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
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
PAINFUL 24-7
My daughter has had 2 attacks of pleurisy since Xmas, both times she went to the walk-in centre because the pain was so bad she couldn't wait until the gp opened in the morning. On both occasons, she had to wait up to 3 hours, only to be sent to another hospital for tests, which took another 2 hours. By this time she was hysterical with the pain (she's only 17,) it was 3am, and all they gave her was paracetamol! I don't know why they can't find something effective for pleurisy, it's obviously almost unbearably painful. I totally sympathise with you. If you have only been to your gp, I think I would try either casualty or a local walk in centre. As you have already been prescribed meds that don't work, you may get referred to someone a little more experienced than your gp, no matter how hard they try, I'm sure they can't keep up to date with all the available drugs. I hope you feel better soon. Apparently pleurisy can come and go, sometimes only lasting a couple of days, sometimes a couple of months. My daughter's lasted about a week on both occasions. 
My mother has had pleurisy for 16 weeks now. Along with the severe pain she also feels very ill and I am becoming increasingly concerned. She has had about 10 lots of antibiotics and a chest xray. When the results of this were returned to her GP he told her that there was infection there and simply prescribed more antibiotics. Unfortunately, none of this treatment appears to be resolving the problem and I am concerned that possibly the GP is not doing all that he could to help her. He of course assures her that he is. Has anybody ever had a similar experience to this, as I and my mum, especially, could really do with some reassurance that the condition will eventually right itself.
Incidentally, she is 61 and had a kidney removed 15 months ago.
I hope you will get better soon!!! I´m from Finlang and I had quite awfull pleurisy. I got help from medicine called Panacod (in Finland) - there is codein in it and it often helps to the lungproblems. I´m sure your pleurisy will go away - but it can last even three or four months (like my pleurisy - but pain wasn´t so hard after two months).
I too have suffered since mid december 2007. My doc gave me tylex (paracetamol + 30mg codine ) & told me to take brufen too. The pain is intense and i felt so ill . It is now the end of feb 2008 & i feel ok ish now but still have slight pain and am still taking brufen. I have just started with another cold & cough ( which is how it all started last time) i am just hoping that i dont get a chest infection an go bk to square 1 . I really couldnt cope again . Hope you feel better soon. Heat packs do help to relive the pain sue x
I'm so sorry, you are having to go through this!
I was diagnosed with pleurisy, Feb. of 08, (the symptoms began in Jan.) I ended up with a pleural effusion. I still have pain in the area, where it started. It's not the same severity but it is constant! I would seek a second opinion, if I were you. It sounds like your Dr. may not understand the pain associated with your condition.
I hope you feel better, soon.
I had Pleurisy first in Feb 2008 and then at Christmas 2008.Jn 2009. I have never fully recovered. I thought i had something serious after the pluerisy/pneumonia stopped and had numerous tests. All were clear. I am still suffering and wake up in pain every day around my right shoulder blade, ribs and hip. It is a muscualr pain, with a tight feeling down the side from under my armpit. I have been worried that it could be something more serious, but it doesn't get any worse, or any better. Any thoughts?
Hello,
In reply to the Lady Above,Im currently suffering a bout of Viral Pleurisy 
.....and was wondering if the pain your suffering could be musclular,as you thought??.....I know at the moment Im holding myself,as its so painful to breath,and know from past experiance ,this along with coughing,etc,can lead to pain and weakness,possible tearing of the surrounding muscles.
Ive had Pleurisy before,and been left with muscle pain :roll: .Obviously you really must get it checked out properly though!!
Just to add to the conversation in general,Im also a Lupus sufferer,and have had a fair ammout of pain during illness.....I find GPs/A&E etc, dont really take the issue of pain seriously,unless it is actually leading to something such as heart attack......if the pain is a symptom,rather than an actual cause which means the illness is dangerously leading to something,your quite likely to leave an A&E dept with paracetamol.
Yes,pain-killers can be addictive blah,blah,but living in pain is a nightmare,it may not be life threatening as such,but it certainly is \"quality\" of life destroying :cry: .
I hope you all find some relief very soon,Jayne
Hi there
I had my first bout with pleurisy in 2007 which lasted about 2 months, from which I fully recovered, and am now going through my second which began 10 days ago.
