https://paulnystrom.com/tags/spine/Recent content in Spine on Paul NystromHugoen-usWed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://paulnystrom.com/posts/referred-pain/Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://paulnystrom.com/posts/referred-pain/<p>A 21-year-old male came to the ER with right-sided chest pain. He described his pain as “a needle being stabbed into a vein in my heart.” He used that same phrase a few times during our conversation. Fortunately for him, he did not actually have any problems with his heart or otherwise that we could diagnose. We looked for the usual causes of dangerous chest pain and found none. He likely had acid reflux from his steady diet of Taco Bell where he worked. As he explained to me, he’s poor and the food is free despite him calling it “shit from a tube.” Presumably referring to the plastic packaging the “meat” comes from.</p>