Need IMMEDIATE help! Girlfriend experiencing severe chest and back pain, difficu!

There are additional questions that need to be asked, so I will give you a general overview and a bit of guidance to decide what might be the next step to take:

1 - There is little to no chance she is having a heart attack. A heart attack would cause her upper chest and arms and neck to be in pain and she would definitely know something was very wrong within an hour of it, so we can rule that out.

2 - The pain in the right side, accompanied by the movement and breathing problems make me lean towards a rib cage injury or infection.

3 - Is there localized soreness? If there are parts that are sore to touch and/or pressure, you can better gauge if it is a "disease" situation or "injury" situation. Fever is the best indicator that there is something that should be handled by an MD and medicine (such as antibiotics or stronger anti-inflammatory)

4 - A broken rib, pulled muscle and or some infections along the rib cage or back would cause the symptoms you are describing.

5 - An infection that is out of control would cause her to have a generalized fever. If that is not the case, she could have a localized infection as well. Try to feel for heat spots and redness around the area she is complaining about that would indicate increased blood flow trying to combat a possible infection and/or heal an injury.

6 - An infection would also explain her fatigue, if not simply caused by her not being able to sleep well due to discomfort.

7 - Her worrying might be also contributing to the shortness of breath and feeding into a slight panic. Remember that our bodies are often smarter than we are and a serious condition is usually pretty apparent with more obvious symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, dizziness (rapid, shallow breathing will also give you dizziness, so be aware of it), etc.

8 - Give her 1600mg of Ibuprofen every 12 hours for a maximum of 3 days. Ibuprofen is a good anti-inflammatory and will help with the pain. If she gets a good night of sleep she might feel a lot better and recovering from whatever is happening.

9 - Weight issues will cause such problems. Also, she might have pulled something and not even be aware of it and it just so happened that several things in a row happened that are now making her feel a lot worse this time. Also, the fatigue might be due because this issue was messing up her sleep without her being aware of it.

10 - I have been kicked in the ribs and only felt the pain come 2 or 3 days after the fact and I only started noticing it when I was quiet and trying to get some sleep/rest.

11 - Keep an eye on her. The increased difficulty MIGHT be due to her worrying about it. I do not know how she handles this kind of stress. 3 days is not a long time. If the pain keeps her completely awake at night, then you should seek professional help. But you will have to decide on your own how much is actual pain and how much would be a psychological reaction.

12 - Also try warm compresses on the area that hurts. It will increase blood flow and, at the very least, feel good and calm her down.

AFTER YOUR STATUS UPDATE

The fact that she can localize it by pressure is a relief, but you did not specify where the localized pain is (her back or side?). The fact that the spine seems heavily involved indicates a pinched nerve and.or muscle along the back. That is even more likely due to the muscle relaxant having a positive effect (it wouldn't have mattered much if we were looking at an infection). Stay away from the Ibuprofen now, as I don't know if there would be interaction problems with the muscle relaxant.

How heavy is she? Has she worked out or had any physical occurrence that would explain the pain? A back alignment/pinched nerve/strained muscle can happen with even the slightest movement! I cannot count how many times my arm, shoulder and head hurt for days by a simple turn of my head on the pillow "kinking my neck"!!
It seems that she pulled something. She needs rest, lots of water (fluids help muscles replenish and heal) and either Ibuprofen or the muscle relaxant (I would only use the relaxant to get some rest and not as a treatment. She might become unaware of movements that worsen the situation)

Red Cross Certified 1st Responder, Water Safety Instructor, Lifeguard, Used to be a volunteer 1st responder/search and rescue + Countless injuries from Tae-Kwon-Do, Snowboarding, Cycling, Surfing, etc...

Hey,
I don't want to scare you but I think you should forget about waiting for a doctor to open, and just take her straight to the hospital. They usually see you straight away if you have chest pain, as they don't like to take chances with it. I'm no doctor so I'm not sure, but she could also have Athsma or be coming down with something? Either way it is best to attend to this problem straight away, for peace of mind if nothing else.
Good luck and I hope she feels better soon xo

Without enough info, I would say go to the ER. Women have back pain and jaw pain when having a heart attack. She also is having trouble breathing. This could be many things, but all need the attention of a DR. Could be a Gall Bladder attack, Could be pleurisy, could be a pulled muscle, But could be a heart attack. Have her parents take her to the ER!!!

If she is havig diffculty breathing she really needs to go to the ER, You didn't give us enough info as to what might be "causing" her back pain etc. so no way any of us can make a diagnosis. You really need to see a doctor asap.

Hello,

She really needs to go to the E.R. If she can not make it to the E.R. call an ambulance for her. Do not wait until Monday.

Hope she feels better.

Take her to the Emergency Room, and like someone previously stated, nobody can make a diagnosis based on her symptoms unless we know what's causing at least some of them.

If you are in America call 911 or take her to the nearest medical facility ASAP It may be nothing more serious than a pulled muscle but for peace of mind get her checked to be sure..

Just take her to an emergency room, retard. EMERGENCY means you don't need an appointment... retard

Call 911!! You do not need an appointment for that!

could b a pulled muscle or uri

Her back pains and chest pains are caused by pinched muscles in her back for the back muscles often send the pains around the body on the nerves to be pains in the rib, chest or heart areas as well as the back. The muscles are being pulled tight around her ribs so they can't expand for her to get her air in. To get rid of these problems she has to free up the muscles in her back and here's how she can do that:
Back:
(do from a sitting position)
Place your left hand on your left leg next to your body. Place your right hand over your left shoulder, fingers over the back and the palm in the front and firmly pull down on them and hold. After 30 seconds slowly lower your body forward and to the outside of your left leg, keeping your left arm fairly straight as you do. When you reach your lap remain there for another 10 seconds, release the pressure but rest there for another 30 seconds. Then reverse your hand positions and do your right side.
Being fatigued is a sign of tight neck muscles for when they are tight they restrict everything going in and out of the head, including the blood. When there is a reduced blood flow to the brain you have a lowered oxygen level there as well. You will know when the oxygen level has dropped when you feel very tired. If the level drops more you get dizzy, and more you pass out. to get rid of this problem she has to free up her neck muscles to get the blood flowing freely again and here's how to do that:
Neck
Put your hands alongside your head so your thumbs are on the front of the muscle under your ear and your fingers are on the back of the muscle behind your neck. Squeeze your thumb and fingers together and hold. Relax your body. When your fingers and thumb touch, about one minute, slowly lower your head as far as you can, release the pressure but hold your neck lowered for another 30 seconds. For both- for best results relax the body first by taking a deep breath and exhaling then remain this relaxed. The pains are caused by tight muscles which is something that doesn't show up on scans so they usually go undiagnosed when at the dr.'s. They offer pain killers for these problems.