AIBU to think pleurisy can just fuck off?

[MyCatIsThickAsMince]

Fuck me I feel rough. My GP sent me to hospital last week and they diagnosed me with pleurisy - I’ve had it in the past but don’t really remember it, so this is a shock. I thought pleurisy was something from the past, I think I remember it from Chalet School books

My chest is so so painful and I’m feeling very sorry for myself. It hurts to breathe, and it’s not like you can just stop doing this. Propped up it’s just about bearable but it’s a real struggle to get up to go to the bathroom etc.

Anyone had this? Am I being a massive wimp? How long does it last, if anyone has had it? I have Naproxen and codeine already for another health issue but they aren’t touching it - it’s as though I haven’t taking anything at all .

If anyone has any useful advice (or sympathetic shoulder pats) I would be very grateful. I would even be grateful if Matron took me to the San and gave me castor oil, if it bloody helped!

Come and join my pity party. My cat (who really is very cute but very thick) tried to join in and tried to jump on my fucking chest so she has been thrown out already.

I had pleurisy once, years ago. It was horrific.

I currently have a really bad pain in my right shoulder and down my arm. I'm wondering if this is it again. It's so painful I feel sick.

I genuinely do have a high pain threshold (I have chronic pain from something else so the bar is set high). I have popped dislocated stuff back in myself and don't "feel" tattoos etc, so it's unusual for me to be like this.

One of my DC offered to make me a cup of tea unprompted before. I'm going to dig out my will

My old boss gets it and told me it is absolute hell. Mind you, he gave me whooping cough so my sympathy was then curtailed.
To be honest, you need someone looking after you 24/7 with these kind of things. Without that support they linger on. Have plenty of fluids- things like beef tea or bone broth are good.

High DH is being very solicitous, hopefully he can get off work early tomorrow, he can't take any more time off though as he had a few emergency leaves for seizures already this year

I am drinking lots of hot tea, I shall try the strong coffee recommended up thread. Thanks for all advice and sympathy

Sympathy OP
I had pleurisy many years ago when I was 16. The pain is horrendous. I thought that, as well as not being able to breathe, that I had broken my arms and ribs
Keep an eye on it and get to A&E if it gets worse

I had a bit of a cough. Rang OOH who went "hmm yes, come in at 2pm"
So I sat in the waiting room coughing when a doctor came out with a nebuliser. Me looking around being nosy "oh someone is ill!"
Doctor "yes, you. You can't breathe"
Turns out coughing continuously is a can't really breathe symptom. 6 nebulisers that weekend, steroids, antibiotics, inhalers... I felt a right idiot thinking pneumonia was a cough

Yes you're my kind of person, I'm the type that will sit down at the doctors (when I'm forced into going) and when the GP says "how are you?" I'll say "oh fine"

I will keep an eye on it and hopefully be OK until tomorrow. I've spent more time at A and E this year than I care to remember so want to avoid if it all possible.

DC has a hospital appointment on Tuesday which is non negotiable, I'm trying to work that out. We absolutely must go. Of course I can't drive atm and it's a specialist hospital, which is an arse ache getting to at the best of times!

Isn't it always the way.

I have had a viral thing which is annoying my asthma. I’m a total mouth breather, despite trying so hard not to be, I never feel like I can get a full breath through my nose. Took a lung full of cold wet air today, peak flow dropped and I feel congested. I feel like I spend my whole life now on Chest Infection Watch

Well I'm even more fed up this morning, after another night with no sleep I rang the doctor. Apparently on Friday the doctor just said take codeine (which I already have and is doing fuck all to even touch it) and they won't do anything else, even speak to me over the phone. I don't know why they didn't ring me back to tell me this either.

I'm at my wits end, I really don't think I am able to even get to the doctors to try and sort this out seeing as I can barely get out of bed. I don't know what to do. I'm considering sending someone to buy weed from the man who lives ten doors down and sells it (I actually wouldn't but I'm fucking desperate).

Fuck!

god you poor thing

my friend had pleurisy when she was 7 months pregnant - at first, she thought the baby had kicked so hard, it had broken a rib , she was in sooo much pain. And being pregnant, the drugs were limited etc.

hope you feel better soon

I have it right now and I'm in bits, so you have my sympathy OP. It's the third time I've had it and the second time I've been sent to A&E by a well meaning GP who says 'we need to rule out a PE'. I was seen really quickly, because from the GPs phone call they assumed I actually did have PE. I said over and over 'it's pleurisy, I've had it before and I can tell'. Annoyingly, my bloods showed no infective processes so it's viral and antibiotics are useless, so I've just got to stick it out.

