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Carotid Artery Pain / Neck

Recently I have been experiencing pain on the right side of my neck, in what feels to be my carotid artery.  The pain is a very sharp pain that only last a couple of seconds, and starts up every 15-20 seconds.  This can last about a minute or two, and then sometimes even longer.  I'm worried about some type of carotid artery disease?  Is this something I should go right to the dr's about?  I had my blood pressure taken yesterday and is was 126/73.
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Avatar universal
I'm 24 years old and my problems are exactly like yours. I have left sided carotid artery pain that follow with headaches and I was also diagnosed with IBS a few months ago. I had a colonoscopy last on Monday which further confirmed that. I have right sided chest pains though. I was told that one of my organs was failing but no one checked them! I'm thinking it's my gallbladder. If you have stomach pain you can have symptoms that feel heart attack related. I had a severe allergic reaction to Cymbalta that put me in the ER 3 times in a short time span and I haven't fully recovered since then. I also believe that my carotid is inflamed. I'm going to get a hidascan next week to check my stomach and gallbladder and if they see any correlation I will let you know. I work for cardio thoracic surgeons and it's not cad or a blockage, I'm too young for that and I'm a healthy individual.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your reply. I read several other web sites after posting. I never experienced dizziness.  I was able to ask a nurse that I know what she thought. She said that there are 4 arteries that supply blood to the brain. Even if one is somewhat blocked, sufficient blood supply remains. As I recall, I was doing what something that would be considered strenuous for someone with fibromyalgia, before the pain started. I have also read that the pain could be a migraine. They don't only happen in your head. There are so many possibilities.


I've have regularly gone to doctors (including head doctors), since 1993 for depression,  anxiety,  and all over body pain. Not once have I not been treated like a hypochondriac.  My fault?  Maybe, to an extent. Doctors today are not willing to broaden their expertise beyond what was known fifty years ago. I, for one, am sick of the brush-off. I'm also sick of the few minutes they spend in diagnosis and the prescription pad at the ready.
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976897 tn?1379167602
If your carotid artery is hurting, then it is either blocking or inflamed. If a blockage is severe, you would normally get pains in the neck, face and then go on to experience dizziness.
I'm not trying to be funny, but rather than researching and chart drawing, you should get to a Doctor if you think it's your Carotid artery. Why? because the Carotid arteries feed the Brain and if they contain Plaque, there is a higher risk of stroke. I wouldn't waste time.
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Avatar universal
I'm 50ish and I've been having a pain where my right carotid is for about three to four weeks off and on.  It starts when I'm reclining in bed. My blood pressure was kind of high the last two times it was taken, say 138/100. I've never had a pressure that high before. I did buy a new bed 3 weeks ago. It's one those adjustable beds. I have severe fibromyalgia. It's hurting right now and has for the last hour.  I googled "my carotid artery hurts" and this site came up. Going to check out what carotidynia is.  I'm going to try to chart the pain.
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Avatar universal
My wife has the same symptoms.  F/W/62 123#s, 5"2".  No on going illnesses.  We went to an ENT.  He gave her a dx of carotidynia.  I hadve not seen anyone who posted on this site mention this dx.  I hope this may give everyone another area for research.
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Avatar universal
I have been getting this pain in the right side of my neck.  I am on warfarin lifelong following a dvt already so this is worrying.  My mother had a major stroke age 64 last year and her father had a blocked carotid artery that gave him a stroke and was close to being fatal.  Her mother had a dvt as well.  I am scared!  A bit relieved to hear others have been having the same for a while with no severe consequences.  I have no faith in the GP who failed to diagnose my dvt early enough and who dismissed my mother's stroke symptoms as a 'virus' despite her family history.
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