I’m new to this site and am looking for some advise please. I have had pleurisy for over 5 weeks now (6weeks Thursday to be exact) and I’m still no where near improving. It started with pain in my right lung when breathing in and out then developed into a cough. I was put on antibiotics an inhaler and codine for the pain. A week later I was worse the pleurisy had spread to both lungs and I now had an infection to my lungs and coughing up green mucus so they put me on a week of stronger antibiotics that I couldn’t go out in direct sunlight (very strange) and 5 day course of steroids and more cosine. After that I had to go back to the doctors again as I was still no better and in fact worse and they said they didn’t know what was causing it but no more steroids or antibiotics as they obviously hadn’t worked so I didn’t need them. It’s been two nearly three weeks since Iv been back to the doctors and Iv had flu on the mean time which totally wiped me out. I still have the hacking cough which makes the pleurisy feel like someone is ripping my chest apart and ripping at my lungs. I keep getting hot and cold sweats and I have blocked sinuses. The pleurisy did spread to both lungs which kept catching at the bottom but now it’s solely on my right lung and feels like the whole lung is stuck to my ribs. It hurts to move to lay down to cough to sneeze to laugh you name it! It’s even affected my breathing and I’m finding I’m getting out of breath easily as heart palpitations. Can anyone relate to this and what did they do? Iv asked for a blood test and chest X-ray but they said it won’t show anything as it’s not a bacterial infection. This isn’t the first time Iv had it pleurisy. The first time was 5 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I had it that bad I was hospitalised for ten days and they were thinking of giving me an emergency caesarian at 24 weeks but luckily I got better before. Then I caught it a year later preganant with my youngest son and I was hospitalised for 14 days and they decided to start labour off for the safety of my son as I was on Iv morphine and he was losing weight rapidly. Since then Iv had it twice maybe three times a year some years more which have always lasted for weeks. I had asthma as a child but they classed it as sports related. I was born at 32 weeks and was poorly and caugh whooping cough at 18 months and nearly died. Would this contribute to my lungs now? I’m really feeling rough and had enough now it’s wiping all energy from me. Advise is greatly appreciated. Ps I have doctors appointment tmrw afternoon but want to know what to push for.
Thanks for reading
Jade x
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Jade83
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Hi and thank you. I actually have six children so my feet hardly touch the ground. Iv been back to the doctors who sent me for bloods and X-ray at the hospital today and Iv got an appointment back with the doctors first thing tmrw. I still feel just the same only now my sinuses in my nose are completely block but with no actual cold. X
Hi Jade I had pleurisy twice..Did you get a CT scan? Better imaging than an xray. I would push for that for a start.
In doubt you should ask for admission.
Take care and let us know how you are getting on. Xx
I would change doctors. I have had pleurisy many times over the years but it was always fixed with antibiotics. Sometimes a longer course was required to clear it maximum 14 days and 1,000mg per day.
Hi Jade. Hope you're feeling better. Unfortunately, pleurisy isn't bacterial so an x Ray won't help. However, the green mucus probably is and that should be treated. I find that putting a hot water bottle under the sorest part and taking paracetamol helps with pleurisy. Rest is the main thing. Difficult with two young children tho. Think you should go back to your GP about the infection. That should be treated if it isn't showing signs of clearing.
P.S. antibiotics like doxycycline do make u more sensitive to sunlight. If you're worried just use some sunscreen
So I was back in hospital yesterday specialist wanted a CT Scan waited 4 hours in absolute agony with only paracetamol for pain relief. More bloods taken for more serious conditions such as cancer and I had a canula put in for the dye for CT scan. Junior doctor came along and said no to the scan and I was free to go home with a weeks course of steroids and an even stronger pain killer for night. I’m due to go back Tuesday to see how I am. Pain is excruciating. Can’t go on like this x
Pleurisy is awful. I've had it many times and often I'm treated with antibiotics but I no longer go to the GP as, for me, it's a case of self medicating. Mine is a result of my lupus/uctd and I wonder if you have been investigated for auto-immune conditions? There are many AI conditions out there and even more overlaps so diagnosis isn't easy but you mention a blocked nose/sinuses and this can be a manifestation of certain connective tissue diseases. It will be interesting to see if the steroids work - they tend to have dramatic effects on AI conditions. This certainly shouldn't drag on any longer. Is there any chance it could be costochondritis instead? They are hard to distinguish from each other and the pain is just as awful.
Keep going back and back to the doctors. I hope you get some relief very soon xxx
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