. Does this sound like inflammation where my ribs meet my spine more than cardiac pain? I've always had this on/off pain in my shoulder blade area, particularly on days where my posture has been poor, but it's never been for days on end with accompanying chest pain. I'm also 18weeks pregnant and have a higher than normal (for me) heart rate because of the pregnancy, so that certainly isn't helping. My average heart rate, according to the monitor, was 85bpm.

TLDR; What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain?

What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain? I've had the same exact pain for almost a week now. A month ago, I had a clean troponin test; two weeks ago, I had a clean 72-hour heart monitor; a few days ago, I had a clean EKG. I have been referred to cardiology just in case. I'm almost positive this has to be muscular? I can feel the pain on the inside of my left breast, down around my breast and through my ribs, up my back and stopping in between my shoulder blade and my spine. Does this sound like inflammation where my ribs meet my spine more than cardiac pain? I've always had this on/off pain in my shoulder blade area, particularly on days where my posture has been poor, but it's never been for days on end with accompanying chest pain. I'm also 18weeks pregnant and have a higher than normal (for me) heart rate because of the pregnancy, so that certainly isn't helping. My average heart rate, according to the monitor, was 85bpm.

TLDR; What's the difference in cardiac-related pain and musculoskeletal pain?

I am 14wk today, first time mom.

Yesterday, I went to the movies with a friend. I had cereal for breakfast, but the only water I had was what I needed to take my meds (I am a notoriously poor water-drinker). At the movies, I of course got a bag of popcorn and a Coke, which I inhaled. About an hour after that, my heart rate skyrocketed. When the movie was over, I walked to the restroom and checked my heart rate. I was at 120bpm. We walked to the car at the far end of the parking lot in the good old Arkansas heat, and by the time I sat down in the car, I was straight up on the verge of passing out. I have never sweat that much from a simple 2 minute walk in my life. We went to dinner afterwards, but I could not cool down, nor could I stomach anything. At this point, my stomach was churning, and I expected to vomit at any minute. We left early, and the drive back to my friend’s place was about 30 minutes. In the air-conditioned car, I finally got my temperature under control. By the time my husband got there to pick me up, maybe 20 minutes after that, my heart rate was 100bpm. We drove home, another 30 minutes, and when we got home, my heart rate stayed around 80-90 for the rest of the evening. I even kept down some chicken and rice. That night, I woke up once with chest pain. Not a sharp or squeezing pain, but a dull ache. And tons of indigestion. The next morning, I woke up still hurting, so my husband insisted we go to the ER, just to make sure everything is okay. An EKG showed a very slight tilt on the right side of my heart, which the doctor said was normal in pregnancy due to increased blood volume. Blood tests showed nothing abnormal. However, according to my urine, I have a stinking UTI?! How did I miss that?! Anyways, now that I’m home, everything seems to be okay. Still having some chest pain, and still very aware of my heartbeat. Highest my heart rate has gotten since coming home is 94bpm. I do plan to follow up with my PCP and let my OB know what is going on. Starting antibiotics tonight for the UTI.

TLDR; heart rate spiked at rest, pounding heart, wondering if this is normal and how to keep it in check.

Just trying to hear from others who have dealt with this to calm my anxiety. I am 14wk today, first time mom.

Yesterday, I went to the movies with a friend. I had cereal for breakfast, but the only water I had was what I needed to take my meds (I am a notoriously poor water-drinker). At the movies, I of course got a bag of popcorn and a Coke, which I inhaled. About an hour after that, my heart rate skyrocketed. When the movie was over, I walked to the restroom and checked my heart rate. I was at 120bpm. We walked to the car at the far end of the parking lot in the good old Arkansas heat, and by the time I sat down in the car, I was straight up on the verge of passing out. I have never sweat that much from a simple 2 minute walk in my life. We went to dinner afterwards, but I could not cool down, nor could I stomach anything. At this point, my stomach was churning, and I expected to vomit at any minute. We left early, and the drive back to my friend’s place was about 30 minutes. In the air-conditioned car, I finally got my temperature under control. By the time my husband got there to pick me up, maybe 20 minutes after that, my heart rate was 100bpm. We drove home, another 30 minutes, and when we got home, my heart rate stayed around 80-90 for the rest of the evening. I even kept down some chicken and rice. That night, I woke up once with chest pain. Not a sharp or squeezing pain, but a dull ache. And tons of indigestion. The next morning, I woke up still hurting, so my husband insisted we go to the ER, just to make sure everything is okay. An EKG showed a very slight tilt on the right side of my heart, which the doctor said was normal in pregnancy due to increased blood volume. Blood tests showed nothing abnormal. However, according to my urine, I have a stinking UTI?! How did I miss that?! Anyways, now that I’m home, everything seems to be okay. Still having some chest pain, and still very aware of my heartbeat. Highest my heart rate has gotten since coming home is 94bpm. I do plan to follow up with my PCP and let my OB know what is going on. Starting antibiotics tonight for the UTI.