I have found that reducing as much movement as possible for the longest period seems to work for me in terms of recovering. It can get frustrating to sit around all the time and get back to doing things too quickly, even if there's still a lot of pain. I highly recommend AGAINST this, because in my experience it only prolongs the pain and inflammation.
At the moment I've been working from home and haven't left my flat in 4 days. I am also avoiding carrying anything remotely weighty, because that also seems to flare things up. Long baths and keeping heat on the painful areas also seems to help, and I now have an electric blanket that I sleep with which eases the tension from my muscles around the painful areas when I sleep.
I think having pain that extends quite low (to the hips or middle) is quite normal. The first time I was diagnosed, I ignored the symptoms for way too long because I thought it must be a pulled muscle. This time I know the signs and so was able to keep it from getting as bad as the first time.
Both times I've been taking Co-codamol and Ibuprofen, which seems to work alright in terms of alleviating pain. But again, it's easy to think you're getting better on the painkillers faster than you are, so put off getting back to normal activity until you feel no more pain when not taking medication.
Hopefully this will be helpful for someone, but I think what's needed the most when recovering from pleurisy is patience. And that sucks!
L
I been 3 times to the ER, first time I was send home with no anwnser, the second time I was told I had pleurisy, never hear of it before,they gave me a inflammatory medication and some nausea meds, 2 days later I ended back in the ER from the pain that I could not take anymore, so now I'm on steroids a heavy dose of
Antibiotics that's making me pretty much more nauseating , nausea meds and a inhaler and vicodine,I'm starting to feel a little better but worried about when I run out of this meds
I live in the US and have the same problems with my GP. I have been suffering from this for 6 weeks now.; He originally said I had a fatty pleura and just needed to lose weight. So I come home to investigate fatty pleura and found it nowhere on the web. So I went to a 2nd doctor in Urgent Care who diagnosed me with pleurisy. My doctor is hesitant to give pain killers, but he finally did get around to referring me to a pulminary doctor whom I have not seen yet. Hopefully this doctor will understand how much pain comes with this. At this point I don't care if they open me up and drain the fluid. But if he chooses not to, I hope they give me something for the pain. Oxycodone worked quite well, but not the prescribed amount. I had to end up taking 30mg of it for it to make me not care about the pain. Of course with that much I could not work either because I am so knocked out. This is frustrating and I do not know why doctors are so hesitant in prescribing pain medicine especially since I have been with him for about three years and this is the first time I have ever begged him for pain meds.
I'm at the point where I can not take it anymore, I feel like I'm knocking on heavens door and to be honest I just don't care anymore, I feel like I' can not take this anymore, I'm in tears every day, I'm emotional and physically drained
Thank you for these comments. I hate to think anyone is suffering but you don't know how encouraging it is to hear that other people have encountered the same symptoms. I was beginning to think I was losing my grip on reality. The symptoms almost everyone describes are very similar to mine. It all began with a bad cold which went to my chest. I began having pain in my right rib cage area, then in back, making me think it might be a kidney ailment, then in the abdominal area. Due to the pain's moving about, I didn't go to the Dr. since I did not know how to explain what I was experiencing. Two weeks later, the pain was so severe and concentrated in my right lung area, I HAD to go to the Dr. He had an x-ray taken which showed I had pneumonia but he never said that word. He said I had a lung infection and a seepage. Thankfully, he did prescribe Tramadol, which has helped SO much. He also prescribed a muscle relaxant. I spent Christmas in a fog of pain and weakness. It was terrible. Now, two months and a half later, I am beginning to feel the pain easing up some and am getting some energy back. Another Dr. prescribed an inhaler, which seemed to help me turn the corner. It is sad we are experiencing this but at least it is apparently the way this illness acts. It is good to know that what I know I'm feeling is real and not something I've come up with for whatever reason. Hopefully, everyone will find a Dr. who understands the degree of pain pleuritic pain causes and can receive the adequate pain medication to relieve it while the pleura heals.Please, Doctors, pay attention when your patient says he/she has severe pain. It is sharp enough to literally take your breath away, making you yell out and it makes it impossible to go on with normal life. Thank you.
