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Pleurisy and Chest Infection Clarithromycin

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giuila
giuila

I really hope someone can give me some advice. Before Christmas I came down with a cold which turned into a chest infection. I didnt go to a GP as usually these things clear up. However by Christmas Eve I was starting to feel pretty bad and called the doctor but they were closed so I didn't go. Went on the 27th and was diagonosed with a chest infection and given Amoxicillin. I finished taking these but still felt bad and started to develop a pain under my right breast, almost like a pulled muscle or bruising of the ribs... I asked a doctor and he checked my pulse to rule out a pulmonary embolism???? and said you have pulled a muscle from coughing.... With that I left and carried on taking Ibuprofen which helped ease the pain. The Monday I had a strange incident where my heart was beating really fast and irregular and I felt sweaty, dizzy and couldnt stop shaking. I went home from work and thought about going to the doctors. Plus the pain in my right side was getting worse. I went back to the gp who said I was probably suffering with Pleuritic pain from the infection and he described me more antibiotics.. Amoxiclav...

I still felt bad and he asked me to go back the following Friday to check my blood pressure as it was slightly high.

Finished the Amoxiclav and suddenly felt bad again... nothing I have ever expereienced. Chest Pain, really bad cough, weak sweaty, extremely exhausted...no sense of smell, taste etc... so tired.

I went back again to the gp and broke down in tears as now the middle of January and things seem to be getting worse. He took blood and sent me to the hospital for a chest xray and the blood test he states shows an infection but no blood clot on the lung. The chest xray has also returned clear??? I rarely go the the doctors but he almost made me feel like a hyperchondriac...

He prescribed me more antibiotics but this time Clarithromycin 500mg twice per day.

I was hoping these would have kicked in by now but still feeling terrible and am taking these alongdside extra strength Ibuprofen and paracetamol for the pain in my chest.

I am starting to wonder if I will ever get better. I feel so low and down, I havent left the house for days and just want to sleep as I am feeling so exhausted.

Has anyone suffered from anything similar or know how long it takes to get over this... Its been over a month now and I just cant remember what it feels like to feel normal...

Sorry for the long post...

18 likes, 195 replies

195 Replies

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  • kim10838
    kim10838 giuila

    Posted

    Hi , this sounds exactly what my partner has went through for over 5 weeks now . He is presently in hospital yet again , extreme pain in lung , shoulder........all of one side really . He is coughing up so much blood & is in so much pain , its very hard to watch . CT scans , xrays , blood tests , the same anibiotics as you have had . Now awaiting results of a secend CT scan & xray ............They have told him Pleurisy with a ? I don't know if they are sure of anything yet.Please go to the hospital or doctor again , this is not a simple infection , I wish you the very best & hope you get the care that you badly need & deserve .
  • wynn1948
    wynn1948 giuila

    Posted

    Hi, I too feel just like you, first GP gave me anti-biotocs and a course of 30 steroids, after the week was up i was no better at all, went back to see a different GP she prescribed 500mg of Clarithromyclin and another 60 steroids, i also have pain in my left lung, she said I have pleurisy, too a sputum sample ( which by the way is and has been dark green ever since this started) it is now 3 weeks since it started and I am no better, she gave me a card to go get x-ray, but I am just not fit to go, I feel hot and have palpitations at times, and still coughing up green sputum? my stomach muscles are sore with the constant coughing, and now I have a very sore mouth which is caused by too many high dose anti-biotics (it is oral thrush) I will be calling my GP again on Monday as this is getting me down now, I have not been out for over 3 weeks, hope this shows you that you are not alone, this is a real bad bug whatever it is!
  • victoria141173
    victoria141173 giuila

    Posted

    I have exactly the same, I can't get comfy at nite, I move I cough xxx
    • kim10838
      kim10838 victoria141173

      Posted

      Hi Victoria , I am so sorry you're still poorly , my partner Paul , has since been admitted to hospital for the 3rd time yesterday after having a CT scan , they suspect more clots in the lungs . He will have a bronchscopy later today . He had been seen home with 3 antibiotics , one IV , nurses attending 3 times daily . Now having said all this , if he had not insisted strongly that he was sure something wasn't right , none of this treatment etc would have been forthcoming as I'm almost sure the medical staff thought he was just a " complainer " , each time he insisted they do further tests , they continued to find yet another infection , clot etc. They are also now testing for " super bugs ie. MRSA , C Dif .My partner has never smoked , led a very sporty lifestyle , so was in great shape , hopefully this will help in the months ahead . The treatment may last 6-12 months . I tell you all this as he had to be very forceful in getting the attention he is now receiving and I dread to think what could have happened . If nothing else they pain eases to let him get a little sleep , this is with 4 different pain meds. Please take care and make sure you are getting the attention you need. I hope you feel much better very soonand would be glad to hear from you on your progress <3>
  • wynn1948
    wynn1948 giuila

