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Original poster

scared i might have something seriously wrong

88 replies

alypaly · 18/04/2010 02:11

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
alypaly · 22/04/2010 23:48

jabber you might be right. i have had a funny weird cough that would occur when i laid down probably on and off for the last 3 or 4 years.Doc did give me a ventolin which did help on occasions then,but has done nothing this time. If i ever raised my voice at DS2 i occasionally went breathless.

I have a spirometry appt on may 5th,but that feels a million miles away at the moment.

I wonder if having pneumonia 3 times before has damaged my lungs. Every time i fly to a hot or cold destination i get a chest infection. I love the holiday but dread coming home. Although ive had pneumonis twice whilst away skiing in france.

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jabberwocky · 23/04/2010 01:42

Yes, I used to bark like a seal. I called it my stress cough as it always came on when I overdid it. Also might happen when trying to take a deep breath, etc. I remember absolutely loving the wet sauna and happily remarking to others while in there "Oh, it's SO easy to breathe in here!" I had no idea that they didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

Original poster
alypaly · 23/04/2010 08:47

was trying to work out whe it got worse and i have come up with a theory. Have been tiling my kitchen with limestone which has needed cutting,using adhesive and finally i have been using a specialised ivory coloured grout from Topps for tiles and i have just seen on the packet that it says lung irritant. I wonder if i should take the packet to my gp this morning incase i have done some serious damage to my lungs.

Can anyone tell me if they experience the mucus in their lungs going stickier and more difficult to cough up as the evening and night wear on. I seriously thought i was going to either choke or drown last night. I am knackered.

Have i possibly got bronchitis or emphysema(worst case scenario in head now after seeing grout packet)
Feel like im going to peg it

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jabberwocky · 23/04/2010 13:52

I would let your gp know about it. My feeling is that (hopefully) you have not done permanent damage to your lungs but otoh it's not helping matters either. We have carpet only in one room of the house so that we can cut down on dust and run the fan and/or an air purifier especially when the pollen is really bad. AT our other house we got one of those special filters put on the air system and I could actually tell when it was put in place even before the worker guy came to tell me. It was noticeably easier to breathe!

Original poster
alypaly · 24/04/2010 00:52

Jabber......told my gp about it and it didnt seem to register....despite mentioning chromium. Still feeling crap. Been to see gp again today and stupidly just broke down crying as i feel so unwell. I have really uncomfortable central chest pain as if i have pressure under my sternum It is most disconcerting and stressing me out. Now doc has added in codeine linctus to try and suppress the cough ( but didnt fill me with cnfidence when she said it will sedate the cough and help me expectorate...huh! it either does one or the other and codeine is most definitely not an expectorant) Loosing faith and confidence by the minute.

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jabberwocky · 24/04/2010 02:23

Do you think you might have whooping cough? Probably not, but just trying to think...

Original poster
alypaly · 25/04/2010 23:40

wnet to my caravan at the weekend to try and chill out. Slept half the weekend and then went for a small walk. Walked about 200metres and then had to go back to van to sit down,fell sleep again...OMG what is wrong with me. I can normally play badminton for hours non stop.

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jabberwocky · 26/04/2010 03:09

I couldn't even walk up the neighbor's rather steep driveway when I was ill. It's going to take a while to recover. I was on antibiotics for 10 days iirc and then it seems like it was a bit before I felt fully back to myself.

Original poster
alypaly · 27/04/2010 18:41

coughing is subsiding a bit but only due to the codeine linctus. If i stop taking it i start coughing again. Am still getting the chest pain especially at night and i am still soooooooooo tired. I am going to be at 8pm and falling asleep....oooooooooh i want to be better.

Have pulled out of my badminton as i still dont feel well enough. Its a month since i started with this. It seems like an awfully long time.

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misspollysdolly · 27/04/2010 22:54

I was really sick with a similar thing to you in November, Aly and it took me a good 6-8 weeks to actually start feeling well. I still experience pain in my lower left rib cage when I am v tired, viral/poorly or when I laugh or cry a lot. It takes time and patience - be kind to yourself MPD

jabberwocky · 28/04/2010 00:09

A month is really not that long, unfortunately, when you have something like this. As misspolly said, it takes time. Be kind to yourself and give another week or two.

Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 00:28

MPD my pain is in the middle of my chest around my heart and this last few days my abdomen has become quite distended. I really feel crap.......going to bed really early.no energy.....im really not myself. Feel as though i have made a nuisance of myself at the docs but it is making me feel pretty uneasy. dont like the feeling of cotton wooly lungs. I have never smoked either so cant understand why i get pneumonia so frquently

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Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 00:39

Hi - has your gp ordered blood tests for you? General ones. Only suggestion I have, apart from using out of hours dr if it gets worse (they can give you a nebuliser which helps you breath and only takes 20mins or so, or other appropriate treatments). With bloods they can test your immune system - your IgA, IgG and other 3 antibodies that protect your body from infection. Very unlikely you have low Immunoglobulins, but ones one blood test (IgA and IgG are ones in lung area if I remember correctly) and very cheap!

Hopeyou feel better soon.

Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 00:51

ill stay on this thread as i dont want to hog someone elses.
I had an immunoglobulin transfusion in 2003 as i was very poorly after catching an adenovirus(parvo virus). They did tell me at the time that it was likely that i would need them for the rest of my life. They did IgG and IgM at the time.

Thanks for the well wishes. I live on my own with DS2 and i feel a bit panicky when im alone at night

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Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 01:01

Hey don't think you hoggind any threads.

Worth an ask for Immunoglobulin tests - they can change over time and IgA is the one that particularly protects mucosal lings, like lungs. They cannot do transfusions for that one, but I have good treatment package and less infections and prompt and appropriate treatment for it. NOT saying you have it, but for mid-term might be worth checking.

Oh - with son on own, not nice. Feel for you. Does sitting up with propped pillows ease pain?

Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:19

sitting with 5 pillows eases the cough but not the pain.Just taken half a sleeping tablet to see if it will help stop me worrying. Where abouts are you keziah.....hope ive not kept you up

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Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:23

how did i end up back on the other thread...am definitely staying on this one

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Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:25

DS2 is more like a man now . He is 17.5,but he is still my baby........all 6'4" of him

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Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 01:29

aww - useful height

Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:35

are you in britain keziah or are you just another insomniac like me. Ive chatted to you before on some other threads a while ago IIRC

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Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 01:37

hi, yes you have.
In Britain and insomniac!

Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 01:38

Last night read whole book, tonight laptop in bed - and still did work. Am hoping will sleep tomorrow

Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:42

im in bed with laptop too.........got ipod aswell. am hoping my sleeping tablet will make me drowsy soon.

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Original poster
alypaly · 28/04/2010 01:44

just changing the subject....have you seen that board tracker rubbich which has all our coversations on ut?

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Keziahhopes · 28/04/2010 01:46

no - what is it?

Swipe left for the next trending thread