Rib Pain/Chest Pain/What do I say to get doctor to sign me off?

[TCrystal]

Afternoon everyone. Last Thursday I rang GP to get signed off work prior to this I got random stabbing pain in the left side of my chest that radiates to the ribs/back and it takes my breath away to breath in and sleep at night. However from the symptoms I described they told me to go to A&E for testing for PE.

After a horrible 14 hours in hospital we came to the conclusion it wasn’t clots or heart related, however I was let go with not much feedback of what it was and handed some cocodamol. I phoned work up and explained the situation and told them I’d self cert for the week as the pain wasn’t touched by the pain killers and I’m absolutely knackered from barely sleeping.

I personally think it’s Costochondritis from looking at my symptoms online, is it worth suggesting this to the doctors? And if I ask for them to sign me off will they be happy to do this, I’ll be 26 weeks on Wednesday.

Get them to check you properly! I had pleurisy when pregnant and spent 3 weeks in hospital on morphine and had morphine at home when I finally left.

It’s funny you say that because on the discharge letter it says pleuritic type pain but I haven’t had any cold or flu and they checked my bloods and didn’t really expand on it and performed X ray no evidence of consolidation it says! That’s why I’m leaning towards more likely inflammation.

@TCrystal I have had pleurisy 7 times unfortunately. Xrays can't pick it up. Pleurisy is inflammation between the lung and outside of the lung. It hurts like he'll! Doctor needs to listen to ur lungs when breathing, it makes a crackling sound. As to be checked by ur doctor.

They did ECG tests twice, oxygen levels, Blood pressure, Bloods & 2 different doctors listened to me breathing in and out and they said it was clear 🤔I must be a mystery 😬. I honestly just thought it would have been my muscles/ribs stretching out the further along I got and the bigger baby got!

If you want to be signed off work, just tell the doctor you don't feel well enough to work. You don't need to second guess at the diagnosis or skirt around the issue.

I intend to ask my worry is will they put it down as pregnancy related issue because otherwise it will go against my absence that’s why I’d like to get to the root cause of it.

Could it be gallbladder?

Does it really matter if it goes against your absence when you’re going on maternity leave soon anyway? Surely it’ll be a different year when you go back to work

Not really no however I don’t think I should be penalised for something I know is probably my body stretching out to house a baby, especially when work haven’t exactly helped me throughout my pregnancy.

I don’t think so as it’s on the left side not right!