Anti-inflammatories? Pleurisy?

[Holley]

My hematologist prescribed me trilisate years ago for costochondritis. It's not a very popular/common drug. I was in the emergency room yesterday for stabbing chest pains and was diagnosed with pleurisy. It's the most painful thing ever. Feels like someone is stabbing you in the chest with every breath. Pleurisy is an inflammation of the lung lining. I have calls in to my hematologist and cardiologist.

Questions: are there any anti-inflammatories your docs have prescribed for you? If you had pleurisy before,how did they treat it with your APS?

I have calls in to my hematologist and cardiologist.

[Manofmendip]

I had pleurisy as a child and it was very painful.

Dave

[MaryF Administrator]

Firstly, great that you have calls in to both of them, as between them they will sort you out with no drug contraindications. Presumably also some blood tests to see if anything has triggered it infection wise. Although it may be viral in terms of the trigger. MaryF

[AnnNY]

I had pericarditis (an inflammation around the heart) which hurt like crazy. I took a short course of prednisone, which is the best anti-inflammatory there is. I felt better quickly. I also took codeine. It was too painful for codeine to work very well.

Have you been tested for lupus recently? Both pleurisy and pericarditis are one of the big signs of lupus. Are you on plaquenil? It might help with these things and your Sjogren symptoms. If you are not seeing a rheumatologist, perhaps you should see one.

[Holley]

AnnNY, I'll ask my doc about prednisone or other options. The Vicodin isn't covering the pain. I had a rheumy but she said there wasn't much she could do for me. She has since switched hospitals. I'm not on plaquenil. I had discussed it with the rheumy and we decided against it. Might be time to revisit having a rheumy on my team.

Mary, all blood work and urine tests came back normal. I follow up with my primary care doc tomorrow. Being an elementary school teacher and the mother of a six year old, I get exposed to all sorts of things.

[margaretjo]

When I had pleurisy it was a case of take your painkillers and let it pass definitely no anti inflame tories. Good luck hope you feel better soon

[Holley in reply to margaretjo]

Yeah, that's the approach that the emergency room docs had. It sucks. Sooooo painful!

[SueLovett]

I really feel for you, I had pleurisy for 6 months & another bout a few months later when I had to sleep in chair for 6 weeks. I was on steroids, codeine of very little use. Only thing that helped was gin & tonic or a whisky. I did find a hot waterbottle helped but not a lot of help this time of year. It's normally treated with Ibuprofen but of course we can't take it. I was told that rest is essential but gets a bit monotonous. Sorry can't offer more positive advice. Get well soon.

[Kerlampert]

Aloha from Hawaii!

I have recurring pleurisy fir many years. It usually appears during a flare up of my lupus/APS. I take 5 mg of prednisone daily, along with my usual two drugs for the lupus and APS, which are Cellcept and Plaquenil.

I treat thepaun by exercises in the side of the chest which is affected, more swimming, deep breathing and inhaling with essential oils vaporizer.

I hope this helps you!

Kerstin from Hawaii

[Holley]

Lots of useful information to discuss with my docs. Thanks team! I found an ice pack was better than heat. I spoke with my hematologist's office and they gave me permission to use ibuprofen (albeit sparingly) and called in a prescription for CHOLINE MAGNESIUM TRISAL LIQUID, the anti inflammatory they prescribed me years ago. I'll ask about prednisone & if lupus tests are needed. My cardiologist had no concerns regarding this diagnosis.

[Kathweng]

I hate to add another possibility but I had an out of control case of pleurisy that lasted and lasted. It was diagnosed and treated as pleurisy both on a viral level and bacterial. The doc never heard an actual pleural rub either. In seeing another doctor, it was discussed that this could also be a form of internal herpes/shingles. My condition cleared up quite quickly after I started large amounts of Valtrex (herpes treatment). Maybe my condition was ready to clear up or maybe I didn't have pleurisy afterall. I'll never know but sharing in case anyone else has has this occur.

[Holley]

Thanks, extra information is always welcome. I got permission from my hematologist to take anti inflammatories. Once I started taking them, the pleurisy cleared up. He actually heared the rubbing you mentioned.