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Which overnight hiking/camping backpack is better?

Why do my lungs ache after I carry my backpack?

  • ChestPainFilter: I am breathless and my lungs ache after I carry my backpack, even for short intervals. (24 year old male, approx. 5'10" and 60Kg.) I've been travelling with a backpack for six months. In mid-April I developed chest pain while travelling through the snowy eastern part of Turkey. Initially I put it down to the cold; venturing outdoors certainly made the feeling worse. My lungs felt heavy and constricted, and lifting my backpack (weighing less than ten kilos) caused considerable pain across the inside of my chest. That evening I developed an intense stabbing pain in my upper left abdomen every time I took a breath. I've experienced this sensation before, perhaps once every six or eight months, but it usually clears up within five minutes if I sit absolutely still and take shallow breaths. However, after trying to relax for three or four hours the pain was still just as intense. I became worried and found a doctor. He listened to my pulse and chest (no cough, no discharge) and said he thought I had either pleurisy, caused by a virus, or else a myalgic muscular strain. He instructed me to keep as warm as possible and prescribed both muscle-relaxant gel and some anti-inflammatories. Neither seemed to have a noticeable effect but, after finding an extremely warm room, the pain eased off and I was able to sleep, though the feeling of breathlessness and the 'heaviness' in my chest and arms persisted for several more days. I've been trying to carry my backpack as little as possible since then, and also to lighten the load. It's now less than 5 kilos, but even after carrying it for five or ten minutes I'll usually feel a tightness in my chest for a day or so afterwards. I'm in Vietnam at the moment and the temperature is above 30 degrees, but two days ago the breathlessness and heaviness in my chest returned. At the moment my lungs feel 'heavy' and breathing causes more effort than it should, though the pain isn't much worse during inhalation. I feel breathless when walking, and I am most comfortable when lying flat on my back. Additionally, my left arm feels 'full up,' as though someone is squeezing all the blood downwards towards my hand. This is most noticeable when walking. I've woken up several times in the past couple of days with a racing and heart and very strong pins and needles sensation in my hand and arm, as if they were completely empty of blood. When I raise my left hand I have an unusual hot/cold feeling as though it's being suddenly drained of blood. Other stuff that may be incidental: When I was 18 I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and the arrythmia has been much worse than usual in the past two days, waking me up several times each night, though this is probably more to do with the bad indigestion and lots of trapped wind that I've experienced over the same period. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms after carrying a backpack? I have no idea whether these symtoms are pleuritic, muscular, circulatory, caused by a hernia, etc. Does pleuritic inflammation of the lungs sound like a good explanation, and can it be repeatedly triggered by carrying a light, properly-strapped backpack for even a couple of minutes at a time? I intend to visit a doctor as soon as I arrive at the nearest city (Da Nang) but in the meantime I'd very much appreciate any feedback about what might be causing these symptoms.

  • Answer:

    Please see a competent doctor IMMEDIATELY. 2 weeks ago, I was having trouble sleeping with some (not all) similar symptoms... a feeling of tightness in my chest, pins and needles in my arms, etc. I had a heart attack. Angioplasty and 3 stents later I'm better, but chest pain of any type is not to be trifled with. EVER. In the next room was a 24 year old woman who had had a heart attack the day before mine. It can happen to anyone at any age.

Black Spring at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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I'm going to second solipsist. If you have any asprin on you, take one *now*. If you're not in a big enough town to find a decent hospital, hire a taxi or private car to take you to one. Don't do it tomorrow, and don't wait for convenient or cheap transportation. This is not something to fool with. If it is heart trouble, the sooner you are treated, the better your chances of recovery without heart damage. If it's not, well then count yourself blessed. Good luck.

Philbo

This is not really about the backpack. This is what is caused "dyspnea on exertion," or difficulty breathing when you are not at rest. It's a bad sign. You notice the symptom more with the backpack because you're exerting yourself a little more when you carry it. I echo those above telling you to restructure your trip so you can get medical care ASAP. I know it will be difficult for you, and being sick while travelling far away is scary, but you've got to do it. These are not benign symptoms and no one on the internet is going to be able to diagnose you, because the list of what you could have is endless, and the only way to get to the bottom of this is for you to be evaluated, in person, by a clinician. Good luck, and I hope you are well soon.

tuff

Have you got travel insurance? If so, there's usually a helpline you can call, often reverse charge. They should be able to give you advice on what to do. They may even have a list of recommended local doctors and hospitals. Are you south of Da Nang at the moment? Hoi An is smaller than Da Nang but very touristy, so you'll probably be able to find an English speaking doctor there.

roomaroo

The backpack trip is over. Get to a hospital in a larger city in Turkey and then on to your home country if the docs think its ok.

Ironmouth

Sorry, I see you are in Viet Nam. My advice still goes.

Ironmouth

get to a doctor immediately. talk to the embassy for a recommendation for a cardiologist. bring a list of your symptoms (or print out this note) so you can make sure the information doesn't get lost in translation.

thinkingwoman

I've had pleurisy and I was thinking of it even before you said the doctor mentioned it. It felt exactly like this. If you have some confusion or are more emotional than usual, then include that in your symptoms. Here is what you need to do: Go to a hospital immediately. Write your symptoms, everything you can think of. You probably have a low blood oxygen level at this time, which makes it difficult to remember things and difficult to make good decisions. If you have a friend or someone you trust, ask for their help getting you to and communicating with the doctor/hospital staff. If not, contacting your embassy may be a good first step. Ask for oxygen. It makes decision-making a lot easier. Pleurisy can be diagnosed with X-ray and ultrasound. Ask for one. They can suck the fluid out with a needle. That is the treatment I would expect at this point, given that it's not going away on its own. If they diagnose you with pleurisy and do not offer this treatment, ask them why and make sure you understand the treatment they are offering. Good luck!!

carmen

Thanks for your replies and concern everyone. About two seconds after I read Solopsist's post, I headed for the hospital at Hoi An. There was a female doctor there who spoke some English- after some questions she took an X-ray of my chest and said I had bronchitis, showing me on the printout the white patches where the tubes in my lungs were inflamed. She gave me an injection of calcium in my hip (which she said was to combat the numbness in my arm), an injection of antibiotic into my wrist, and also a bagful of tablets to take over the next week: an analgesic (Di-Angesic) an antibiotic (Scanax), Cefalexin to treat respiratory tract infection, and something called Alpha Chymotrypsin though I'm don't know what this is or what it's for. I'm not sure whether this is what I had in Turkey. Between then and now I've felt fine for long periods: I've been on a three-day hike in the hills of northern Thailand, a fairly strenuous walk which only myself and one other individual completed. I have no idea if bronchitis can come and go like that, or if it can re-emerge from dormancy because of the strain of carrying a backpack. I did have insurance, which unfortunately runs out tomorrow. The cost for the consultation and medicines was only 30 dollars though. IF, as the doctor predicted, I feel better within five days then I hope to continue the trip. I'm going to stay in Da Nang near the hospital during this time though. But I'm prepared to get back to the UK quickly if the symptoms continue. As for the backpack I'm pretty damn close to just throwing it away and travelling in what I'm wearing, plus toothbrush and wallet...

Black Spring

Sometimes lung infections can be tricky to defeat so don't give up if it takes a little longer than planned and you have to try a couple of different antibiotics. Once you are feeling better that pack will seem light again. Enjoy your trip and just be glad that your insurance didn't run out in the US of A.

caddis

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