scared i might have something seriously wrong

[alypaly]

breathlessness/bag of feathers in chest started totally out of the blue about 4 weeks ago.dry cough started....no other symptoms except abit tired. persistent dry cough with a slight increase in clear phlegm. Cough more when i lie down.
got diagnosed at hospital with pericarditis 2 weeks ago as i developed a soreness around my heart.

Then got the worst ever sore throat with green phlegm(sorry TMI) and cough has got a bit worse since.
Beginning to wonder if the docs have missed something...scared because it all came on so suddenly.
It got worse after i flew home from a skiing holiday in france. Have had pneumonia 3 times before and scared of getting that again and worrying it might be cancer. why is my immune system so poor.I know thats probably silly,but lying here alone and awake,is doing my head in.

BP rise is a common side effect of steroid treatment but if it gets officially high ie 90+ they should treat it.

just keep getting it checked.

good. COPD gets worse over time. it's an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema. usually caused by smoking. it's diagnosed by spirometry which measures lung function.

ok, I guess then that was the test she had? She had to blow into a balloon or some sort of machine, don't remember...
But it is strange that you can have all those tests, nothing shows up and she's still having this hacking dry cough almost every time i speak to her

aly, sorry I keep dipping in and out so briefly. We have company this weekend so things are pretty busy.

Symptoms of bronchitis, coughing, chest feeling tight, fatigue, general feeling of being unwell. Used my inhaler and albuterol (breathing machine) but until I went on zythromycin for 10 days I just wasn't getting better.

thats ok jabberwocky

azithromycin is often very effective. it's not prescribed very often as it's expensive.

One of the things people in the US take for granted. We can go in and say, give me the strongest stuff you've got, I want to get well! and...they do it.

GPs here are loathed to prescribe it due to the expense. a myriad of cheaper anti bs are usually tried first.

Azithmoycin?
I don't think I've had that one.
I'm on prednisolone which is the steroids, have been for, I think 17 days now, and Clarithromycin for 14 days, plus amoxycillin for 10 days before that, and I have my normal inhalers, salbutamol and becotide (blue and brown to anyone familiar with asthma), plus I now have a purple one (chucked the box so not sure of the name).

I also have Co-Codamol 30/500 to deal with the chest pain on breathing.

I had stemitil last week too to help with the puking, but that has calmed down now.

Any more tablets and I will rattle!

Crap, I copied that spelling wrong, I meant azithromycin.

I forgot I was on a medrol dose pack (steroids) as well but nothing got me straight until the abs.

So I have to ask for the stronger stuff tomorrow?

I'm not sure, I mean the doctor is talking specialist and admission, can it really be as clear as prescribing this drug?
It can't be cheaper than specialist or admission can it?

I will ask though, I just want to be better.

Hard to say, muggle. It did the trick for me.

I will ask about it, I'd be daft not to.

Thanks for your help.

muggle.......azithromycin will only work for you if you have a bacterial infection.if you have had amoxycillin, or co-amoxiclav it is unlikely to work.

has the doc had your sputum cultured

to whoever mentioned bronchitis - it's not just a dry feeling, or just a cough. If I hadn't lay down on a sofa, arms wrapped round me cluthing my ribs, I most likely would have broken one coughing. Full-on bronchitis is pure torture.

OP - get THEE to a GP!!!

got me to a Gp at 03.45 this morning. Feeling crap. Chest feels so tight and cant stop coughing.
Now they have decided i have a pneumonia in the bottom of my right lung. The emergency doc has given me erythromycin and prednisolone so i have already taken my starting dose as i want to be able to breathe without coughing. I hope this sorts it out as i am really fed up and scared. Having all these scary diagnosis is a bit overwhelming,first pericarditis which i am now wondering if it was a bit of pleurisy as i now have pneumonia.Going to see my own doc tomorrow as the emergency doc has given me steroids without an enteric coating.(dont want any more complications).

Just feel like a good cry and a hug fed up with being ill every time i travel.This is my 4th time with a pneumonia

I'm glad you're getting treatment, but sorry you're feeling so crap.

I'm waiting for a call back about seeing a specialist as I'm still showing no signs of improvement.
Tis truly pants.

still no better....having massive coughing fits. Cant even talk on the phone without having a coughing fit.

I'm so sorry, aly. I was hoping you were feeling better.

hi jabber...still awake.wish i had a close friend to come and reassure me. been feeling crap today and a bit disappointed that the steroids havent helped. Its making me wonder what ive got. its definitelt giving me a bit of health anx. I should know better as ive worked as a dispenser for a very long time.But ive had one health scae after another for the last few years and some have been v serious.

aly- it can take several days for steroids to kick in. especially if you have had them before.

I do really wonder if you haven't had undiagnosed asthma? Mine went on for years without me knowing what it was. Now, if I let myself get run down things can get bad quickly. Do you guys have asthma/allergy specialists type clinics over there?

have you got a steam bath thingy going on to help moisten the air to make it easier to breathe?

Good idea! Even sitting in the bathroom with the hot shower running feels nice.