Recurring Pericarditis

Posted By Michael on May 05, 1999 at 13:40:16
Hi and thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my message.
A little background. I am a 39 year old male and in good shape. I have been diagnosed wiht idiopathic pericarditis, ie; no bacteria or virus found.  Two years ago, April 1997 I had emergency surgery to remove the fluid around the heart and a window cut in the heart lining to prevent future fluid build up.  Prior to the surgery I do recall chest pains a couple of times, which after a couple of days rest dissapeared.  I during that time I visited a hospital twice and was misdiagnosed.
Six weeks after the operation fluid built up in the lungs and the fluid was removed.  A year ago I had more chest pain.  It seems to move from the right side to the left side. The treatment was prednisone and naporsine and lots of blood tests.  After six months the prednisone dosage was 5mg and lowered to 1 mg.  3 days after stopping 1mg, in April 1999 I noticed discomfort and resumed 1 mg.  A month later I lowered to 1/2 mg and 6 days later went to 2mg without success.  I am and have always been under a Rheumatologist direction.  Now I am taking 7.5 mg and naporson and the pain has mostly disapeared. This is the third relapse. We plan to try antiinflammatory drugs without prednisone as a solution as soon as I am stable, probally in 4-6 weeks.
Questions:
1)  I was thinking of scheduling an appointment at John Hopkins, Balt. MD for a second opinion in the Rheumatology Department.  Is this the best place to go around Washington DC? and is this the correct department?
2) Should I expect to have this problem for life or will it perhaps dissapear over time.
3)  What are the long-term effects of 5mg-1mg predisone and naporson.
4) Are there other medications that may cure the problem ie: colchicine or methodrexate.
5)  I often get sinus infections at the same time I get flair up.  Any relationship.  I plan to see an aleregy doctor very soon.  What tests could be done by them that might help this situation.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Sincerely,
Michael











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