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Dehydration, Headaches, Hand Tingling And Swelling, Chest Pain, No Medical History. Causes ?
Question: I am a 58 year old female who has never had a health problem, surgery, etc. I hiked last Saturday for the first time in almost 2 months although I do exercise regularly. Due to the extreme heat, I became dehydrated. In addition to my head tingling and getting a headache, my hands started tingling and my right hand became swollen and somewhat numb. I continued the hike and, after about 15 min., felt OK and my swelling went away. Last night, while sitting, I experienced a chest pain (right about at my breast bone) and the paid intensified and somewhat radiated out. It only lasted about a minute and then I was totally fine. I have been under stress but otherwise feel great.
Hello,
Thank you for your query.
It is possible that your symptoms during the hike were due to the heat, dehydration and a little bit of physical "deconditioning" since this was unaccustomed exercise. However, since you had some atypical chest discomfort (though unrelated to the exercise), it would be prudent to get yourself tested by a physician.
I would request you to do an ECG, a treadmill test, and blood investigations like fasting blood sugar, serum creatinine and fasting lipid profile. The physician will also check your blood pressure.
I am sure that there is nothing to be alarmed about. But you could use this opportunity to screen for any possible heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and abnormal lipids.
I request you to kindly get back to me with the investigation reports. You can even upload the ECG to this website so that I can have a look and give you a specific reply.
With regards,
Dr RS Varma
Thank you for your query.
It is possible that your symptoms during the hike were due to the heat, dehydration and a little bit of physical "deconditioning" since this was unaccustomed exercise. However, since you had some atypical chest discomfort (though unrelated to the exercise), it would be prudent to get yourself tested by a physician.
I would request you to do an ECG, a treadmill test, and blood investigations like fasting blood sugar, serum creatinine and fasting lipid profile. The physician will also check your blood pressure.
I am sure that there is nothing to be alarmed about. But you could use this opportunity to screen for any possible heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and abnormal lipids.
I request you to kindly get back to me with the investigation reports. You can even upload the ECG to this website so that I can have a look and give you a specific reply.
With regards,
Dr RS Varma
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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