Sending you solidarity OP. I still haven't found anything that really helps, apart from the good strong codeine that knocks you out!

Mite sorry you're suffering too. I've taken 60mg codeine and paracetamol but it's feels as though I've not taken anything, possibly because I regularly have to take codeine anyway? I've taken tramadol in the past but not allowed it now as my epilepsy isn't controlled enough.

I rang the hospital department that saw me and they are ringing back, I'm quite upset with my GP surgery, it's a shame my regular GP (who is wonderful) isn't in today.

I'm really fed up now.

How are you getting in @MyCatIsThickAsMince?

*on, not in obvs!

Betty I feel absolutely crap, but it's cheered me up that you asked

Not heard back from anyone, hospital or doctor's surgery. I can't ring again so I'll just see how it feels tomorrow. It's so painful, I'm so fed up but I don't know what else I can do. All I want is some better pain relief, and to get an hours sleep!

The weed guy down the road is seeming like a more attractive option by the minute, tbh.

You know what, and I don’t say this lightly, you need to phone 111 and get them to get you either an OOH appointment tonight or let them send an ambulance to take you to A&E. Your pain is out of control, it’s stopping you from sleeping (and supposedly eating?) and you have the added complication of epilepsy which could be exacerbated if this carries on much longer. I really, really think that’s what you need to do.

Evil bastard ninja lung pain.
Worst pain ever and I have had pneumonia twice.
Steroids, ibuprofen, steaming bowl inhaling, hanging about in the bathroom with the shower on full tilt and the extraction fan off (someone else can mop down the walls!), hot water bottle or heat pads, chocolate and a good chick lit hit.

I had it when I was at 6th Form... Its so so painful.... You have my sympathy. My Mum ended up calling our GP out who was a family friend.....

I have had half a cheese sandwich and lots of hot tea, also lots of water. I know what you're saying Betty and if the OOH still did house calls I would definitely ring. As it is though I know they will hear "chest pain" and the only option will be A and E and I don't actually feel up to going and sitting there, I'd rather suffer lying propped up in my own bed! If my breathing gets worse I will ring though.

I'll try the GP again in the morning, my worry is also trying to sort out my DC's hospital appointment tomorrow which is a real issue. One of my older DCs has offered to accompany them if I can't manage it and now I feel awful guilt over that too. DH absolutely cannot get any more time off if he wants to keep the job (and we must). It's just bad timing. Typical. DH is also knackered as he is doing far too much atm. More guilt!

I just can't understand why a GP can't/won't look at my discharge notes and write a prescription for some pain relief to actually help. Surely it would be more expensive and time consuming than me having to go to A and E.

I meant to say, last time I went to A and E I was triaged straight into majors (post ictal with injuries) and still waited nearly eight hours, and that was the middle of a weekday. They are just overrun, and every single member of staff looked close to breakdown, I really felt for them.

Yup, A&E’s all over the country are absolute hell holes at the moment. The waits are horrendous (walked past my Trust’s A&E on my way home at 3pm yesterday and the queue was out the door and down the pavement) and the staff are about to have a nervous breakdown at any minute throughout the day but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it if that’s what you need. It’s inconvenient and unpleasant but it does deliver results if you need them. Definitely back on the blower to the GP tomorrow though and assertively. You really do need seeing to, you know that

This always happens at the wrong time. It’s the law of sods.

The irony of using this NC for this thread, my cat is delighted I am awake at this time and thinks trying to play trampoline on my chest whilst sneezing in my face, is an ideal way of passing the time together until breakfast.

From bitter experience, crying for breakfast (loud enough to wake the neighbours) will start at approx 5.25...

Hi OP. I'm so sorry you feel awful. Deffo back onto the GP as soon as they open.

Been awake all night here too but with s complicated infection after extraction. I'm on codeine, 2 antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory and still in pain.

I gave in as it was so painful and rang 111, who said they can't help unless I go to hospital and so I need to get painkillers from my GP. GP receptionist yesterday said (very dismissively actually) they won't do telephone calls (although on Friday someone promised they would!) and there is nothing she can do unless I get down there. I have no idea how I'm physically meant to get to my doctors surgery when I can barely sit up (and I use a stick so don't have the best mobility in normal times!) if I have to wait for the pain to go enough for this it's kind of pointless I could pay for a taxi but I'm seriously worried about falling or fainting (or worse having a seizure)

I suppose my AIBU is in expecting the GPs surgery to issue a prescription for pain relief given that I've already seen them, and been thoroughly assessed and diagnosed already at hospital? I know my own GP would do this as she's done it in the past, but she is only part time and not in, which seems to be the problem.

Would IBU to ask to speak to the practice manager?