[chel]

It's been a long week and I'm just now able to get back on line to a world of lupies where life is just a little different for all of us but chaotic enough to be reassuring that we can endure.

so this week... started with major back pain,gastro issues and nausea that kept me in bed Sunday and Monday after Easter weekend celebrating. I felt so bad I went to the general doctor. She said... probably just too much exertion. Hmmm. Okay. So now week 3 of exhaustion, shortness of breath, chest pain, and feeling squashed I'm wondering if there's anything to be concerned about. My rheumie is on vacation and I'm not in extreme pain... just... wondering if there's anything I should be worried about. funny right? Most of the time we aren't supposed to worry b/c it makes us sick and yet, how do I know what I should be worried about when pain and exhaustion seem a daily expectation for us.

Specifically? How about the chest pain? Upper left quadrant, not heart, maybe lung lining -- have had it off and on for years but it's consistant this week, dull continuous pain 2-3 inches from left arm pit, across front of chest to just shy of the middle. Is that a muscle? It's always the left side. The dr. listened to my breathing and said it sounded fine. however, also for about a week it feels like my chest is squashed front to back -- I just feel ...smooshed? I can still breathe it's just a general feeling. Can anyone identify with that?

As far as back pain I get serious pain in my buttocks and she says it's "piriformis syndrome". Great. :sad: Anyone else have that muscle pain?

Sleep-wise... is it normal for me to get up around 9ish am, take a nap from 4-7:30 pm and then go to bed around 9 pm and sleep the whole night? It's about Day 3 for that. Normally I can't do that b/c I teach school.

just checking in. any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[LolaLola]

I can identify with the smooshed feeling. I sometimes feel as if I have been dropped spreadeagled onto concrete from a height.

I hope you improve soon.
x Lola

 

[chel]

thanks

Thanks for responding Lola. I appreciate it.

 

[halfpintfl]

Hi Chel, just wanted to say that your sleep schedule sounds like mine. I get up around nine, would be later except for the guilt. Then I check the computer, then have lunch, then by 1;00 I am back on the bed for a nap, usually till 3;00, and I only get up then so I can be awake enough to cook dinner. Then we watch some T.V. and I go to bed
at 9;00. I would honestly sleep all day and all night if I could. I am so glad that I found someone that operates on my schedule, it makes me feel better. And, yes, I do think it is normal. Extreem fatigue is part of Fibro, and of Lupus.
and I don't think there is anything they can do. Be well.:wink2: ​

 

[chel]

Thanks halfpint. That much sleep sure makes it hard to get any work done. sigh. Are you off work? I have a week to get caught up and then I have to go back. Are you in a lot of pain as well? Is that part of making us so tired or for you is it just pure exhaustion for exhaustion's sake? As I age what I think I know about lupus seems to be shifting to what I don't know as my body keeps changing. erg.:sad:

Have a great afternoon nap!

 

[Jenkay]

Hello there,

I get that smooshed feeling in my chest too and it cause shortness of breath, I get it mostly when I have these weird migraine/seizure things but I get it at other times too, especially in the evening, sometimes it seems like awful indigestion but I don't know.

I mention it to my rhuemy when it gets bad and also take a nsaid which helps a little.

No real answer but do is pushing for me to go to gastro guy.

Jen

 

[KitKat]

Hi,

I get an uncomfortable pain in about the same sort of place, under the left side of the collar bone. Does it hurt more if you push on it?

It does with mine and so my dr has decided I have arthritus in my rib cage. They have just given me better pain killers.

They did give me an echo as well to check out if it was pericarditus. Which, Praise God, it wasn't this time!

Hope you get it solved quickly
Kat

 

[chel]

chest pain and shortness of breath

Yep -- it's definately tender. Arthritis of the rib cage eh? Interesting. The closest thing I was told was maybe inflammation of the lining between my ribs. Who knows I guess. Just another delight to live with.:hehe:

Thanks all for the feedback. Guess I won't worry about it too much knowing others are having the same issues.

Health to all!
~chel

 

[Shera384]

I have costochondritis, it's an inflammation in the cartlidge that keeps the ribs together rofl, or rather, is in between the ribs :hehe:

It is a lot like what you are describing. very tender ribs, when pressed, pain is there all the time til it eases, squashed feeling, yep I would say I feel squashed, maybe that's because I sit or lay to compensate for it, sometimes mine goes into my back, shoulder blade area, but I have arthritis too, so that could explain the back pain, I'm unlucky it sometimes happens on both sides, usually just the one side but I have had it both sides together, it's very painful. I am suffering with it at the moment, & takes weeks to ease for me, I am unable to take anti inflammatries, they do help, they take the inflammation out.

It's best to rest, it helps to ease it. any form of exercise of the chest can aggravate it again.

I hope it goes away soon for you

 

[lauralessa]

Hi Chel.

I ususally dont have any problem to breath, maybe because I swin regularly and never smoke.

The only time that I felt the way that you described - shortness of breath, chest pain and a felling that my lungs got smaller - was when I had pleuritis. Pleuritis is an inflammation of the pleura, the skin that involves our lungs. It is usually accompanied with fever (I used to have a very loe temperature, like 37,5C), pain, difficult respiration, and cough.

When the pleura gets inflammated, it starts to produce water and that is why we fell shortness of breath. It is quite common in Lupus patiens and besides treating the flare, it might be needed to have a punction to take the water out. In my case, the doctors took out 1,5 liter in one lung!

But I hope it is not going to be your case.

Best wishes,
laura