Recurrent lingering pleurisy. Is there help?

[Nata40]

Last year i contracted pleurisy after sitting (for a short time) in a draft in a wet shirt. Antibiotics didn't help. My Dr. said it's viral and will clear itself. I felt miserable - besides pain there was total exhaustion, low grade fever rising every aftrenoon, profuse sweats (had to change clothes every hour), especially at night. ALL of these symptoms, including hectic fever and sweats lasted ~5 months (between the last week of June to mid November). This is in spite of hot compresses, multivitamin, cod liver oil, vit.C, Echinacea and more. I was fine winter and spring and thought I'd put this nightmare behind. But....At the end of June (~ 3 weeks ago) after being exposed to extermely cold air in a store (in contrast to the heat outside), I came down with pleurisy again, with exactly same symptoms. I've been sick for 3 weeks now with no improvement in spite of treatment - a lot of supplements, hot wraps etc. I dread to think it may take 5 months again. The hectic fever and continuos drenching sweats are unbearable. Two Drs (family and pulmonologist) aren't worried as the Xray is normal. They said I just have to give it more time. I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!! WHAT CAN I DO TO RECOVER SOONER? I CAN'T WASTE ANOTHER 5 MONTHS OF MY LIFE (Also, HAD to quit my job). WILL IT BE REPEATING EVERY YEAR??  Has anybody been in my shoes?? PLEASE HELP!!!!

[chy927]

im 19 and married. we have a ton of stress on us an i doubt its gonna go away any time soon.
i have pleurisy iv taken so many different antibiotics BACTRIM is all i found to help but it never fully goes away. i feel like its making me forgetfull, and depressed in my head..i already have hard time sleeping now its worse.
the meds they all give me diarehia(sorry for spelling)
im at my wits end im so stressed with being sick i feel to young to have problems breathing..now in my boobs i see bright blue veins more than normal, an in my rist..an my feet are gaining weight an have red squigly lines near the bottom in one spot on each foot.
i feel im having all these changes .
iv had pleurisy for going on 3months now and its where people are getting mad at me for racking up medical bills and they dont believe im sick i dont look sick but i feel it an i think my husband keeps getting everything i get .
im also getting car sick real easy and dizzy alot my eyes hurt. i dont know whats going on doctors dont seem to help an i dont have insurance....what todo i dont wanna complain but all these panic attacks are making me so scared im so young an have no family to help

[lanette12]

I have had pleurisy for about 4 months. Two months in they put me in the hospital for 5 days. Honestly I didn't think I was going to make it out. I had never heard of this before then. I had all the symptoms that everyone else is speaking of and had 3 CT scans done. I almost had to have a biopsy done on my right lung due to a 3 cm mass. The Dr. was worried that I had Cancer. Terrified to say the least.
I took very strong pain meds and antibiotics while there. Also on oxygen. Since being home I have been getting better. The antibiotics seem to be working with the 800mg of Ibuprofin. It has been a month and yesterday I started feeling some pain in my left side again, finger tips are turning bluish purple (with pain in them) my eyes are going crossed on there own. Let me clear that up, I will be relaxed and then feel a pressure in my eyes like I am crossing them. They don't actually move but I see double the same as if they were and they become diolated. That lasts for about a minute or so.
When I was put in the hospital I was told that I had inflamation in my lymphnodes in front of my heart, pneumonia, the mass on my right lung and fluid around my heart. I don't care for all of the weakness and the pain. I am a single mom of a 6 yr old and it is not easy to take care of her and myself at the same time. She is a trooper and helps out a lot.

As to your question on the letting your son play sports? From what I understand you can also bring pleurisy on from an injury. That would have to be a decision you guys make for yourselves. I do not deal with pain well at all so for me that decision would be easy, I just wouldn't play. This all just sounds so bad and wish we all didn't have to deal with any of it.

I am praying that what I am feeling in my fingers and chest are not this horrible disease coming back. Good luck to you and your son.

[Janet5454]

hI.  I get pleurisy almost every year and I catch if from a chill or slight cold.  Done the hospital, specialist, doctors.  This year when I got it went to give blood to find that white blook high and had bacterial infection which was treated by antibiotic for 8 days, then on day 5 went onto kortizone for 5 days.  Take Simbicord inhaler and increased that to 6 puffs a day for a direct boost of kortizone.  I immediately stayed indoors and put a wheat cushion heated up on my sore lung for and hour at a time 5 times a day/night.  Lots of boiled hot water, celery which helps with the pain and an afternoon nap every afternoon.  So far this is the best ever, I am almost better. Its been 3 weeks and normally I have it for months.  The fevers the doctors cannot understand but I believe from my google friend that a fever is natures way of increasing the (white) blood cells which in turn assist your immune system.  Still researching so any comment is of assistance. Janet

[Bre9969]

Have any of you used ClearLungs?  I use to get  bronchitis and it would go into pneumonia very fast.  I would be sick a long time and several times a year.  Someone told my about ClearLungs and I felt noticeable better the next day.  Now I take it in allergy season and any time I feel a cold coming on or I have been exposed to something that makes my breathing weak. I have not had  bronchitis or pneumonia since 1995!   I am not selling this but I tell everyone I meet with lung trouble.
ClearLungs is an all natural Chinese herbal remedy that really works. It is a perfectly balanced formula containing a rich array of Chinese herbal ingredients plus homeopathic extracts that provides temporary relief of bronchial congestion, and is highly effective for any kind of breathing problem. There is a Liquid too.  
If anyone tries ClearLungs.... Please share your results. It sounds like you need to be taking it all the time to keep from getting Pleurisy again. I feel for you guys and pray this will help.

[court92881]

Hi Channing,

Just wondering how your son was feeling?

My husband was just diagnosed with pleurisy 3 days ago and I cannot even imagine it going on longer. Our doctor said he was fine to go play soccer, but when he did he had to quit and come home early because he was in pain. It is so scary to see.

He is getting a CT scan today.

I am printing out the breathing exercizes (thank you hatha) and going to have my husband start them. Do you rec all 4 once a day? I am also going to try to get us into walking/hiking more (since soccer is so painful)... and take it easy. This also seems like a good opportunity to change some of our diet habits and move over to more clean eating.

[hava]

Some techniques you can follow  yourself to help with pleurisy.PisForPleurisy(member) is already feeling the benefit.(see his post above). The benefit is very gradual.You will feel pain initially,but do not give up, and start with a few seconds, and then build up the timing very  very gradually. Once you can do anulom vilom for more than 10 minutes you will start to notice the change. Your health is in your hands.

Build up your timing very gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy or feel pain, stop and resume later.

Anulom Vilom pranayam –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close little flap of ears with thumb,place  index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Repeat this  5 to 21 times.
April 11 ,2012