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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2014 12:57:41 GMT -5
Hi , I am new to this site but have had COPD for over ten years now. I am in stage four. My question is: Do other people experience severe lung pain on either/or both sides. This has started in the last month and am not sure what to do about it. Any help from any one will be greately appreciated.
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Post by Bo H on Oct 21, 2014 13:29:30 GMT -5
Its not your lungs because lungs do not have pain receptors. It could be pleurisy. Pleurisy is a respiratory condition in which the double membrane that lines and protects the lungs and chest cavity, called the pluera, becomes inflamed.
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Post by skate4life on Oct 21, 2014 17:10:02 GMT -5
Estherd - can you tell us a little more? Where exactly is the pain? Have you found any OTC pain meds (Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc.) gives you some relief? Have you had any flare-ups recently? The first thing I was thinking was chest wall pain from episodes of SOB with a lot of deep PLB that has caused some inflammation of the cartilages. As we get further along this journey, we do have times we have to work harder to breathe and that can precipitate chest wall pain. Do you exercise? Do you remember reaching for something and thought you strained a muscle?
As Bo said, getting a little more serious, is pleurisy. Another is a thoracic compression fracture. Do you know if you have osteoporosis?
If this has been going on for a month, perhaps it is time to go see your doctor.
Please do come back and give us some more information. In the meantime, try some Advil, and perhaps a warm moist heating pad. I hope others will chime in here with their experiences.
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Post by chrocary / Jane on Oct 21, 2014 17:43:37 GMT -5
Hi Estherd and Welcome to the site.
I agree with Skate a little more information is needed maybe........Are you coughing a lot more, are you coughing up more phlegm than normal for you and what kind of pain, is it there all the time, could you have pulled something?
I am no doctor but I can tell you I had bad chest pain that went right through to my back and discovered I had pneumonia.
Maybe time to see your doctor to get it checked and please do let us know how you made out.
Jane
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Post by David on Oct 21, 2014 18:26:11 GMT -5
I agree with Jane, maybe time to see a Doctor.
I have severe Emphysema. I take 25 MG of Tramadol 4 times a day to help my breathing and panic attacks so it cuts down on any pain I have. I do get pulled muscles in my side and chest area sometimes. It always goes away pretty quick.
If you are having pain all the time then you should see a Doctor.
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Post by hugahusky on Oct 22, 2014 6:52:50 GMT -5
estherd - I agree that it is time to see a doctor. Could you please tell us where you live? That might make a difference in the advice that you receive.
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Post by mary57 on Oct 22, 2014 15:00:46 GMT -5
I have to agree with the others, you need to see your Dr. There are many reasons why you are in pain, most needing a DR.
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Post by al on Oct 23, 2014 0:04:00 GMT -5
I've been to the E.R. 2 times last year with chest pain which turned out to be this, (Below); You must check out your Heart first then take it from there. Chest pain doesn't necessarily come from the heart. An estimated 200,000 Americans each year experience non-cardiac chest pain, which in addition to pain can involve painful swallowing, discomfort and anxiety. Non-cardiac chest pain can be frightening for patients and result in visits to the emergency room because the painful symptoms, while often originating in the esophagus, can mimic a heart attack. Current treatment -- which includes pain modulators such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) -- has a partial 40 to 50 percent response rate in alleviating symptoms. New research authored by Temple University Hospital gastroenterologist Ron Schey, MD, FACG, suggests a novel approach to treating non-cardiac chest pain due to esophageal hypersensitivity. The treatment involves a drug called dronabinol, a cannabinoid receptor activator that has traditionally been used to treat nausea and vomiting in HIV patients and for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, In a pilot study involving 13 patients with non-cardiac chest pain, Dr. Schey and his research team found that patients who were given 5 mg of dronabinol twice daily for four weeks fared better than patients who took a placebo, or dummy pill. Those getting dronabinol experienced improved pain tolerance and decreased frequency and intensity of chest pain. In addition, no significant adverse effects were reported. "This novel study has promising findings in future treatment for these patients," said Dr. Schey, Associate Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, who conducted the research while on staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic, and analyzed the data at Temple along with Zubair Malik, MD, a first-year fellow in Temple's Division of Gastroenterology. The pilot study, while encouraging, was very small and not designed to test dronabinol against current therapies for non-cardiac chest pain, so it is difficult to calculate how the drug performs in comparison to existing treatments, Dr. Schey said. He said dronabinol likely helps to diminish pain by activating cannabinoid receptors in the esophagus that decrease sensitivity. The abstract was presented October 20 in Philadelphia at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. The professional organization said it picked the Temple research to be among the "most newsworthy" studies presented at the conference because the findings have an impact on GI patient care. Dr. Schey joined Temple in 2014; and his research interests include non-cardiac chest pain, GI motility disorders and esophageal disorders. Dr. Schey said a larger scale study on the effects of dronabinol on non-cardiac chest pain will be initiated in the near future at Temple. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141021135018.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine+%28Health+%26+Medicine+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
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Post by skate4life on Oct 23, 2014 12:24:16 GMT -5
Al, thanks for this report. Non-cardiac chest pain due to esophageal related issues, like Gerd and hiatal hernia have been known for decades. What is needed is a good primary doctor to sift the shaft from the wheat......in other words there are many other things that can cause this pain and someone needs to properly interview and examine to eliminate various possibilities -it is called 'differential diagnosis' but it takes time and many docs don't have it Sadly this leads to unnecessary testing, distress, tunnel vision. While this article has a drug to treat the pain, they really can't explain what is actually causing the pin.
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Post by mary57 on Oct 25, 2014 10:22:54 GMT -5
I have been in the ER for chest pain, and it was GERD, so yes there are many reasons for the pain. Now, at least I recognize that the first answer is probably something I ate to flare up the acid. Only if I can't see that I ate something to possibly case it do I seek further help.
Skate, I believe that the culprit is stomach acid that is coming back up the esophagus sometimes right into the mouth that is the cause of the pain. Other times it might be gas caused again by the stomach acid that can be extremely painful.
I had one ER nurse tell me that if the pain is below the sternum it is probably gas/acid/stomach, but if the pain is above that on the top of the chest wall it is likely heart related.
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