Chest pains since tamiflu.

[PorphyrophillicPixie]

Since I went on tamiflu last July I've had chest pains. They've never been that bad until Christmas when they started getting extremely painful. Now it's gotten to the point where I can't do any physical activity without being in pain. I saw my doc about it and tried to explain my worries about it being since the tamiflu but he keeps brushing it under the carpet and saying that it's my chest muscles.

Now I'm skeptical to believe this as:

1. this has never happened before I took tamiflu.
2. I'm a paddler so I'm always using my chest muscles!
3. I'm a smoker, and though I only smoke up to 10 rollies a day, if I smoke more than my average (5/6) then my chest becomes a little more painful.
4. I'm only 20 and am of decent health most of the time.

How do I get my doc to take me seriously and actually help me rather than just say "Stop smoking." or "It's your muscles."? And how do I get him to give me some actual advice?

Did you actually have flu or was it a precaution because someone close to you did?

Am assuming doctor did check your chest thoroughly when you saw him about pains?

I was the first to come down with it in my house at the time and I'm almost 100% that I had the real deal. I was out from it for two weeks and haven't been the same since (energy levels haven't ever fully recovered from spending 24/7 in bed methinks )

And no, each time I go he uses his heart hearing device and that's it.
The minute I mention tamiflu he makes a comment about the media's paranoia. I honestly am not paranoid about it and have paid no attention to the media; I've done my own research and would just like a straight answer rather than my doctor telling me that I'm worrying over nothing. I know that those two weeks I was ill had a detrimental effect on me, it's just getting my doctor to take that seriously and try help me put my mind at ease. Either it was the tamiflu or the flu itself.

I have my kayak three star and level two coaching this year and I want to know whats going on because right now I can't do anything and I've been waiting years for this

Go and see another doctor, get them to check your chest properly and beg if necessary for chest xray. Swine flu well known for leading to chest infections and pneumonia. I should know, had both followed by months of further infections and pleurisy. Sounds like you have some sort of chest infection hence the pain but can't understand why doctor arsing around with this. Clearly no point wasting any more time on him. Se someone new and don't mention tamiflu concerns, just the details that you had the flu and still not better. I was basically very ill for 8 weeks but am fine now and had no further problems. If you feel you have never properly got better yet, then that should be investigated. Think tamiflu concerns red herring to fusty doctor.

Thanks for the advice, I will do that! Sorry to hear about your experience! I feel lucky in that respect now! I'm especially worried now because it's gotten progressively worse in the past month to today, where I feel like somebody is sitting on my chest and has been all morning

And crap, was supposed to go to the docs about it today but didn't call in at two. What a twat -_-

See that sitting on chest feeling sounds v familiar. Do you get racing pulse after relatively minor effort and or feel faint? Is your surgery open weekends? Would seriously be trying to get an appointment very, very soon.

I feel faint on occasion, but it's mainly the chest, my chest feels a bit tight but is achy more than anything. Right now it's just above breast level feeling tight and hurts when I breath in deeply as if my lungs are balloons trying to over-inflate, iyswim?

Last Saturday was the worst, I [stupidly] decided to jump into the pool and capsize a kayak (which usually takes minimal effort!), shortly afterwards I was having trouble breathing as deep as I usually do and it was painful to breath in general.

No weekend docs, have to wait until Monday now and go in with the overly worried Mums and screaming kids who've managed to catch something over the weekend I'll go in first thing and insist on my Mum's doctors, they're the ones who are always picking up things that my own doctor seems to never see

Monday will be fine am sure. Like you say, no point going to OOH. Come back and tell me how you get on I'm very nosey concerned

Yeah, it's been fine all this time so should be alright as long as I stick to coaching and not capsizing at kayaking

Lol, I'll try remember to update you

Yes - go back and see another doc but don't mention the tamiflu just tell them you had SF in Jult and haven't been right since.

It's likely it's an after effect of the swine flu rather than anything to do with the tamiflu - my nephew has had numerous complications with chest including pneumonia since having SF.

Saw the doc after an hour and a half of waiting this morning She thinks that I have something called Tietze's Syndrome. After explaining about the swine flu she said it was purely coincidental that it came after it, I was probably ill for a while afterwards hence the chest pains then but then this Tietze's kicked in gradually and came to a head after I triggered it on my NY Day paddle. There's nothing I can do about it but wait and have ibuprofen to ease the pain

dh had what we think was swine flu in august, and he hasnt been the same since. bad chest, particularly, tonight he is off to gp's
am worried about pneumonia.

I hope he gets an actual answer! I'm going to leave mine for a month and if it's still bad then I'll go back again. Swine flu seems to have wrecked havoc on everybody who seems to have had it. Maybe SF is more serious than they originally thought?

how could your gp totally dismiss the sf connection?
anyway heres hoping the ibuprofen does the trick porph.

This was a different doctor who is generally better, she's one of the two decent ones at my practice and is one of the ones who helped me out a lot with my knee problems growing up (which unfortunately is now completely undiagnosed but thats a separate issue!).

Hopefully this doc is right in what she said RE the connection to sf being purely coincidental, this Tietze's seems to me very likely, which if that is the case then hopefully it'll go in the next couple of months as the fact sheets say as I've already had the more intense pains for a month now

Thanks for the hoping! I'll be doing the same!

Evening! Just stopping in to say glad you got it sorted and hope the ibruprofen sorts it out and you'll be back to full strength paddling v soon

Thank you