Chest Problem

[yochrono]

Birdgirl Please Respond :S3:

Early December I took myself to the hospital for sharp pains in my right side and also I was hacking up alot of brown phlegm like tar looking stuff. The doctor told me after a x-ray that it was just Pleurisy which is what was causing all the irritation in the first place along with possible Bronchitis. He prescribed me a anti-biotic and sent me on my way.

About two weeks after the ER visit I started to get the same stuff happening again even after I had finished my medication as prescribed. I was getting horrible tightening on my right side lung area with pains in my back right side and just the side of my right side along with bothersome pinching sometimes randomly in my fingers (probably from irritation of the right side). I was also having increased breathing problems as far as how much air I could take it yadda yadda. So I did the right thing and made a appointment with my General Physician who I have been to for the past 10 years of my life. He took x-rays of my lungs again and told me he didn't really notice anything. We also did an EKG and some other breathing tests and oxygen tests to make sure all that stuff was normal, which it was. He had mentioned that I have had a chronic history of bronchitis and that he was going to go ahead and prescribe me a anti-biotic. Well once again I was sent on my way and took the medications as prescribed.

I still was not feeling better and was still getting random pinching sharp pains in my upper right side and upper right side and just on the right side in general. I was also continuing to hawk up almost crumb like dark brown phlegm stuff nothing really major just more or less me clearing my self because I felt cloggy. So I decided to return to the doctor once again (which not to mention throughout all of this I never once had a fever).

Upon returning to the doctor again I saw my other general physician within the same building as my original doctor and she simply told me that I needed to get on "ADVair" which is used to help breath and she prescribed me a anti-inflammatory Narpoxen. I also had her double check my ER visit x-rays and the x-rays taken within the doctors office there just to ensure. Well like I said before... I was sent on my way YET AGAIN! I took the mediciations as prescribed and still was not getting any better. All that did was make me worry more and more.

About a week after my prescribed medications from the most recent doctor visits were taken as prescribed I developed a bad cough and was waking up and literally choking on mucus and phlegm stuff and was coughing up LARGE balls of mucus / dark brown stuff and it was causing lots of pain and irritation with breathing and etc. So I decided to return the doctor as I still was not getting any better.

During my most recent doctor visit I brought to him a cup of what was coming up just to show him and make sure he knew what it looked like and he automatically didn't even examine me or anything and just prescribed me another anti-biotic and sent me on my way. This anti-biotic helped ALOT!!! Amazingly I was starting to feel better and was able to stay calm and not worry as much.

Well as of now my sharp right side pains have returned and it feels like I am always favoring my right side by leaning a little that way. I also have been still hawking up brown crumb / phlegm looking material into cups constantly making sure it is not blood as I am worrying about it once again :(.

Some other symptoms of what is still going on with me are as follows...

1) Tight feeling randomly on the right side AND ONLY RIGHT SIDE.
2) Sometimes when I breathe in and what not it feels like there are like air bubbles or something.
3) Random pinching feelings that are sharp pains especially right in my upper right side more near the shoulder / collar bone.
4) And of course I look at my self in the mirror and wonder if it seems uneven because hell it sure as hell feels like everything is a little unbalanced as far as my chest all in all.

**Some things to consider**
When all this stuff started to happen back in early December I was smoking Marijuana at least 5-10 sessions a day for 6 months straight. I also was a smoker who smoked a pack a day for 2 years. When all this started to happen I broke my addicition with cigarattes because of me worrying so much. I also stopped smoking marijuana because of panic attacks that were being initiated when I would smoke.

PLEASE!!! Someone help me out....

I have debated going to a Pulminary specialist (spelling? the lung doctor people)....



THANKS! :S1:

[Thepossumdance]

umm dude go to a pulminary specialist... Make some edibles

[orangeman]

Damn, all they do is give you pills when you come in it seems like. I don't know what it is but I hope my chest problems don't develop into that...good luck man I hope you find a permanent cure. No one should have to suffer like that.

[yochrono]

Thanks I really would like birdgirls input on this. Like for instance right now I am feeling fine. But it does come.

[Dave Byrd]

Yochrono, Birdgirl's not going to be able to respond for the next few days. She was admitted to the hospital yesterday evening with some problems affecting her heart rhythm/breathing and is not going to be released for at least a couple more days.

If it helps, I'm her husband and am also a cardiologist. You definitely need to go back to your doctor or go to a pulmonary specialist immediately. No one can diagnose you over the Internet, which is the same thing Bird would have told you. I'm astonished that no one has apparently bothered to do a chest X-ray on you or look at a sputum/phlegm sample under a microscope. You need to keep going back until someone takes this seriously. Sounds like you have a bad infection/irritation of some kind, and it could be caused by a number of things. A chest X-ray and an examination of that bloody phlegm will help them better identify that problem and know what medicine you need, if any. You're wise to refrain from smoking both cigarettes and cannabis right now. Best of luck to you.

[yochrono]

So your suggestion is try to keep some of this phlegm or stuff that I am coughing up and give it my doctor?

[Dave Byrd]

So your suggestion is try to keep some of this phlegm or stuff that I am coughing up and give it my doctor?
Well, if you save it, you'd mostly be doing that to show them its color and get them to take your complaint seriously. They'll really need a fresh sample to look at the microbiology, so you'd have to provide that when you went in. Definitely suggest to them that, considering you're coughing up what looks like blood (here's where you can hold up the saved sample or handkerchief or tissues), you'd like them to look at the pathology under a microscope so they can prescribe the right medicines if you require any. Then offer to cough up a fresh sample for the lab.

[burnable]

Maybe someone already said it, if not, I'm amazed. Are you regularly getting a cardio workout? If not, at least it would decrease the chances of you choking on phlegm. I love how big and clear my lungs feel after 20 or so minutes of cardio.

[yochrono]

Well I should be recieving the information for a pulminary doctor here today so I can make an appointment. :(

[birdgirl73]

Good for you, Yochrono. Glad you're going to see a pulmonary expert. Are the symptoms any better these days?

[yochrono]

bleh it comes and goes. the pain is as much anymore but still daily tiny bits of bloody phlegm come up quite often. I really just think its a BAD BAD infection and my right side is really irritated and swollen not sure tho. I haven't got around to making the appointment yet. Will do tomorrow.

[birdgirl73]

I feel concerned that the bloody sputum/phlegm problem continues and won't feel less worried till we've heard you've seen that doctor.

Do you know whether you might be at risk for tuberculosis, Yochrono? Have you any challenges to your immune system? Or possibly have you been in contact with someone who might have TB? Like perhaps if you've been around hospitals or nursing or rehab facilities? That disease is really on the rise here in the U.S. as well as in other countries, and that's what I'm hoping you'll learn you don't have.

Here's a good link to some info if you care to read it:
Tuberculosis: Risk factors - MayoClinic.com (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tuberculosis/DS00372/DSECTION=4)

[yochrono]

I highly doubt I have TB. I just got done today fixing up some stuff with my bank accounts and am able to make a doctor appointment tomorrow with the Pulminary doctor. I am excited to get in and start getting me healthy! This thing is truly detremintal in what I do day to day :(