pleurisy !!

[alfiemama]

Ive been ill now for about 9 weeks, started with a chest infection, then got sent to A & E for suspected PE which thankfully turned out to be a false alarm.

I have now been diagnosed with pleurisy but I am just not sure if this is correct.

I have a sharp pain in my right rib, it is their all the time and only eases with strong pain killers and have had this pain since the end of November. It hurts more when I breathe in and I struggle to sleep at night as wake myself up in pain when I turn over.

I have been back to the Dr's 4 times and each time he just keeps saying it will go and just pleuritic pain. He has even stopped giving me antibiotics now, as had about 3 lots now.

Has anyone else had this, I keep thinking could it be my gall bladder as they mentioned this in A & E.

I had a chest xray and also a negative d-dimer test for the pe.

I am getting so down with this, just want to feel "normal" again, and well to be honest it hurts like hell

Pleuracy is often caused by a viral infection, so antibiotics won't do anything at all for it. I'm afraid with a virus you just have to wait for your body to fight off the infection. I had it about six weeks ago, for about a month and it is horrible, and quite frightening (not in the realm of childbirth for me though, but I only had one lung affected). What you need is good anti-inflamatories (these are usually pain killers as well), and is sounds as if what you have been prescribed isn't working. But you do have to take them in a totally different way to how you would take painkillers (ie you take them routinely, two or three times a day rather than when you feel in pain), and the effect takes a few days to build up. It is apparently quite easy to diagnose, as you can hear distinctive sounds when you breathe, and that tearing feeling is the membranes of the outer wall of your lungs sticking (sorry if TMI, but it is quite characteristic). It can develop into some nastier things, so you are quite right to go on going back to your GP for a check.

My ribs hurt initially when pressed, and then actually felt better - I read that it was recommended putting a little pressure on the affected area to sleep. Sounds weird, but I did sleep better if I lay on the bad side.

Hiya wheels

Well I started of with real hacking cough which turned into chest infection, so was put on antibiotics, they didnt work so had some more. Been ill for 9 weeks in total inc this. Started to feel a little bit better, but woke up one morn feeling very achey and pain in my ribs on the right hand side. I felt like I couldnt breathe and still had this hacking cough, which hurt like hell.

One night the pain seemed to get worse, so the next morn went to gp, and said I didnt think it was right, he listened to my chest again, and said he couldnt hear much air getting around, sent me to hops straight away for suspected Pulminary embolism (sorry about spelling).

The Hosp did the d-dimer test for pe and xrayed me, one dr said it was infection of the pleura the other said muscleskeletol
pain, which I think is something to do with pulled muscles. Told me to keep taking painkillers and antibiotics gp has prescribed.

Anyway still wasnt right so went back to gp who said he was almost sure it was pleurisy and even put this on my sicknote. Told me to keep taking pain relief but would go.

phew!!!!

Anyhoo wheelsonthebus, yes it hurts like hell if pressed but only when I breathe in, if that makes sense, which means to me that it could be something behind the ribs.

I was told by the hosp and dr that its something to do with the infection of the pleura rubbing again the chest and causing friction.

Wheels on the bus - yours does sound very much like Chosto-chondritis...pain on coughing. Pain when you press the area...

Chosto-chondritis is caused by too much coughing (which sounds plausible)

I don't find codeine a problem as an asthmatic. It does depend on the person.

Ooh Nooka, yes I have started sleeping on the bad side, and it actually eases it. Its when I try and turn over, Ouch!

Slightlymad, That is exactly what I had, pain on coughing, pain when I press the area.

I can even pinpoint the area, which I would have thougth pleurisy would have been all over.

Where I am pressing, the hosp said was where my gallbladder is.

When I was in hosp the gp insisted on a ecg, but they never did one, also never had a scan. The hosp was full that night and it wasnt my local (as this was full) people where in corridors on trolleys.

The Dr even came to me and said, "so the results of your ecg, say" and I had to tell him, I hadnt had one.

