What could this be?

[LosingMyMindInGA]

OK so I'm full of questions today.  This is the first chance I've had to do much of anything.  

As I said in my other post I'm 6 days postpartum today.  You girls know I've had that sinus/chest crud for a couple of weeks.  It seems a LOT Better now, especially the sinus thing but once in awhile, usually at night my chest gets really tight and then I have a huge coughing fit as all the crud starts to break up. I usually have to use my albuterol inhaler to help open things up.  

Well this morning on the way to take the kids to school I noticed that when I try to take a deep breath or breath in like right before you cough that my left side has pain/aching and tightness.  The tightness is in my chest, like I just can't get a deep breath on the left side but there is also a pain/ache in the back of my left shoulder down into the shoulder blade and in the left side of my abdomen a little below my rib cage.  What the heck could this be?  Do you think it might be related to that episode of blood loss I had at the hospital?  I know last night I wasn't feeling well,  not like sick, but I did feel queesy and just icky..I just chalked it up to the physical aspects of sleep deprivation like I had with my other kids.   I've also been getting headaches which are partly sinus but other times it's not.  

I'm debating on whether or not I should call the doctor but I don't know if I should call my OB or a regular doctor at this point.  What do you ladies think?  I'm gonna use my inhaler and see what that does.  Maybe I just have a lot of crud in my left lung that needs to be loosened up.  

[LosingMyMindInGA]

yeah pulmonary embolism and pnuemonia are the two things that really scare me.  I've had this chest crap for so long that you just never know.  Plus with the blood loss and I know that pulmonary embolism was what my grandmother died from.  I'm seeing my ob at 9:30 tomorrow since he's aware of what's happened with me recently.

[BTS1022]

It definitely sounds like pnuemonia. I had it when I was pregnant with my youngest DS. The doctor gave me zithromax(z-pak) and a steroid which cleared up my illness within a few days. I would talk to your regular doctor, maybe go get a chest x-ray just to make sure.

I would also be concerned about a pulminary embolism, or blood clot in your lung, which can happen with blood loss during labor and delivery.

Hope all is well!!!

[FreshLove]

Sounds like something I had before when I was sick. Your muscles are probably "bruised" (or sore) from all of the coughing the past couple of weeks. I had this happen to my lungs and part of my back last time I got sick and that's what the doc told me.

But if your cold doesn't go away soon I would still call the doc and set up an appointment, always better safe then sorry.

[smjmekg]

That's good that you got an appointment so soon! i don't think I could ever get in within a couple weeks! Let me know how it goes!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I haven't been coughing or sneezing nearly as much as I was before I gave birth.  But this doesn't really feel like something pulled if you know what I mean.  The chest tightness just on that one side is what concerns me the most though.  I called my ob and he's not in today.  They had an appt at 130 with his partnet (who I really don't like) but I can't do that becuase Lily has her weight check at 145.   So I scheduled to see MY ob tomorrow at 930 but if it gets worse I'll just go to the ER.  

[smjmekg]

Have you been coughing/sneezing? You could have just pulled something and not noticed. I know sometimes when I'm coughing or sneezing and sick I'll get pains in my chest but it's just from the coughing/sneezing with me...

If it gets worse or doesn't seem better in a day or so I'd call.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Yeah pnuemonia was something that crossed my mind.  I also had an episode of a lot of blood loss about 8 hours after delivery and my bp and hemoglobin dropped.  My hemoglobin was only 9 when I left the hospital.  I'll probably call and schedule an appt with my ob today.

[KeyD]

I would contact ur doctor, it sounds like u need a chest xray to make sure you don't have pneumonia. It is not uncommon for a head cold to travel to the chest. And since you are only 6 DPP there is also the risk it could be a blood clot in ur lung. Another idea is chostocondritis--not sure of the spelling but it is irriation of the muscles around the ribs and it can be fairly painful. Call ur doctor and take care.