    Posted

    Well I went back to my GP who insists I have the x-ray which I have now done, I told her I am just the same, and still coughing up green sputum, I ache all over through coughing this up and straining muscles in my tummy chest and back, i have had approx 5 hours sleep in the last week??? she told me to take my ventolin haler 10 times twice a day?, I am finding it very hard to cope at the moment, the second I get into bed or attempt to lay down i start to cough all over again and just keep coughing up the same lumps of green sputum? another thing I have noticed both my ears burn like mad?
  • tyrone53299
    tyrone53299 giuila

    Posted

    Hi,

    I've just come across this conversation and a lot of the symptoms many are having are similar to myself. Not sure if anyone has found a reason yet via tests etc, but I've never had an infection so bad?

    I'm a 35 year old male, keep myself fit with weight training, cardio and also a reasonably healthy diet and have never smoked or taken drugs. I have hypothyroidism and high blood pressure. Hypothyroidism was deemed caused by stress (possible autoimmune problem). High blood pressure does not seem to have a reason (all test results clear, thought to be genetics).

    Apologies for the long message, but I am trying to pinpoint if anyone is experiencing the same smile

    About mid November 2014, I was training and experienced a strange pulling deep within, enough to stop me from continuing. After that I started to get flutters under my rib cage (left side) and then this progressed to severe stabbing pains deep within the left of the chest and a very nasty hollow (sometimes burning) feeling which prevented sleep. My rear shoulder felt it was being pressed against too and I had a feeling of a lump in my throat. A bit of phlegm but not much, but near constant dry cough. Very sharp pains occurred randomly around the upper left of the body too, mainly the ribs and left chest. Sometimes the entire left back would feel tight and aching. The aches would seemingly jump around the body randomly too (again mainly left side), then ease off or go.

    Went to the Doctor as I was worried it was heart related who increased my blood pressure medication and sent me for an x ray. No signs of aorta problems, no enlarged heart and nothing on the lungs. I was then given Clarithromycin for what he beleived was Pluerisy for about 14 days.

    The weird thing about this is that I start to feel ok and sympoms ease (as if the anti biotics are working) and then 'bang', the symptoms come back again. I do find rest helps if you can sleep and get comfortable, along with aspirin and heat, but fatigue is always there.

    Anyway, so after 14 days on medication, the symptoms almost disappeared, I went back to work and then started getting stabbing pains again and this time aching joints (starting in the left elbow, but not visibly inflammed). I went back to the doctor and am now on another course of antibiotics. Again I can have a day or two feeling better and then get smashed back down with it.

    Oddly most of the symptoms have gone, so the aching rear shoulder is rare, back and lungs feel ok (apart from dry cough with hardly any phlegm and drip in back in throat) and I don't seem to be having stabbing pains. What's bothering me is after 8-9 weeks the infection won't completely shift and both my elbows ache a great deal, along with stomach ache on the left side (which could be the medication). Yesterday I had a rush of tingling through both arms and nausea, felt very ill (which worries me that I may be getting septic). I've had nausea a few times, but it's not often. Oddly again, I don't feel too bad today, bit more energy and not as achy.

    Does anyone have any definitive information or results on what this infection or possible superbug is and how they got over it please? All I want is to get back to normality like the rest of you and back into training.

    I hope you all get better soon, thanks for reading

    • christine37443
      christine37443 tyrone53299

      Posted

      I wonder if you are on losartum for the blood pressure as that causes a dry hacking cough that does not go. I have been in that position and now been put back on them so I expect all the coughing to reutrn. Like you I have the hypothyroidism too. 

      With these viral infections you do get nausea feelings and dizziness, no one tells you how bad these viruses are. 

    • giuila
      giuila tyrone53299

      Posted

      Hi there!!

      Was wondering if you are better?

      I kept going back to the docs and was told pleurisy and that rest is really the only way to combat it.