TLDR; heart rate spiked at rest, pounding heart, wondering if this is normal and how to keep it in check.

Has anyone ever dealt with profound loss and grief during pregnancy? I’m super early into my pregnancy and my beloved soul dog of 10 years just passed. He was sick for 8 months but he gave everything in him to stay with me. I am shattered beyond belief as he was my baby, and I am struggling to take care of myself right now. I guess I’m looking for hope.

My little guy is fighting hard against liver disease, but we can’t keep the fluid off him. I know his time is soon. I need advice for how to prepare, if it’s at all possible. Is there hope after this?

My dog (12yo+ chiweenie) has a mass in his liver, which is causing his liver to not function properly. The mass is not cancerous, as far as we know. It's not growing and has been stable for 7+months. He currently takes half a Prednisone, Denamarin, and Ursodiol daily. We also give him Famotidine in the morning and evenings. The issue we are running into now is ascites.

We had his abdomen drained about three weeks ago, and fluid analysis and blood work confirmed the issue was protein, not the mass. He is struggling to manufacture essential blood proteins like albumin. His total protein is low, but not dangerously low. We tried him on Spironolactone, but it makes his stomach hurt and he won't eat on it. Our vet has recommended we stop the Spironolactone. We started him on Royal Canin hepatic diet about two weeks ago. We have been measuring him daily and he fluctuates from 19inches to 20inches. The largest he has been since the drain is 21inches, but we haven't seen that number in a week or so.

Are we out of options at this point?

My dog (12yo+ chiweenie) has a mass in his liver, which is causing his liver to not function properly. The mass is not cancerous, as far as we know. It's not growing and has been stable for 7+months. He currently takes half a Prednisone, Denamarin, and Ursodiol daily. We also give him Famotidine in the morning and evenings. The issue we are running into now is ascites.

We had his abdomen drained about three weeks ago, and fluid analysis and blood work confirmed the issue was protein, not the mass. He is struggling to manufacture essential blood proteins like albumin. His total protein is low, but not dangerously low. We tried him on Spironolactone, but it makes his stomach hurt and he won't eat on it. Our vet has recommended we stop the Spironolactone. We started him on Royal Canin hepatic diet about two weeks ago. We have been measuring him daily and he fluctuates from 19inches to 20inches. The largest he has been since the drain is 21inches, but we haven't seen that number in a week or so.

Are we out of options at this point? Has anyone experienced something similar?

I've made a previous post about my dog (12yo+, chiweenie) and severe bloating. He has a mass on his liver but that is currently stable. The issue we are having now is protein imbalance, which caused him to have a severe fluid leak. We tried Spironolactone for four days, but he would only leak pee instead of actively peeing/drinking. Our vet decided it was best to drain the fluid to provide some relief and give the medicine a head start. The good thing is that she said the fluid was clear and thin, which confirmed the protein suspicion. He was drained on Monday, but we had to go back Tuesday morning because his staples came undone (assuming from the swelling going down). Our vet glued the incision shut. We measured his belly and that measurement is holding (fluctuating 1 cm or so as he eats/drinks/poops).

The Spironolactone seems to be working as he pees about every hour now. We have also cut back his steroid, as our vet thinks this probably wasn't helping the issue. We are going to start him on the Royal Canin hepatic diet (as soon as the food comes in) to address the protein issue.

Yesterday and today have been rough on him. His appetite is low (refusing chicken but gobbling our other dog's kibble), and he is very sore around his belly and back legs. He's also bruising significantly around the incision. He is having a hard time sleeping today, despite resting well last night; instead of his usual all-day nap, he lays next to me with his eyes half-open. He is at rest -- no heaving, no gasping, no panting. He is a big baby; I'm talking a hangnail being a major ordeal. I called our vet and she suggested a dose of pain meds, and said to call her back in the morning if we saw no change or if he got worse and they would try a different pain management med.

Any thoughts? I'm desperate for him to feel better. 😞

My dog (12ish years old, chiweenie) has a mass in his liver. We found it in September of 2025. Emergency vet said probably cancer and four months would be a miracle. Primary care vet said maybe not cancer, let's stabilize him and see how he does. He is on Prednisone, Denamirin (?), and Ursadil. Here we are, seven months later. Last month, vet said probably not cancer considering he's been stable for so many months. At the start of April, he had a flare up, and since then, we've been unable to get his bloat down. Also, I noticed muscle loss in his back and front legs. Primary care vet said maybe cancer, maybe poor digestion of the rice he's been eating, which would make sense as I had been giving him more rice than usual for the last few weeks. I don't want to do a biopsy as she said it was dangerous. We switched his diet and started giving him baby gas-x. Still can't get his bloat under control, although he is passing gas. I guess I'm trying to figure out if the mass is operable and what his bloat likely is? I should include that his personality, appetite, potty habits, and rest have not changed. I would include a photo of his x-ray and his bloat if I could figure out how to post images lol.