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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 7/21/2011 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hello persons,

I am posting to see if anyone else gets much inflammation around the chest region? I should be doing more chest expanding exercises, I feel much better after a walk but shortly after it goes back to normal.

I seem to be waking up in pain again around my rib cage and upper chest area, also back pain starting to worsen.

Anyone have any suggestions from what I haven't mentioned, more worried bout the chest expansion over anything else.

Thanks

Dave
Posted 7/21/2011 5:59 PM (GMT 0)
Do you think it's plurecy? When you bend over do you hear a whooshing sound or gurgle?
I'd see a doctor to be sure it's not that.
Posted 7/21/2011 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
Go into your pcp to get checked out and let him/her know what's going on...
and maybe he/she should refer you out to the appropriate physician...or
maybe bloodwork would be a start, but get into your pcp (primary care physician)
well wishes and keep us posted as to how your doing
Posted 7/22/2011 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
well I have to do some blood work soon anyway, so that could work perfectly. Not sure what plurecy is, but I do know AS does makes chest tight and expansion problems but its really bad, I mean I cope emotionally and all but would like to live as long as I can.
Maybe I should give up the fags for a start would be a life time plan hehe, I think ill see my rheumo early this year and not wait till december.
Ill look more into plurecy and I thank you both for your usual knowledgable feedback.

Healthwise I feel fine, its just chest expansion worries me, I can deal with other arthritic pain and sometimes an advantage if I want to get up early lol.

Thanks guys, ill let you know what the go is shortly.

Love from Aus

Dave
Posted 7/22/2011 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
Ok just vaguely read able Pleurisy, may sound like the problem. Aslong as I don't get pulmonary fibrosis or cancer then all is good.
I think ill get this checked asap, thank you so much for the information.
Posted 7/22/2011 3:34 AM (GMT 0)
Ok just made a doctors appointment for Monday, it's actually Friday here and my doctor is packed out. Any suggestions on what I should tell him? because I want to get the best diagnosis as possible, doctors tend to brush past the problem with uneducated communication.

Thanks again

Dave
Posted 7/22/2011 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Just want to point out that you 2 are big assets to this website, and appreciate the support. Thanks :)
Posted 7/22/2011 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Go to an urgent care facility. I'm not sure if there's one in Australia or not.

Ps. You might want to change your word for cigerettes. It has different meaning in the USA and you might offend someone.

Posted 7/23/2011 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Crackles, I developed costochondritis once which presented like pleuracy and was at first diagnosed as pleuracy then after it didn't resolve it was switched to costochondritis.
Not meaning to scare you, but seemingly for RA it is on the agenda.
Managed to get rid of it finally with physio and lots of cortisone injections between my ribs in the hot spots, had about 4 or 5 befoe it resolved.
Just thought I'd throw it out there as another possibility.
I hope you get a good doctor on Monday to sort it out for you.
Best wishes, golitho, a fellow Aussie.
Posted 7/23/2011 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the feedback guys, hoping he sorts it out too and not just brushes it off as something else.
Posted 7/25/2011 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
Saw my wonderful doctor today, he is sending me off for xrays and an ecg. Probably wants to check irregularities, considering the inflammation is moving up my back and chest.
Ill let you guys know hopefully by this afternoon, as I got my tests in 3 hours.
Posted 7/25/2011 5:58 AM (GMT 0)
Ok so, got ECG done and xray, she thinks the ECG looks fine but she isn't a cardiologist. So hopefully xrays show something, I'll let ya all know in a week.
Posted 7/25/2011 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
I was thinking the same thing as golitho days ago but couldn't remember how to spell costochondritis!

Hope all is well. let us know what the tests reveal. Did the dr. mention costochondritis at all?

Posted 7/26/2011 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
Good luck crackles, I do hope it's easily fixed and nothing very serious! And without nagging I'd say quitting is definitely a wise choice.... (especially given the nature of your symptoms)

Couchtater - hehe, I doubt anyone is going to think that Crackles23 believes giving up those of a homosexual disposition will improve his chest symptoms?

F*g*o*s are a national English (and Welsh) dish, and its meaning as a 'cigarette' predates the American slang meaning by 30 years! (It's even used as a noun, verb and adjective in the british public school system, and has been since 1700).


Weary - Good to see (read?) you! I don't want to hijack the thread (sorry - would PM if I could) but how are you?? - I haven't been on here in a while

take care all,
Posted 7/26/2011 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
No, he hasn't mentioned anything at this stage, probably doesn't want to jump to any conclusions I guess. They did xrays on my chest and spinal region, funny thing was when I left they forgot to do the chest xray so I had to go back and get it done. It's ok I don't mind running around aslong as things are done properly, just glad they called and didn't just leave it for another rainy day.

Feel free to hijack, ill only contribute to it haha.
Posted 7/26/2011 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Jay, I'm an old woman and my knowledge of slang is limited. :)
I only knew two ways it was used and I'm sure it wasn't the first meaning that popped into my mind. ;)


Crackles, I hope they figure something out quickly for you.
Posted 7/26/2011 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Well, Hope your doing okay Crackles...well wishes
Posted 7/26/2011 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, Crackles...I have had a lot of experience over the past few years with pleurisy and costochondritis...I had episodes of it for almost two years before I ever approached my pulmonologist with it...he took a chest x-ray and diagnosed it...it absolutely is RA-related, unfortunately...one of the reasons it is so important to get it diagnosed is that my pulmy says that a blood clot presents with the same symptoms...the last episode I had was about 1.5 weeks ago and he sent me directly to the ER and not urgent care, as I would require a chest x-ray and bloodwork, specifically a D-dimer test, which rules out bloodclots...I never had cortisone injections to my ribs; he puts me on Prednisone and Percocet..it always goes away in time.

Hope this helps and I hope you get a dx quickly.
Posted 8/2/2011 10:18 AM (GMT 0)
Ok apparently X-ray's came back clear, even my upper spine is fine which I find hard to believe. He put it down as having really tense muscles in my chest and shoulders, could make sense but ill bring it up to my rheumo when I see him in the next few months.
Other than that, I feel pretty healthy, working 2 jobs and running rings around my colleagues as usual. Might be something, but ill just have to see if it gets worse, might start doing some swimming to start using my muscles again. Only thing that has been stopping me are these horrible tattoos I got on my legs from when I was a teenager.
Either way, ill think of something and hopefully some time inbetween my shifts to exercise.
Posted 8/2/2011 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
LOL Crackles- don't sweat the tatts- you'll be all the rage,
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