Sorry your also feeling poorly wheels

My most intense pain was quite localised (or felt that way anyway) sort of about where my elbow touches the bottom of my rib cage. I had the most nasty cough for about six weeks before the pleurisy, but I couldn't do anything about it, because we were living in the States at the time, and our health insurance had run out. Initially I thought that my ribs were just very badly bruised from all the coughing. It's anything that disturbs the pleural wall, because that makes it rub, giving the tearing feeling. Usually both sides of the wall are moist, with a fluid in between, so it moves easily. When it's infected the walls become like sandpaper, and stick, which as we have all found is incredibly painful, and as breathing is pretty much unavoidable quite constant.

I had pleurisy when I was 17 and sleeping rough, and also damaged the muscles in my chest by coughing so much for weeks on end (iirc it was called 'musculo-skeletal damage'). Anyway point is it is possible to have both [owowowowowoooowwwww]

It was agonising, to the point where I was weeping every time I had to bend or stretch my arms.

Diclofenac was what I had for it and it did work.

Yes, I suspect that antiinflamatories would help with both. I hope that it gets better soon alfiesmum

oops. Sorry, Alfiemama

Thanks everyone

I will ask about the diflofenic, thanks for the advice everyone.

Just wanted to say thanks to SlightlyMadScientist - chosto-chondritis sounds much more likely than pleurisy for me. Though whether I take my internet findings to my GP is another matter!

Alfiemama, sorry for post hijack, hope you are feeling better soon.

The wheels on teh bus...you can treat that at home with Ibuprofen. It will get better by itself - but the antyi-inflammatories will make it quicker - ibuprofen will work but Diclofeac will work quicker.

I had pleurisy after a cough & actually felt quite a lot better coughwise by the time it developed.. Its not an infection itself (although you can get it at the same time as an infection) so if you're original cough/chest infection has gone, antibs will not help you.
I would say that Ibuprofen would be better as a painkiller (unless you can't take it cos of your asthma), as its an anti-inflammatory, diclofenac also fab if your doctor will prescribe it for you. Mine took about a month to clear & went gradually.

Don't think it normally hurts when pressed - just on brething in is normal I think.. this is certainly how I was affected.

Hope you soon feel better x

Ah no probs Wheels, hope you feeling better soon.
Thanks flippyflop, that made me feel better, Ive not got asthma, just lots kept mentioning it to me.

Its hard isnt it wheels, I have this info now about diclofenic, but am too scared to go to gp and say, well Ive been on the internet and found......

Will defo have to go back though, I suppose just got to trust him.

Alfiemama, just go back to the GP and say you are not better. As they referred you before it sounds like they are taking your illness seriously. What painkiller did he recommend? Because things like neurofen are also antiinflamatories. All you are going to be asking is for something stronger. Bear in mind there are lots of NSAIDs, of which diclofenic is just one example. I had Naproxen (another generic) and there are loads of different brands too.

Thanks Nooka. My gp is good, my mum is a nurse and knows him really well, so this helps lots.
He gave me Ciproflaxin then Cefalexin (this was for the pleurisy, cant remember the ones for the chest infection, think poss emothericyn), and the hosp told me to keep us with this, and take paracetamol with codeine and ibuprofen.

Cefalexin and erythromyin are both antibiotics.

What you need to do (or at least what I would do) is go back and say that the painkillers you are on are not strong enough. Ask him if there is anything he can give you which is stronger. That is all. Let him do the rest.

He will then do one of 2 things (assuming he takes on board that you need stronger analgesics) - give you industrial strength co-codamol (not a bad thing really) or (more likely) give you diclofenac (AKA volterol) without any more prompting.

Thanks for the advice Slightlymad, I will do, thanks again everyone

Finally managed to get into the Dr's today, he had another feel around and is sending me for a scan (urgent) quite scared now!

But better to know then go on leaving it tho.

Just glad not fobbing me off still

Ok got a scan for today, quite scared now. Apparently Im having an abdo scan (same as when pregnant)
A funny thing happened last night which I think could be connected. I had a glass of wine, to try to calm me down, as soon as I had it, my ears and then my face went bright red and felt like they were sunburnt for about 20 mins.

My friend said perhaps it is something to do with gall bladder not functioning correctly.

Any ideas?

Ok just had scan, they said no stones, everything looks ok, still cant tell me why I am having this pain. Just said you can get nasty bugs in the tummy and Dr will need to do blood tests.

How long will I have this pain for? seems like forever at the mo.