Pain in chest for months

Hi @chlcrene1993, welcome to Connect. I can imagine that you are worried, but as you know worry and paranoia are counterproductive and not helpful. Easier said that done, I know. But you've taken the first step to helping yourself to calm down by reaching out to others.

Let's start with information. Here's an explanation from Mayo Clinic about pleurisy: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pleurisy/symptoms-causes/syc-20351863 The article suggests that viral infection will likely to clear on its own.

Be sure to get as much rest as possible. Are you able to medication such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) to relieve pain and inflammation? As hard as it might be, are you able to reduce the amount you smoke?

I have been resting as much as I can. Ibuprofen has not been helping as much as I would like it too. I have looked up pliercy a lot and it should only last a few weeks. But this has been going on for over a month. And I feel like something else is going on and don't know what to tell my doctors so they will further investigate. I seriously feel like I'm gonna die from this. And I just want to get it figured out and get back to my normal life.

I'd like to tag a few members like @lisakuehl @merpreb and @windwalker to see if they have some additional thoughts.

You may also be interested in this discussion about pleural effusion that @cindyconstien started:
- No cause found for persistent pleural effusions https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/no-cause-found-for-persistent-pleural-effusions/

Good morning @chlcrene1993- I'd like to ask you a few questions concerning your medial care, it you don't mind. What kind of doctor are you seeing for this? Are you able to cough up any mucus? Did the tests that you had in the ER show that you have liquid in your lungs or are they dry? You could ask your doctor for some additional pain relief but be careful, some pain medications can suppress breathing, which is the opposite of what you want. If you have scar tissue that could also be the cause of some of you breathing problems. I had pleurisy as a smoker years ago. There doesn't seem to be a direct cause relationship between smokers and pleurisy but smoking can exacerbate it.
Here's some information for you: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158813.php

Thank you for your concern. I am seeing a M.D. at mercy residency. I have been seeing her since October 2018. When I cough. I wouldn't say it's full on mucus, more like phlegm. My nose has been dry and stuffy, so most of the time I'm sucking that through my throat and spitting it out. When the er took the xray the first time with bronchitis they told me there were clear. Then when I went in with continued pain a few weeks later, they did another xray and said that was clear. I asked questions to the nurse if they were able to detect lung cancer with those images and she said that would be something the doctor would notice, so amusing they didn't tell me anything. I don't think that is a threat at the moment. I don't understand why these doctors aren't very thorough and I wish they would show the xrays to give me some piece of mind. My doctor prescribed me a genetic brand of flexerol and I only take that before bed when the pain is stronger than normal. I find my body being tired a lot more often and easier. When the pain becomes really strong is generally when I know I need to call it quits for the day and go to sleep. I appreciate your and any answers you can give. I feel like this disease is just spreading through my entire body, is that normal?

@chlcrene1993- Good morning. You have the right to see any and all tests, images, etc. Have yu ever had a CT scan? Your doctor needs to sit down and explain what is happening. You have to know in order to best make decisions ie. your care. I have no idea what is happening to your body @chlcrene1993- You need to find that out from your doctor.

No I've never had a ct scan. That is next on my list to bring up to the doctor. That and a MRI is what I am wanting to have done just to ween out the bad possibilities.

Hello. Where can I start. Well I've been dealing with Chest pain for months now and it's getting worse. Feels like there's pressure and its really tight. I have fluttering feelings. I did an Echo and an ECG which were fine. I later on developed a swollen inguinal lymph node which was biopsied and came out as sinus histiocytiosis.. Could this be linked to my chest pain, I'm struggling for breath . An recent showed peri hilar lymaphadenopathy Can anybody help, I'm losing my mind

Hi @roger191, I moved your message to this discussion that @chlcrene1993 started only a couple of days ago. Click VIEW & REPLY to read through the messages and ideas put forward by members. @khanmuheet you may also be interested in this discussion.

@chlcrene1993 - Hello! And stop freakin' out! Just kidding; you can freak out a little bit. 😉 First of all, I am NOT a doctor; I'm a guy that just a few months ago had a viral infection in my respiratory system (among other things), and felt like I might be dying. It's crazy scary when you can't breathe properly. Unfortunately, if you have a viral infection I don't think Z packs are going to help.

The .gov* says, "For most viral infections, treatments can only help with symptoms while you wait for your immune system to fight off the virus." That means you might want to be drinking a lot of water, eating good stuff, and getting a lot of sleep. Also, watch a few black and white movies or whatever it is that slows you down. Try focusing all your mental energies on healing yourself - which sounds a little nonsensical but is also exactly, literally what your immune system is trying to do.

If you find your thoughts drifting toward the negative, try to think about how you might change your life to make things more satisfying in the future. For me, there was more material than I would have hoped, but it gave me something else to think about. Also, I took Naproxen** for tenseness, Prednisone** for an allergy I was suspected of having, and ener-C every other day. Not too sure how much the ener-C helped (if at all), but it didn't hurt anything and it - along with getting rest and staying hydrated - made me feel like I was helping myself a little.

Regarding your doctor... you might think less in terms of gathering a list of requests for him/her, and look at it more like a logic tree that you are trying to disembark. That is, you said something about cancer. If this is bothering you, the stress it is generating is not helping you heal. Just ask your doctor straight out, "How can we absolutely rule out cancer? What steps do we need to take to get an answer?"

By working with your doctor you can navigate the unknown using a logical process of elimination. All you have to do is make sure you understand what you are being told; that's key. If you don't get it, it's no time to be bashful; politely ask them to go through it one more time. And you do that over and over until you do understand what the doctor (and possibly his/her colleagues) believe is the best course of action for you - and why they have come to that conclusion. Without that information, it would be difficult for you to provide informed consent to the treatment plan.

Finally, after you think you have a pretty good picture of where you are in the medical process and you've defined your path forward, ask the doc what the good news is. 🙂 But seriously, there's usually something that's not as bad as it could have been and that's not a bad place to start looking for positive vibes.

Anyway, keep your chin up and be well!

* See medlineplus .gov /viralinfections.html

** Be sure to read the warnings on all your drugs so you know their potential side effects and can keep an eye out.

PS Maybe even one less cigarette here and there would help a little? No? Yes? 😏