Pericarditis?

Posted by Mark on May 09, 1999 at 01:55:26
I am a 42 year old male in good condition.  In late March, I did my usual 1 1/2 mile run which I do two or three times a week.  We had a pizza and I continued to drink water diluted in sodium ascorbate.  In the five hours after the run I drank 13.3 grams of vitamin C diluted in water.
The next morning, monday, I awoke with diffuse pains in the left side of the chest.  The sensation was that I had popped a blood vessel in my chest.  The next morning, Tuesday, I awoke to very severe sharp pains in the chest and it felt as if fluid was pressing against the heart.  I felt weak and anxious and sick.  I was scared to go to the hospital for fear they would put a needle in the heart.   On Wednesday it felt like the fluid drained from the heart but there  was still a great deal of pain and the sick feeling.  On Thursday, I went to the hospital, for fear of a heart attack, and i presented with a mild fever and inverted t waves on the ecg.  I took a stress thalium test the next day and everything was normal but my ecg remained abnormal.  
The diagnoses was that some people have abnormal ecgs and not to worry about it.  I was encouraged to exercise.  The next day, saturday, like a dummy I ran a mile.  I was sick all week, but started getting better near the end of the week.  There was a social soccer game that I wanted to play in on Sunday, 10 days after release from the hospital so I played but tried to limit my exertion as much as possible.  I got very sharp pains that day, and the next day the classic sick anxious pericarditis feeling returned with a vengeance.
I saw a new cardiologist who did a stress echo.  Everything was normal.  My ECG is now normal.  He encouraged me to exercise.  I did a light workout with the soccer ball.  The next day it felt like my lungs were burning but I still felt strong.  The following day I developed the classic pericarditis symptoms with that horrible sick feeling and stabbing pain but milder than earlier.
It seems pretty clear that exercise and exertion are exacerbating my symptoms.  When can I exercise again?  
Posted by CCF CARDIO MD-APS on May 11, 1999 at 16:36:42
Dear Mark,
This is an informational forum, not a medical treatment, diagnostic, or suggestion forum.  You need to ask your doctor when would be a good time to resume exercise.  Pericarditis can and usually does take weeks to heal, thus I would avoid exacerbating circumstances for at least 6weeks post diagnosis.
Unfortunately, pericarditis can last significantly longer and require more intense therapy (medicines.)
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general
purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to
write back with additional questions. Good luck.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call
1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that
can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac pr