      Some of your symptoms ive also had, and believe it or not my doctor diagnosed me with GAD (generalised anxiety disorder) which I completely threw out at first. My symptoms were so physically exhausting I couldn't and wouldn't accept it as being stress or anxiousness that was making me feel ill. I am still not 100%. I went through most of my adult like (albeit I'm 37 now) never needing a docs and now within the last 2 years it seems a monthly occurrence.

      Anyway, I hope you did finally get to the bottom of it and wishing you good health. Thankfully for me the pleurisy is gone but when I pick up a virus I normally have a succession of them which take me a couple of months to get over. I don't have as much energy either. I used to go to a circuit class 4 days per week and am lucky if I get to go twice. That's top form for me.

      They say after pleurisy youre never the same in your immunity! Sucks!!!

      Best Regards

      Giulia

    • tyrone53299
      tyrone53299 christine37443

      Posted

      Hi, that's right, I am on Losartan for the blood pressure and had a tight throat and cough ever since, not too pleasant. A lot of my symptoms have eased off, but now I have found I had some bulging disks in my neck causing much of the symptoms, although I do feel I had a virus too, due to how my lungs were feeling, probably a mixture of things and with the hyporoidism out immunity would be low causing us to pick up viral infections etc sad
    • tyrone53299
      tyrone53299 giuila

      Posted

      Hi,

      Thanks for your message I am glad you got over your pleurisy, that is good news. A lot of my painful symptoms have eased off now, but still have sore throat (possibly medication), and aching arms and my chest can be sore if I lie on my back (left side). I think it possibly was pluerisy, but an MRI showed bulging disks in my neck irritating the nerves (probably from weight lifting and PC work), which have contributed a lot to my odd symptoms (aching numb arms, shoulders etc, very unpleasant). I'm now trying to be really careful with posture, but still feel very fatigued. Crazy how some can live a fairly good life, training and eating well and still get problems.

      The GAD is interesting as I do over worry about things, so that could be all linked and possibly a mixture of issues involved. I am pretty sure I had an infection as well as the neck issue because of the pains in the chest and like yourself I tend to pick up many viruses (possibly because my immune system is low with hypothyroidism.

      Being an active person all I want is my energy back, get rid of the aches and get back into training etc. I would say to people reading this to try not to self diagnose, it puts the fear up you from items on the Internet, sometimes it can be a bad thing smile

      I hope you don't get another occurance of this pluerisy and manage to get some energy back for your circuit class,

      Best wishes,

      Tyrone

  • barbie24730
    barbie24730 giuila

    Posted

    This is happiness to me as well, I been on 7 rounds antibiotic been to er and as soon as I get off medicine , I cough my head off. I feel like I can't continue like this

    • giuila
      giuila barbie24730

      Posted

      Hi!!

      Hope you're feeling better??

      Did the antibiotics finally rid your cough? X

  • chris66840
    chris66840 giuila

    Posted

    Hi Giuila,

    I know very much how bad you are feeling - I had a blood test before Xmas which showed up a small liver issue. After Xmas I got a really bad chect infection but, because of the liver issue (which has now seemingly cleared up) my GP would only prescribe Clarithromycin. Feeling really tired in any case from coughing so much, after two days I began to feel really awful. Lost appetite, stomach really upset and could not sleep and this was with me only being on 250mg twice a day. I staggered on (staying in bed most of the time as I felt too awful to do anything) forcing myself to eat until the course was finished. In my case the chest cleared up but the doctor put me on a follow up course of Flucloxacilin which seems to have none of the appalling side effects of the Clarithromycin. I am no doctor but be careful what other drugs you take with the latter. I have never known an anti-biotic be so ghastly. Thank God the Flucloxacilin is fine. Whatever you do you must force yourself to eat decently and I think supplement yourself with some vitamins...........hope the Clarithromycin kicks in soon for you  - the sister drug is Erythromycin which seems to have similar side effects. Chris

    • giuila
      giuila chris66840

      Posted

      Hi Chris

      Just checking in and seeing if you're feeling any better?

    • chris66840
      chris66840 giuila

      Posted

      Hi Giuila. Not sure if I replied to the right box!!

      Anyway finally I am better.....only really last week that I actually felt 100%.

      Thank you so much for thinking to ask......I do hope things are better for you ???

      Best wishes

      Chris

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