Breathless for a month and not asthma - any ideas??

[PMTIsMe]

A bit fed up with this now. It started with a hideous cough and tight chest, and intially doc tried me with a brown inhaler since peak flow was low. That didnt help so after a week she put me on steroid tablets which also haven't helped. The cough is still around but not so bad; I have sore ribs at the back, hurts to move or take a deep breath; and if I do anything slightly strenuous I am breathless and exhausted. Sat still in the warm I am not too bad at all so can't be that poorly !! But goodness, tried to stroll up an incline with a friend whilst chatting earlier and couldnt do both at the same time. Feel rubbish now. Any ideas?? (Have had a chest x ray and am waiting for results.)

Bit of a stab in the dark, but could it be pleurisy? Also, you may need to try other inhalers as it can take time to find one/combination that suits.

Maybe more inhalers needed then! Pleurisy sounds serious - wouldnt I be in bed or can you have it mildly? Thanks for replying!

I had pleurisy and I wasn't in bed, but I was certainly in pain. Are you taking any painkillers? You could probably take co-codamol and ibuprofen as the combination should be strong enough to allow you to breathe properly, which if you are in pain you won't be able to do.

Glad you are getting it seen too, especially the chest Xray - hopefully that will rule out walking pneumonia

I have pretty much exactly the same problem, but have now also lost my voice & sound like a seal when I cough - I was feeling rough already, breathless etc, but mine escalated after a sinus infection -

I took a course of antibiotics for it, but due to other health problems & being busy recently I didn't realise they hadn't worked properly, just dampened it down & when I stopped the anti Bs according to my GP the infection has spread & I now have a full blown respiratory infection - laryngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis & tonsillitis was just setting in - my lungs apparently sounded clear, but I'm under strict instructions to go back for a chest Xray if the anti Bs don't seem to be working -

not sure yet, only my 3nd day - though I managed half the school run today - so a bit of an improvement, though voice & cough just as bad & boy do I feel for you with the chest hurting, that & my stomach muscles feel like I've been trampled on by an Elephant - like you say, I just couldn't manage the hill to School, but thankfully DD is old enough to do that bit alone, so I coped - DH had to stay home & do it the last 2 days.

I can recommend manuka honey for the cough - thanks to that I'm managing some sleep

& other than that, I wish you luck & feel for you - it sucks

Hope it's nothing too serious. When I'm pregnant I get very breathless and sore in my chest. Everytime it's been anaemia.

Thanks for the replies (crikey rockin, hope you feel better soon, sounds grim!) Part of the problem for me is I am a childminder and since I can have moments of feeling ok I am still working (just about...) plus if I did call in sick I would still be seeing the parents I mind for at school when I collect my own so feel really awkward. But I am getting so knackered now Im not sure how much longer I can soldier on.