SOB

If a patient has pleural effusion in their lungs ..what's d next step the doctor should take?

[Jonathan D. Rich, MD]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If it is a new pleural effusion, it is critical that the doctor determine its cause.  Many effusions are relatively benign but others can signify a serious problem.

Unless the cause is relatively obvious, a new pleural effusion, particularly if it is only on one side, should be drained/sampled and sent to the lab for analysis.  This would either determine its cause or provide important information to order the next test(s) to figure out what is going on.

Hope that helps.

All the best,

Dr. Rich

[funscruples]

Glad to be apart of the community ..and yes you were helpful ..that's exactly what I thought should be done ..also my TSH is 1.15..my other numbers were normal ..I do have a goiter but still everything is fine in their eyes but I'm not fine..I'm constantly in pain..now I have sob and pressure in chest area ..I'm now concerned about CHF..pulse rate be high ..diastolic is always elevated ..oxygen level was a 95 one time..so stressed about all of this ...

[funscruples]

I would love to get ur input on my previous comment..thanks

[Jonathan D. Rich, MD]

Hello.  I do not have a lot more to add.  Your symptoms are common to many conditions (both serious and not serious).  Please see a competent cardiologist (and internist).  They should be able to get to the bottom of things.  Happy to see you myself if you happen to be in the chicagoland area.
Hope you begin to feel better soon.

Best,

Dr. Rich