Pain In Right Arm

[rcs]

Hi This is my first time posting on the health anxiety forum,

I woke up this morning with pain in my right arm (not shooting pain) but it is worrying me as I have a stressful couple of weeks and I have not been eating well and smoking quite heavily, I am a 46 year old man and my uncle and father both died from heart attacks so its playing on my mind. I did injure my arm several years ago so who knows.

At the moment I am hoping it is the cold weather giving me aches and pains and it is just a pulled muscle, but I will cut out caffeine and cigarettes
and eat better to see what happens.

I was wondering if anyone has experience of this and if it persists should I go to the doctor and get it checked.

Thanks

[uru]

How old were your relatives when they died?

[rcs]

In their 40s like me .

[uru]

Well, I think it's worth going to get it checked out. I wouldn't panic until you actually know anything. For what it's worth I have pains in my chest and arms at times and my family has no history of any problems.

It's also worth noting that pain in the right arm ISN'T very common. (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Heart-attack/Pages/Symptoms.aspx) normally it starts with pain in the chest (unsurprisingly) and sometimes radiates to the left arm. Did you have any of these other symptoms? (of course, once you read them, you'll probably start to get them, right?) Quite often people feel nothing before a heart attack.

That said (and I'm NOT a doctor) smoking, drinking and poor diet (as well as genes) can all cause problems. Just go for some peace of mind, eh? And let us all know how you get on.

[rcs]

Thanks Urusainaa for the reply i think a bit of light exercise will clear it up as will some adjustments to my life style. I tore a muscle in my arm 3 years ago and in cold weather it aches so i am sure it will be that.

[uru]

No worries mate,

I'm sure you're probably right. I've got a couple of injuries from skiing (elbow problems make some movements impossible for me) that play up from time to time.

I would still go and get it checked out if I were you, just for peace of mind. You don't have to tell them your 'real concern, you can just say that you're worried about your arm getting sore. :D Or just get some advice about taking good care of yourself.

[debs71]

Hi rcs,

I agree with urusainaa.

Purely because of your family history I would get a check up from your GP. If they are a half decent doctor they should offer a blood pressure check and possibly an ECG at the minimum, just to keep tabs on you. There is a cardiac history in my Mum's family - her brother and Dad both had heart attacks - and she has regular BP checks and has had ECG's.

In saying this, I second what has already been said. Heart pain is usually the left arm, not the right, and can radiate up to the shoulder and jaw at its worst. It may well be just a cramp after sleeping and wear off, but see how things go.

Stress can also bring on a lot of aches and pains too, and you seem to have had a rough time lately.

Try not to worry too much if you can. I would though definitely have a chat with your doctor though, just to set your mind at rest, as urusainna suggested.