Pain

[tx1980]

I have been having lung pain on bot lower lungs for 4 months.I have had a lot of fatigue,night sweats,flu like symptoms.i have had ct,hrct,x rays blood work all has been clear hrct showed some trapped air.I have been seing a Pulmonary dr thinks i may need a Bioposy.Going to do a ashma test on me next wek.i have seen so many Drs no one can figure out whats going on.

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

You describe “lung pain on both lower lungs for 4 months.”  The lung itself, when diseased, does not cause pain.  The membrane that surrounds it, the pleura, can cause pain when inflamed for any reason, infectious or other.  This is called pleurisy and is a pain that is characteristically worse with breathing.  When the pleura is irritated/inflamed sooner or later it is associated with an abnormal collection of fluid within the chest, called pleural effusion.  

The first question I would ask would be, is this “lung pain” really originating inside your chest, because it might not be.  It could be coming from other structures in the thorax (nerves, ribs etc.) or the pain that appears to you to be coming from “the lungs” (I imagine because of its location) might possibly be coming from structures below the diaphragm and that would explain the “clear” chest CT.  You should ask your doctors about this possibility.

The symptoms of fatigue, night sweats and flu-like symptoms are worrisome.  Granted that there are many diseases that can cause this combination of symptoms, one in particular comes to mind and that is what is called extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB in a part of the body outside of the lungs.)

I suggest that further diagnostic studies take into account the possibility that your pain may be originating from a site other than the respiratory system and that disease, even outside the chest is responsible for your other symptoms.

You may wish to share this message with your doctors on the chance it may prompt them to consider some of the possibilities mentioned above.

Good luck

[Jagumba]

Hi doctor, I have been reading your posts and found them very helpful and just realized that I'm going through one of the respiratory disorder but now I can't understand which once. It is unfortunate that where I live we do not have advanced medical practice like the US. I have had this chest congestion for close to 22 year now, laterly the situation has really increased and especially during the rainy season or cold period. I spit a lot of mucus sometimes with trasses of blood but most of the time it's all clear. This has been like a permanent feature with me where I feel an urge to cough or right in the throat there is a permeant blocked with phlegm and when I clear some of the mucus it is followed by a period of acidity coming from the stomach. After any meal or water I have to clear my throat for quite sometime and nowadays I keep on spitting throughout,sometimes I have a lot of gas in the stomac and sometimes pains develops in the chest. Of late I have been having fever like symptom in my lower arms and feet. Ooh men this has been very awe full and it's caused me a lot of anxiety. I have done alot of tests and they all have come in negative. On GP after physical examination told me that it was mild bronchitis and when I visited a respiratory specialist he told that I this was something like small airways disease. Kindly advice me on which specialist I should see and what kind of tests I would curry out.

Regards Jagumba

[tx1980]

I wished I lived closer to Denver I need a dignosis lol.Thank You For Your Time Dave