A
male
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:My wife is in the ER as I write this. I am thousands of miles away on business. She is 8 months pregnant and has been complaining of pain in between her shoulder blades, more to the right side. It has radiated to the front of her chest. Right below her right breast. She says it hurts when she takes deep breaths, and can't find a comfortable position to sit or sleep in. This went on for one whole day before she finally took my advice and went to the ER. She's usually a very tough girl, very tolerable to pain, but I can't tell by the sound of her voice it hurts. Problem is we are from a small town and she's at the local hospital. Population is about 40,000. They can't seem to find out what is causing it and they keep trying to blame it on anxiety. But my wife says she doesn't feel anxious at all, or nervous. I did research and her symptoms are common with gallstones. They did blood work and one of the levels having to do with the gallstone was "a bit high". The on call doctor hasn't seen her yet....She also had a somewhat high blood pressure reading which is odd because on her prenatal checkups she always was on the lower side of average. I was hoping someone could offer some insight or experience. Anything would greatly help! Thank you. P.S. Her sister is there with her. I work for the government and unfortunately can't afford to just fly back on my own. Still have to spend 2 more weeks here before I can go back. She says not to fly back, but if it gets serious of course I will do whatever it takes to get back to her. Reply to this Question
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female
reader, simplyLeslie +, writes (19 October 2010):
Good God MAN! Get on the first plane HOME..you will regret staying for some "job" forever if you don't go. I worked for the fed gove and county for years. YOU CAN GOThey will get by without you at work. Your wife and firstborn may not GET BY without you.
DO NOT WASTE ONE MORE SECOND..get the first plane HOME! What are you doing traveling so far away in her 8th month??????
A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (18 October 2010): I dont know for sure because you did not explaine too much in detail but when i was pregnant, towards the end when i was really big. I had a pain similar to what you have described. Kind of straight through me right under my breasts (for me it was mainly on the right side) And I was told it is pressure from the baby being so high up. I am not tall and have a short torso, this may be similar. its sad that no one can help her or make her feel better, i would imagine though that the hospital is watching her and has done what they can do. This pain i had was the worst part of my preganncy, it really did hurt. I couldnt sleep i didnt want to eat b/c i would get bloated and it would hurt worse. I dealt with it, I worked to the day i gave birth and i am pretty tough also but this did make me worry about myself and even have cried from the pain. Just make sure she is aware of herself and get to the hospital if anything else happens. It really sounds like what happened to me and he was just very high inside of me, He actually never dropped, I ended up having a C-section because he did not come down. are you having a boy? boys i hear stay up higher then girls. I stood up very straight and layed down very straight when i was having the pains and riasing yuor arms above your head may help, shes 8 months you're almost there. Good luck! and enjoy the baby,
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A
male
reader, Frank B Kermit  +, writes (17 October 2010):
 Is there no one else that can do the job? Have you called your boss and told your boss about the situation? Has your employer totally abandoned you in this? I have to assume that money is very tight for you to have gone on a business trip when your wife was in her 3rd trimester, but I am pretty sure that doing a great job will be zero comfort to you if something were to go wrong with your wife and child.
-Frank
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A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (17 October 2010):
 Pain in the epigastric area, sharp rise in blood pressure and high levels of proteins in the urines are also symptomps of pre-eclampsia ( a condition which shows up in late pregnancy ). Is there an obstetric ward in this hospital ?, they will be able to detect it and keep it under control.
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (17 October 2010): Hey,
If this is her first, then it is very likely there is nothing wrong. pregnancy can have adverse effects on the back, especially when the pregnancy is getting there ( 8+ months ) The weight of the baby + physical changes + some stess + you being away, etc, all combined can have effects on the muscles in her shoulders and back. this would feel like pain radiating to the front indeed.
So finish your job asap, let someone else take over and get back to her, sooth her and assist her in these last stressful weeks...yoou'll see the pain will go away. Also a warm bath, some mild massage and such may also help well.
Good luck to you and your wife and to the ( to be ) newborn ;)
PB.
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (17 October 2010): what is ER ?
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A
male
reader, daletom +, writes (17 October 2010):
This isn't the place to be asking medical questions. Your wife may be experiencing a side effect of her advanced pregnancy, or it could be something much more serious. You, and your wife, need to have confidence in the medical team working with her. Unless it may be a time-critical, life-and-death emergency, don't be afraid to ask for second opinions or evaluation by a different specialty. In these days of telemedicine, a hospital serving a community of 40,000 has access to the resources to make a reliable diagnosis, though an ultimate treatment may need to be done elsewhere.
ESPECIALLY if this is your first child, your wife needs all the support she can get. Make sure somebody is physically with her as much as possible during the evaluation and diagnosis. Somebody who can listen to what is being said, and take accurate notes. Somebody who can ask intelligent questions, perhaps including information from your wife's medical history that may have been overlooked.
You really need to be making plans to join her as soon as practical. Don't be afraid to call in any favors the boss may owe you. If it turns out to be something minor and easily treated, you can call-off your plans - but don't put off starting to make plans.
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A
female
reader, Dorothy Dix  +, writes (17 October 2010):
Hi there. Sometimes during pregnancy, blood pressure can go up it's not unusual, so it has to be regularly checked.
Blood pressure will also almost certainly go up when a person is in pain. It is a stress on the body.
It's also possible that it could be gall bladder problems, as you suspect.
When the on-call doctor turns up, it will have to be mentioned to him about the possibility of gall bladder being the problem and of course, the blood tests that were done already.
Usually the solution to gall bladder problems, is to remove the gall bladder altogether. Unless it's considered an emergency, they probably will wait until after her baby is born. Some kind of safe anti-biotics to settle the infection down in the meantime, and closely monitor it.
Somehow it doesn't seem like a heart problem, that is often a pain down one arm.
Has she had any falls lately? It could also be muscular.
Although like you mentioned, the gall bladder does sound like a possibility.
The good thing is, she is in the best place where she can have all the tests that will absolutely and positively determine the real cause of her pain. Then they can fix the problem once and for all.
In the meantime, try not to worry too much. She is in very good hands, plus her sister is with her.
Good luck and I sincerely hope that all goes well.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (17 October 2010): 8 months pregnant? In the ER? It IS serious. Go back home!
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