Has any one felt like this

[british]

Hello my husband and l are in spain we stay here about 6months, he has not been well he has copd emphysema,he has been ill with this for 12 years and getting worst he struggles to breath every day, and can't walk he was on oxygen 16hours a day but spoke to hospital and decided to come off the machine, he is 56 years old he woke on Thursday with pain all in his chest and down his back and keeps burning up l have put him on antibiotics and extra steroids which the hospital gave me incase he had infection..my question has anyone felt like this with pain in chest and fever, l know you will say see doctor but he won't go

[DozyDormouse]

The pain may be muscles protesting at being starved of oxygen. The reason we are given oxygen therapy is to protect our vital organs. This includes the heart and brain. If he has oxygen there, put him back on it and call the doctor. D

[RibvanRey]

I regularly get lung pain and extra difficulty breathing. Mine is caused by fluid building up inside the lung. I have just finished my seventh course of antibiotics in two months and had an xray yesterday. It hurts but I do see my Pulmonary Care nurse and GP regularly.

[huggs]

Hi British,

I don't know the reasons for your husband coming off oxygen, but while this is going on he should be back on it. Oxygen deprivation will not help as the heart and lungs have to work extra hard to get blood (and therefore oxygen) to vital organs. He is unnecessarily putting his body under too much strain. My concern is that he may have something like pleurisy, which causes chest and back pain. It may not be that, but as I don't know the medical system in Spain I am unsure as how best to advise you. If you can get a home visit from a doctor so much the better. Just do it, whether your husband wants it or not! His brain will also not be getting sufficient oxygen so the sooner something is done the better. If you cannot get a home visit, then you will have to convince him to attend an emergency department, or his usual consultant, as a chest x-ray may be necessary. It could be the pain is due to his muscles being over strained, but as he has a fever as well, this is unlikely I think. Its up to you now to convince him to be seen by a doctor, and the sooner the better. I know this is far easier said than done, but if there is a way in which you can arrange for a doctor to see him I would just go ahead and do it. He will thank you in the end, and it is for his own good. It must be awful hard for you to see him like this, and I suppose he is worried that he will be put in hospital. That might not be the case at the moment, but if it keeps on like this and the antibiotics and steroids are having no real effect, he will end up in hospital anyway. Far better to get it seen to sooner rather than later.

I hope you can get help for him and that he feels better soon.

Take care,

Huggs xxx

[jmrommes]

If he won't go to a doctor on his own, you may just have to take charge and take him to one. The thing that comes to my mind is a pleural effusion or pleurisy, both of which can be quite painful and need to be treated. I doubt that taking him off O2 will help reduce the pain any, and unless it does, I'd put him right back on.

Jean

[Bliss2]

Hi British I hope you have insurance if so go to there private hospital they will look after you, and sort your husband out I know there hospitals are very good has I lived in Menorca for 10 years they know all about COPD, don't wait do it now love Bliss xx

[british]

Thank you all for your concern l will see how he his tomorrow and hope the tablets starts working. I will let you know how he is doing. Bye Gaynor

[Offcut]

I had empyema and it stripped my out layer of my lungs and my rib cage this in turn meant my nerves are exposed and it hurts when I breath deeply.

Hope you get it sorted.

be well

[dwitt]

I use Spiriva and Advair every day and my best result have remain great for years. This is one disease that we have no cure but can at least we can maintain the level that was first diagnose if we take the prescribe meds and see our doctor regularly. Here's to a deep enjoyable breath.

[Hidden]

Best to check with doc ... could be pleurisy and popped lung...that can be fixed...and needs to be. I delayed and had one lung completely deflated ... was bad enough when young and fit...don't think I would survive it now!

[derrylynne]

Why did he come off oxygen? He was on it 16 hours a day. This illness does not get better. only slowly worse. So can see no reason unless he has made an amazing recovery to come off it. Not only that. As has been said. We are not given oxygen because we are short of breath. We are given it to protect the heart, the kidneys. All the major organs. Your husbands problems could be a direct result of coming off oxygen. What is his heart rate. What are his sats now. If his sats are low now. And his heart rate is high. He is damaging his heart through not having the oxygen..

[thatcham1939]

Men can be so macho and do not like seeing the doc, can a doc come out to him, i dont know much about Spain, but my thoughts are with you

jan

[british]

Thank you every one for your answers in trying to help me but my husband Peter caught infection and pass away on 31st July he was 56 years young he has been ill for 12 years. He went the way he told me he wanted to go with me in are home. I will be lost without him.

[british]

Thank you for your concern, even though l am in spain l live next door to peters cousin and his wife also the other side is his brother and my sister in law, l am also with my 2 daughters who flew over the day he died within 3 hours of him passing. My daughter is driving the five of us home..that is me my 2 daughters our dog which kept him going, taking her for a walk every night on his mobility bike and the ashes of my wonderful Peter. We had a wonderful life together and l will miss him dearly l loved and cared for him since we met when he was 15 years old, he has left such a big hole in my heart, l am lucky to have such a loving big family around with my mom sisters daughters grandchildren, but even though l have there love and support...l want and need my Peter but l never will. I will always love him. Gaynor

[coastal1]

So sorry for your loss . It must leave such a great gap in your life .

I hope that as time goes on you will have the memories of happy times in Spain to draw comfort from .