I started having severe pain on the right side of my ribcage one week or so ago. I thought I had a broken rib from coughing so much and so hard for the previous several days. Then the pain spread to include my left ribcage and was the most severe pain I have ever felt, and it does make it extremely hard to cough, sneeze, hiccup or even bend over at the waist! I went to see my pulmonary doctor who did a complete blood count and a chest x-ray. I also was feeling like there was swelling or pressure in the affected areas. Well, since my chest xray didn't really show pleural effusion or any sign of fractured ribs and the cbc was somethat ok, (there were elevated white blood cells) I was completely blown off!!! No pain medicine, just take Tylenol was told and because I am scheduled for a lumpectomy for breast cancer next week, the doctor didn't even prescribe anything! This is awful pain!!! I did find a heating pad helped and I'm not supposed to take any Ibuprofen or Naproxen before my scheduled surgery so I am taking some borrowed Norco (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) which helps a little. I was so upset and crying today because the doctor's office didn't even return my call when I called to let them know that I was still in severe pain and that this had been going on for a week now. I try not to wish bad things on people, but....I bet if they were the ones experiencing this pain that they would be trying to make it stop. I can't imagine this being a permanent part of my life!!
I got a cold virus a couple of weeks ago and had a major coughing spell (the most violent I've ever experienced) 9 days ago. Immediately following the coughing spell I had a dull achy feeling in my left lung. A couple of hours later it turned into a very sharp pain in my left lung. I called the Dr on call since it was after hours and described the situation and he told me that I probably pulled some muscles coughing, but I should probably be seen the following morning. Coughing, blowing my nose, and getting a deep breath were excruciating. The next morning I went to my doctor and he diagnosed viral pleurisy and recommended a chest x-ray to rule out Pneumonia. The x-ray came back negative for Pneumonia, but my doctor said that the pain from viral pleurisy could last for 7-10 days. Its been 8 full days and I still have the pain, although it isn't nearly as intense. Hoping it's gone in a couple more days. I'm afraid I may have made it take longer to heal due to the fact that I walked on our treadmill (albeit slowly) and used our rowing machine, also very slowly, but the pain that night was terrible. No more exercise for me for a while until I am pain free. Sleeping on the painful side makes a huge difference, much easier to sleep! Taking Ibuprofen about every 6-8 hours. Rest seems to be the best thing toward healing from this. Hopeful to never get this awful thing again.
@ Frittlengen. Are you any better? I hope so! All I can offer is that REST seems to be the key. It takes a long time to heal and the more active you are, the more the pain persists. On the other hand, apparently some gentle walking is good to help ones lungs expand and to keep the circulation going. I've had this for 3 months and 3 weeks and finally feel somewhat better. The pain is still there but much more manageable, more like a sensation than the hot, stabbing knife I had experienced. Hope everyone else on here has healed well or is in the process.
@Cindy0619 I just wondered if you have had your surgery and how you are doing. About the Dr. not calling back, I would INSIST. You are in pain. You deserve to be paid attention to when this happens. Hope you feel better by now.
In reply to janni 79600: The pain with coughing finally subsided enough that I was able to have the lumpectomy and then I was in pain from that too but had an RX for pain medicine, Hydrocodone, plus I started using a heating pad which helped tremendously. The Dr called back later I the week before my surgery because I did call his office a couple of more times about the pain and he apologized saying it wasn't made clear to him before about the severity of my pain so he ordered a Cat scan with contrast to rule out pneumonia or blood clots. I guess I am happy to say that nothing really bad was seen on xray or the CT scan. But the Dr never even said the word pleurisy which I find extremely curious since it hurt worse than any pain I've ever experienced.
So as of today I am feeling ok but there is still residual pain in the same areas but very mild. I think it was definitely pleurisy brought on by whatever was making me cough so violently. Thanks for asking. Also, I pray that it won't ever happen again and I plan to find a different Dr!
I'm glad to hear this Cindy0619. I was beginning to wonder if anyone on this site had ever gotten over it since mine has lasted so long. Hopefully, YES! I'm glad you are feeling better.
I agree with so many others.PLEURISY truly sucks. I am currently going through testing. I began to have symptoms FEB. I had left for spring break for a week and noticed relief, but I was also doing nothing during that time. When I returned and attempted to go back to work my symptoms continued to show. The worst is extreme fatigue. Has anyone else suffered from this!!?!?!?!?!?! The pain is bad, but I have been forced to leave work early due to exhaustion. Anyway I was curious to hopefully find relief from others if they were experiencing the fatigue and lethargic like I am. Please respond.