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sudden onset of symptoms
I am a newly diagnosed case of bronchiectasis. So far, no NTM present. Yesterday, all of a sudden, I had severe chills, body aches, fatigue, and fever. As the afternoon progressed, my chest and entire abdomen started to hurt, and it was somewhat painful to take a deep breath. It was incredibly painful to cough. I went to an urgent care, where they did an X-ray that did not indicate pneumonia or anything else abnormal. They also ran a urine test to check for UTI. A sputum sample from about two weeks ago had indicated haemophilus, which my pulmonary doctor chose not to treat because I was feeling okay. The attending PA at Urgent Care prescribed doxycycline, which I started to take last night. Today, the fever is mostly gone, and the pain has subsided. No issues breathing. The fatigue is still present but not as bad 24 hours ago. My question is, is abdominal and chest pain, radiating also to my back, typical of an exacerbation? I have never had that sort of pain before, it was intense, and I was rather scared. Any advice on your experiences is appreciated. Thank you.
Replies
Kath,
Hello! I am sorry that you were having a challenging day and needed to go to an urgent care center. Abdominal pain is not commonly associated with Bronchiectasis, some chest discomfort is seen but not severe pain radiating to your back. Was the urine dipstick positive? What exactly did they prescribe the doxycycline for? Did they do an EKG? I am glad you are feeling better today. I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice; however, I would suggest to follow up with my pcp on Monday and or a GI doctor for your complaint of abdominal pain. I hope that you continue to feel better. Below is a booklet on the Basics of Bronchiectasis https://www.bronchiectasisandntminitiative.org/Portals/0/Files/All_About_Bronchiectasis.pdf
Comments
- Please up date us after you see your Pulmonologist. Adults with weakened immune systems or chronic lung diseases are at higher risk of getting haemolophus. I have observed that many urgent care centers write prescriptions so readily without knowing the root cause of one’s symptoms. I am so glad that you are able to see your Pulmonologist tomorrow to clarify the diagnosis and treatment plan.
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