For a while now, I have been feeling this pain in my chest and sometimes I will have a minor back ache that will require me popping my bones to make the crack sound. The pain wasn't extreme and I just live the day as it went. I go to work, go to farm and just come back feeling tired and a little pain but would assume that the pain was as a result of the day's activity but I wasn't doing anything physically stressful so what could have caused the pain?
At work, I take coffee and a lot of energy drinks. I just love the fact that they both keep me active, so they became my go to drink. Actually, I have been taking them for a while and I can take up to 4 can of energy drink daily. Loved the feeling, and was active with my job so what could go wrong. When I get back home, I try to continue my work since what I am working on is still in its infancy, it required my attention and since I wanted it to blossom, I was determined to give it my undivided attention.
Towards the last quarter of 2024, I began to experience seldom chest pain whenever I I tried to rest my back or bend it too much but since the pain only happened about 4 times within the period, I just overlooked the fact that it could be any medical issue. I would remain in the position for about 10 seconds, then try to pop my back bones to hear the crack and I would be fine but I still didn't go to the hospital but things began to take another turn this year.
Last week Saturday which was the 25th of January, I began to experience severe chest pain. I thought it was like the normal pains I would feel, so I tried to ignore it but the pain kept coming. It became serious over time that I could not breath in deeply properly. I was having serious pain when I took in air and although I told one or two persons who told me to get to a hospital, some others were displaying their quack medical knowledge on my case. Some said, it could be ulcer, another said I should treat malaria as it could be a cause. I just listened to them give their advise and I thanked them.
It was midnight on Sunday and I could not bare this pain again. I felt it like there was a spare in my chest and it wouldn't leave me, and it had decided to disturb my breathing process as I experienced pain while breathing. As at this time, I had just returned from Ibadan, so I was in Ile-Ife. I decided to go to theng hospital at 4:00AM. I got to the ER of Seven Days Adventist Hospital which is an annex of Babcock University Teaching Hospital and I requested for a doctor.
I went alone as my wife and son had traveled to Abuja, so I was going to do all the running around myself with no help. The doctor asked me how I was feeling, and I told him that I was having a sharp pain at the lower left side of my thoracic region. I told him I was experiencing pain when I tried breathing so in other for me not to feel the pain, I wasn't breathing deep again. I had robbed my left chest and I was already feeling superficial pain in my ribs so he asked a nurse to take my vitals and get back to him.
I didn't know that emergency treatment was 3X expensive than people who went to General Outpatient Department (GOPD) for treatment but I just wanted to be fine, I didn't mind the fact that I didn't have enough money at hand. I wasn't under any employer with medical insurance policy, neither do I work with the government who gave insurance for certain type of illnesses but if I was, there was a high chance an insurance in this country will not cover such treatment.
After making some painful payment out of my nose just to save myself from the pain I was going through, the doctor finally diagnosed me with costochondritis. The doctor only listened to my explanation and diagnosed me. I didn't do any test, scans or imaging, I was diagnosed and given a list of medications I had to buy from the hospital pharmacy. The doctor prescribed Amoxicillin, Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostol), Paracetamol, and an oitment (containing lenseed oil, diclofenac, menthol, and salicylate) to rub on my chest.
With joy but still severe pains, I quickly went to the pharmacy and purchased the medication even when they were pocket drilling in price. I was asked to go home which I did, and I applied the ointment and took the medication. The pain went for hours and I was happy I was fine until the night of Monday when I began to feel a more disturbing pain. This time around, I couldn't lay down because it looked like my heart was going to rip out of my chest. I tried laying on my back, my left side, and right side and at every turning it was a terrible experience.
I felt the pain all through till Tuesday morning. The doctors had asked me to come back on Friday but there was no way I was going to wait till Friday with what was going on with me. The pain on this Tuesday was 10x more than the pain I felt on Sunday that made me get to the hospital so I decided that I was going to get to the ER again because it looked like the doctor diagnosed me wrongly.
Image from my hospital visit
I got there and I was asked to do an ECG which I did. I didn't know these things were so expensive but I needed my health to be fine. Families and friends called to check up on me, people offered to come to Ile-Ife but I knew it was a working week and I didn't want to inconvenience anyone. After the ECG, the doctor looked at me and said I could be suffering from Pericarditis and told me he was going to write me some medications to buy so it could help with the pain, and asked me to report to Cardiology on Friday (31st January. 2025) which was 3 days away.
The doctor prescribed Naproxen 500mg (to be taken morning and night), and Co-codamol 8/500mg (to be taken three times daily). I went on to purchase the medication and I used it. I felt better after taking this but I needed to visit the hospital on Friday to see the cardiologist. After taking the medication, the pain began to subside gradually and my breathing became more easy as the day went on. I could sleep without much pain and I could attend to work a little.
On Friday, I saw the cardiologist and he mentioned to me that my heart was beating with force and not properly but it was fine. He asked if I took energy drinks, coffee, and tea, and I replied Yes. He asked about my daily activity and I explained that majority of my work had to do with meeting targets and when I didn't meet targets, I feel chest aches sometimes. He asked about my sleeping routine and I mentioned that I do not often sleep. The cardiologist then asked how I felt after using the medication and I told him I was better.
He asked me to stop the energy drink, he asked me to stop taking coffee, he asked that I stop eating Beans at night which is actually one of my favorite food and at night was my favorite time of eating it. He then said that I should have a proper rest at night. He prescribed another set of medications and requested that I do a complete blood count (CBC), and a Kidney function test before coming for my appointment which is in a month time. The doctor prescribed Bisoprolol (treating high blood pressure), Polygel (an Antacid), Omeprazole (for gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease treatment), amitriptyline (antidepressant).
I left the hospital and although my health is improving on a daily, I still find it difficult to sneeze or cough without feeling the pain but I hope it would get better because about 2 days ago, I couldn't yawn or take deep breath without feeling pains but now I can do both without feeling pain. I will be visiting the doctor in the next 1 month and I hope my test results come out great. I have never understood the word Health is Wealth until this event that just played out. All I wanted was to be alive, I didn't care about anything else at the moment.
You Can Study More
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/pericarditis/what-is-pericarditis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534792/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4053-complete-blood-count