Hi all, hope you received keeping well. I have a conundrum for you, I have been signed off work sick for the past two weeks with chest ache and breathlessness after little exertion. I am being reviewed tomorrow.
The doctor thinks I have pleuratic pain from a cold I had at Christmas, basically a band round my chest, and pain in my shoulder down my right arm arrives after doing very little, specifically in the evening.
She is considering the impact stress of working within a fairly toxic (work place bullying) workplace for the last two years might have been finally been manifesting like this. Even with 2 weeks off, I feel little benefit other than being able to sleep 12 hours a night! Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I am fully miserable about it and going on holiday in 2 weeks so want to enjoy it! I was given prednisone about a month ago but the side effects were not worth the potential gain at that point, just not sure what to do about going back to work, help?!
Many thanks in advance,
Kate
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Kate261
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I can’t help you directly Kate as I have no experience of pleuritic pain, but I have got experience of prednisone. You don’t get instant results, it takes a while to notice it is working. If the side effects are too much for you then I would go back to your GP and see if he can offer you something else. If they are tolerable I would go back on them.
As for work, I would definitely not go back. If you are experiencing pain and breathlessness you are simply not well enough.
Thank you so much for your reply. I felt instantly horrible on prednisone, shakes, felt sick and light headed and I could not have worked having taken them. But maybe if I was off and taking them it would be more tolerable.
I just feel like a fraud as I can sit around doing nothing and be fine but the next day go food shopping say and by the afternoon be wiped out again. I’m also only 33 so it’s hard to feel so incapacitated. Such fun!
Yes you are probably right, not going to go down well but I’ll see what the doc says!
I have never experienced that Kate. A bit of insomnia and bloating but nothing that makes me feel ill. Perhaps you should just see your GP and see what he thinks.
Pleuritic pain would have an underlying condition. Sounds like GP thinks it is stress related but you had a cold virus and never really recovered properly. Did the doctor mention pleurisy? It's a very painful lung infection.
The steroids could still be beneficial if taken on a reduced dose over a longer period so that any inflammation can be addressed.
I know how horrible the side effects are and these are exacerbated if the patient also has high blood pressure. You don't say if you have any other health problems or if the GP checked your BP or heart health with an ECG (most surgeries have an ECG machine).
I've had courses of steroids over the years but as I get older they're harder to tolerate in high doses.
See if you can have a phone consultation with your GP to discuss getting back on the steroids but on a low, long dose to tackle ongoing inflammation. And ask about pain control. A prescribed strong pain killer may be better than an over the counter PK.
When we have chest pains we change our breathing pattern and that can be problematic in the long run as we try to under inflate the lungs. If you can't afford seeing a physio privately (NHS waiting lists are too long) to look at your breathing technique, check out YouTube vids posted by qualified physios.
As for work, you are covered by the Equality Act 2010 by virtue of your asthma, which is considered a disability for these purposes. Disability is known as a "protected characteristic" under the Act. As such you are entitled to reasonable adjustments at work to accommodate the protected characteristic. The adjustments can be anything reasonable that helps you remain in work. If you don't work in a unionised workplace try Googling "Access to Work" which is a government resource. You can access occupational health services through the resource. I'm thinking about your return to work and how much support you will need. Access to Work maybe key to changing the dynamics at work.
Hope you can find a way forward so that you can enjoy your time away.
Hi there, thank you for replying well she initially thought it was cold related and I had a clear chest x-ray and lots of bloods too (all fine except low in vitamin D)
I don’t have constant pain, more of a pressure/dull ache after doing anything. I also seem to have had my allergies kicked in in the last few days on top! I had my BP and Blood oxygen levels checked and both were fine.
I have a phone consult today with the doctor so I am going to talk to her about the pred and also maybe a staggered return to work.
Work should be supportive, just have someone at the top who isn’t, but I’ll go on the doctor’s advice. I have a relatively stressful job but I don’t think it’s all down to that as to why I am sick now.
Just feel so bored and miserable with it all, and double my age!
I will look at the YouTube breathing techniques, thank you and the adjustments they can make for me at work.
