Pleurisy

Just an update.. I've seen my GP, and the chest pain/cramping and trouble breathing that I have been having is pleurisy. I'm glad I know what it is now, and that it isn't dangerous. I have ibuprofen for pain/inflammation and it seems to be helping.

I hope everyone is feeling good today!
Helen

5 Comments

Good News!

by Dyffryn - 2008-05-26 04:05:32

It's nice to hear that it is pleurisy Helen and now, at least, you now have peace of mind knowing it is nothing more serious. Good luck for the future.

David

Hi Helen

by Bionic Beat - 2008-05-26 05:05:57

At least you now know what the pain is about.

Hope you're feeling better in a few days.

Bionic Beat

Try this

by hotform - 2008-05-26 10:05:43

I had pleurisy years ago and it hurt bad.
When I went to the doctor he explained that the lining between my chest wall and lungs was inflamed and causing the problem.
He gave me some big horse pills to take for it, but they did nothing. I finally reasoned that if it was inflamed, I could take the inflammation down by applying ice packs to my ribs. It worked. I felt great after doing the ice packs overnight and never took another pill for it again.
I had a friend who had the same thing and I told her about the ice packs. The first hour she tried it, she swore she was going to kill me as she said it hurt worse. But she kept it up and the next day her pain was gone also.
Give it a try, it's cheap and your not out anything if it didn't work for you. Rick

pleurisy

by HelenB - 2008-05-27 10:05:08

Yes - I'm glad I saw my GP and he knew what it was. I didn't go to the ER because I live in a rural area and the nearest hospital is miles away, and of course I can't drive yet with the new ICD. I love living in the country, but sometimes it can be frustrating living so far away from quick medical care (though the GP will make housecalls if it's absolutely necessary). At least there's always "911" if I really need it!

And thanks, Rick, for the tip about the ice. I will try it today! The anti-inflammatories (just ibuprofen) seem to be working but the chest/shoulder area still feels kind of "tender", especially if I try to do too much bending or stretching with my upper body. The ice sounds like a good way to get the swelling down.

Thanks again everyone,
Helen

Good GP

by ElectricFrank - 2008-05-27 12:05:32

You are fortunate to have a GP who picked up on the real problem. The usual response to "chest pain" is a whole battery of cardiac evaluations. I once made the mistake of checking chest pain on a docs evaluation form. I wrote a note next to it that I had been pruning trees the for several days and it was just my chest muscles being sore. His nurse took one look at it and rushed me into the examining room and was ready to hook me up to a ECG. I can't even remember what I actually went in for but I had to get downright nasty to get my real need looked at.

frank

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