Fluid on lung question!

[lungquestion]

Hoping someone can help because I’m not understanding much from google!

I had an echo and mri carried out whilst an inpatient in hospital. The echo technician asked if I had been short of breath or tightchested recently which I actually had, although I just assumed it was due to tiredness and not moving much being in hospital. She said she was asking because my lungs had fluid around them.

I was later discharged thankfully, and the doctor didn’t mention anything about the fluid, and I had so many other questions it just totally slipped out of my mind. I only remembered when I saw it written on my discharge letter and apparently it was also picked up on the mri too. It said there were bilateral pleural effusions.

has anyone ever had this or know anything about it? Presumably since they didn’t mention anything about it, then it’s something that just heals itself?

I have pleural effusion. Only on one lung though as I only have one lung. My breathing is very compromised. There are quite a few reasons for pleural effusion. Mine is an after effect of many surgeries. What is of greater concern is that there is a question mark around why the heart isn’t pumping the fluid away. This can suggest that the heart isn’t working efficiently and that might lead to congestive heart failure. If your effusion continues I suggest you push for a heart study - signs of things worsening are swollen feet and a desire to wee much of the time. If there is a heart issue, the reasons are varied. Mine is down to pulmonary hypertension, again down to the surgeries and damage
done to my lung tissue. I have found that lung conditions can be mysterious things and diagnosis and treatment seem to be somewhat of an art. In 2018 I walked to Everest Base Camp. A month after my return I discovered i had lung disease as a result of a genetic mutation. Today I find walking around the supermarket a challenge and I have a disability badge for my
car. Bummer.

Ask the doctor. Don't google until you have had that conversation.

My dad had this, it was investigated thoroughly though, but he is 79. It wasn’t good news for him, but if they didn’t seem concerned about you then it’s probably fine. It can be caused by an infection which could clear itself. As soon as they saw the fluid on my dad it was all systems go - he had the fluid drained and tested and then had all the fluid removed and a drain put in. He also had a talc pleurodesis to stop it coming back (which worked).

I would push for an answer as it isn’t normal to have fluid on the lung but there are a number of causes.

My dad’s was an asbestos related cancer which is rare and would be much rarer in a younger person. As I say though, they were concerned as soon as they saw it so it’s probably a good sign that they weren’t concerned about yours.

Are you having any symptoms?

Yeah I definitely feel quite tight chested, although Im wondering if part of that is maybe a bit of anxiety because I know about the fluid thing and actually otherwise I wouldn’t have felt tight chested

when I was in the hospital my oxygen was always absolutely fine, and I’m asthmatic so I sometimes get quite tight chested anyway, so it’s difficult to know if it’s unrelated or not