In 1995 I had pericarditis. Everything I have been reading states that these symptoms of the pericarditis seem to only last on average, a week to three months. I had taken steroids for over a year after that. Since this time, I have also noticed that it seems that one of the treatments for this is to use a needle and drain the fluid. I only had huge amounts of steroids. While I was in the hospital for a period of 8 days, I gained 39 pounds. (And unfortunately, I have yet to loose this weigh, due to the steroids.) I have been going to doctors this past year and a half constantly. I am being told that I suffer from an aniexty disorder. And I was was told that I have fibromyalgia. It seems that symptoms in each, the fatigue, the heavy cheat, the shortness of breath, coughing, sometimes I run a low grade fever, weakness, discomfort in my chest, back (chest level), my hands and feet always ache (they feel like they are drawung up). The last two times I went to the doctor and told him that while he had me on, anti-inflammatory vioux, flexril, he also had me on paxil, ibiprofin (600 mg three times a day), prilosec, and atenenol for blood pressure (before all of this medication I had an average blood pressure of 110/72) it deminished the discomfort, but I felt like I was in a fog. I couldn't seem to get the energy to do anything. He took me off everything (probably to quit my whining and complaining) and I've been weened off the paxil. After three days of vomiting and diahrea (which after a phone call to my physician) due to what I was told was the withdrawal from the medication, the first 24 hours I had a clear head, and I felt almost like my old energetic self. After three and a half weeks though I have slowly been feeling worse. It started with slight dicomfort in my chest, left shoulder and left arm, being uncomfortable when I lay down, to drastic spikes in my blood pressure (198/132 which I went to the emergency room), and last night while sitting playing bingo up at church (after a long busy day) my left thumb went numb, then the hand. And while I was experiencing this, my vision became blurred, unfocused. It seemed then as if my lips started to get numb. That passed quickly but the hand and vision seemed to last for quit a while. I know that in reading, the anti-inflammatory drug helps keep the swelling down in the muscles and cases of the pericarditis. I know this was a long way around a few simple questions but, Can you have long term pericarditis? Would it show in the blood tests after such a long time? Would a doctor be able to give you some type of tests to evaluate the situation and eliminate certain illnesses or diseases? Do you acquire other illnesses or diseases after you have pericarditis?