I was awakened from sleep at 1:30 am
approximately ten years ago with pleurisy
pains in my right lung in line with my
breast. The pain was so severe that I
thought my lung had collapsed. I took
two tylenol and was unable to go back to
sleep for at least an hour until the pain
had eased. I could not sleep on my right
side because the pain was so severe. I
went to the Dr. The next day and after a
chest x-ray, he said I had an inflammation
of the cartilage that surrounds the lungs
caused from coughing. The strange thing
was; I had not been coughing. I did
develop a cough later in the day, but the
pain finally went away. It has recurred
off and on for ten years, now--always in
the same spot. It usually recurrs after
I have run fever for a couple of days,
apparently from a sinus infection because
I can feel the drainage. The pain is so
severe whenever it first starts that I
feel I may pass out; tylenol will ease the
pain, and it has been going away; I beat
it to the Dr. And get antibiotics for
bronchitis because that's always what I
end up having. This time the pleurisy
has lasted for two solid weeks; I finally
have the Dr.'s attention and have asked
why I would keep having these recurring
episodes with this time lasting for two
weeks. It has always reocurred in the
same spot. The pain is very excruciating
for the first 30 minutes (long enough for
the tylenol to take effect).
Is this normal for pleurisy and do I
need to be worried about another
underlying cause?
My Dr. Did authorize a mammogram,
but I haven't gotten the results, yet, as
it has only been three days ago. I am 49
years old and a female.