Many thanks for all your advice
Hi Kate261,
I'm sorry to hear about problems with your breathing and work. I'm in a similar position myself, but slightly different, but understand the complexity of it. One thing I've learnt is stress can definitely exasperate my asthma/breathing. I've had to repeatedly take time off due to my this, and the stress also affects my balance as I suffer from vestibular migraines. I try to take each day as it comes. The other comments here are right, your company should be helping you and they can't treat you any differently if you are off sick because of your breathing problem (equality act). Had you been diagnosed with asthma at an earlier age?
Thanks so much for the support, the work place bullying I referred to isn’t via my asthma but a misogyny issue so that has it’s own complications!
I can definitely see how stress can trigger things, especially being in a stressful environment ongoing. I am not entirely sure of all my triggers but it’s definitely allergic too.
I was late onset diagnosed so only really known I have had it for 3 years, and it’s still confusing me as I’m not sure what I should be feeling nowadays, I no longer know what ‘normal’ is for me. I just feel zapped of energy and breathless after doing very little, and I’m not good at giving up!
Thanks again for all your kind words.
One thing I've learnt is that GPs don't have an expert understanding of asthma. I've been told by gps to go to work because I don't wheeze even though I can barely breath. I insisted on seeing a respiratory doctor who then correctly diagnosed it through CT lung and blood test for allergies. I also saw an occupational doctor (I asked my company to see one after my GP said I should ask) and the occ doc thinks I should be seen by a 'super' specialist in London due to my sensitivity to allergens. With regards to the misogyny, do you have any insurances that include legal cover? If so, they will be able to offer free legal advice. If not, citizens advice can be really helpful, they helped me. I know how miserable these problems at work can make your life, my problem is with something else at work affecting my asthma and unfortunately I had to go down the path of raising a grievance.
Yes, I’ve been through the mill a bit with GP’s and asthma nurses, until one signing off prescriptions actually noticed that I was on a very high dose of seretide and she has now referred me to the consultant at the hospital ‘urgently’ which has resulted in an appt in mid April.. she’s now the one I’ve been seeing.
I don’t wheeze either, most annoying that isn’t it! I think this one is more likely to sign me off longer actually but that also doesn’t seem a good solution, I just don’t know what path is the right one. I feel okay today but I went food shopping yesterday and by 7pm was having chest ache and so wiped out.
I have raised it with HR who have had multiple complaints by other female colleagues but I think he’s more valuable to the business than we are sadly. It’s not helping mental health for sure. I am sorry you’ve had problems too, it seems as soon as you start telling people, it’s more rare to find someone feeling supported at work sadly.
Sounds terrible, your company has a duty to protect you and your colleagues, however important this other person is. If they don't, they may find themselves in an ET in future!
I too was on seretide, I'm now on fostair. They gave me montelukast for a while but the nightmares they caused as a side effect were far too mad! I also take carbocisteine every day which helps keep my lungs clear. They found I had mild bronchiectasis when they did the CT scan, which I was told my asthma had caused. I feel better now, but I'm not sure if it's the drugs or sorting the problem out at work. Do persevere and hope you get help to sort both problems out
I think a chest X-ray will tell whether you have pleurisy or not. My mother had it so badly that she broke a rib coughing, and she didn’t have asthma. I think significant stress can aggravate any illness. In my experience workplace bullying exists because whoever is in charge. The only solution is to change jobs.
I had a similar pain that was crippling at times, honestly felt like I was having a heart attack at times, turns out I had costochondritis, Not much they can do short of anti inflammatory meds and time to heal on its own which doesn’t help if your asthmatic but it maybe worth checking.
Thanks for everyone’s support and responses, as an update: I’ve been put on a fit note for max 3 hours a day in the office for the next two weeks and nothing else. I also have to drive for 45 mins each way. Yesterday was day 1 and I did just over 3 and a half hours and by the time I got home I was exhausted and in pain so I was a little disappointed. The doc is also considering whether I’ve developed chronic fatigue syndrome which my mum has and will review when I return from some sunshine on holiday in a few weeks. If that’s the case I’ll have to think again as it’s so debilitating but one foot in front of the other is the priority at the moment!
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well she initially thought it was cold related and I had a clear chest x-ray and lots of bloods too (all fine except low in vitamin D) 
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