Pericarditis/Constrictive Pericarditis

Good morning my son is 26 years old I took an appointment with Mayo Clinic for second opinion but they won’t see him unit October 30 so I was trying to look for answers/solutions

Hello @pureprousa,

I'm sorry to hear that you son is still dealing with a high fever and bed rest. How old is your son?

Do you live near a university medical center and/or a Mayo facility where you can get a second opinion?

Here is a Mayo Clinic video about this condition along with treatment options:

Hi Teresa my son had done and echo ct scan and ekg X-ray blood work to show high inflammation markers since he has severe chest pain that radiate to his shoulders and neck they diagnosed him with pericarditis he also had an effusion where they had to tap him and get the fluid out they gave him colchicine and pain med but he is still spiking fevers and in bed for two months now and I was wondering if anyone have had this experience or how long did it take them to recover please help

Hello @pureprousa,

Welcome to Mayo Connect and for starting this discussion on pericarditis, I appreciate your concern for your son and for seeking to learn something about this disorder and how others have dealt with this diagnosis. Connect is a place where we can learn from each other.

There are numerous members on Connect who have posted about pericarditis. Here is a link to one of those discussions:

Also, here is a link to a Mayo Clinic website that will provide you with more information, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pericarditis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352510

You don't mention much about your son's condition. If you are comfortable sharing more, please let us know how long he had symptoms before the diagnosis was made and what tests were done to confirm this diagnosis.

What type of treatment has his doctor started to help with this condition?

This doesn't sound good.... Fever? In bed for 2 months? Severe chest pain? I would take him to the hospital stat and have him admitted. That is where you see the specialists on site and get all the tests immediately. If it has to do with the heart, patients are seen immediately. Please write us back to say that you did take him to the hospital and that he is being treated. Often guys (is he an adult?) are reluctant to complain and seem like they are whining and so then their symptoms are not taken seriously.
I read that the more people are with a patient when visiting a doctor, the more seriously the doctor takes the condition. Keep that in mind. Help is right around the corner.

Of course he was hospitalized twice all tests were done and everything came back negative he has seen three if not four cardiologist so far not much on what the cause is

Hi @pureprousa,

You may notice that I moved your message and combined it with this existing discussion so that it might be easier to connect with others, like @helena4000 @jacii @martingraham37 @vermontrob @judyk709, who’ve written about pericarditis.
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic video that @hopeful33250 shared earlier:
– https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pericarditis/multimedia/treating-pericarditis-video/vid-20139209

Today my Primary care doctor diagnosed me with pericarditis for now atleast and is giving me NSAIDs for a few weeks to see how I do. As far as symptoms go it lines up, but no ekg, ct scan, or X-ray I’ve had done showed anything that would indicate pericarditis. I also asked me doctor if I should get more tests done and he said there was no need. Should I get another ekg and maybe an X-ray just Incase?

Hi @cjfutrell, I moved your post to a discussion about pericarditis. We like to keep like conversations together to give members a chance to connect with people that have shared issues and diagnoses. That way you don't have to respond in multiple places.

What symptoms are you currently having that align with pericarditis, CJ?

Thank you! This all started 3 months ago my sinuses were 100% blocked for two weeks. It was hell I couldn’t sleep or breathe right. I had a sort of panic attack at one point and then an asthma attack as well. Since then I have had constant chest pain sometimes bearable sometimes intense enough for me to go to the ER. EKG chest X-ray ct scan with contrast blood tests all come back good. I was thought to have pneumonia which wasn’t true. They then thought it was just anxiety, but my pain never goes away. Now my current doctor thinks I have pericarditis and put me on ibuprofen after saying he would try and put me on colchicine. Based on my symptoms of constant chest pain, shortness of breath, and pain that can radiate to neck and shoulders and back, and instant intense chest pressure and heaviness when lying on my back. I want to go back to feeling how I was before all of this. I. Ant move around as much these days and my legs/back/ feet are in pain on and off now from being sedentary. I don’t know what else to do, since none of my tests have shown anything unless they were overlooked.