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Bibasilar subsegmental atelectasis (lung collapse)
Hi, I've been having breathing problems, chest pain for over a month now. All of my symptoms started on February 23, 2019 after I was running and overexerted myself pretty badly. For weeks my doctor was giving me anxiety as the cause, until finally I bothered him enough that he ordered a stress test. When they did the stress test they found "possible pericarditis" and I was started on colchicine and ibuprofen. However, in the blood test they did not find any inflammatory markers. I've gotten worse since. I have shortness of breath all the time and rapid breathing attacks more often. My heart also has had periods of fast beating out of nowhere, which took me to the emergency room last Tuesday, where they did a CT scan. On the CT Scan they found no pericardial effusion, but they did find bibasilar subsegmental atelectasis. This apparently is partial collapse of lungs, which appears to match my symptoms exactly. However, despite this diagnosis, my doctor does not think the atelectasis has anything to do with my breathing problems or chest pain. He hasn't even ordered a pulmonary referral to check. I have since gone to another doctor who did think I should see a pulmonary specialist, so I found one who will take me next week. I'll probably have to go to another ER soon as well. Has anyone gone through a CT scan where they found this atelectasis?
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I agree....he led me down the wrong road and I ended up hospitalized with something that should have gotten treatment weeks ago. If he wants to be a lazy doctor then he shouldn't be one.
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1 Reaction....admittedly with the pleurisy pain I've had today I don't feel like a success story....I started getting scared they missed an embolism because it hurt so much (my original primary care doctor did a D-dimer test after I kept bothering him and assured me that ruled out a pulmonary embolism, however, I was then told at the first ER I went to that D-dimer tests aren't definitive...D-dimer tests don't pick up pulmonary embolisms!)...However, the CT scan I did last Tuesday (April 2) at the ER did not see a pulmonary embolism, and the pulmonologist actually did an ultrasound of my legs this past week to check for clots because my right calf has been crampy for about 8 days now. He didn't seem alarmed by anything he saw though. If any of you out there are having chest pain and breathlessness...I say don't be scared of going to the ER as soon as possible.
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1 ReactionYou and you alone know your body best, what is normal and abnormal. Doctors run a “ practice” for a reason… no matter how many decades they spend “ doctoring” they will never know it all or see it all. Barring Hypochondria, if something’s not right push until you get results.
I went to the hospital ER yesterday because I was having pain in my left rib cage, front side and back at times. I did observe some shortness of breath that kind of came and went moreso than usual. The only thing they found on my CT was the bibasalar subsegmental atelectasis and they said it was not anything life threatening. I had covid a little over 1 year ago and have had increased palpitations and this is pain in my ribs is terrible. It is really painful. I am following up with my PCP. Hopefully it goes away on its own. One other thing I read somewhere is that things that make you more susceptible to this or that can cause it are weight gain if extra weight is pushing up on your ribs and causing you not to fully inflate your lungs. I've gained alot of weight recently so I'm wondering if this is part of my problem. I do feel very uncomfortable working at the computer now all day so just wondering if this has been a factor for me. wanted to pass on what I knew and say that YES I too had this diagnosis.
by the way, they did not say that this bibasalar thing is causing my pain and that isn't a common symptom apparently, but it sure does hurt like someone has been punching me a few times in the rib cage. what did your pain feel like and did you get rid of the problem by now?