nbfaa

Hi,

Sorry to barge into your support group . I am pretty shook up at present as I
am very concerned about my daughter's health. About a six weeks ago my
daughter went to the emergency room due to chest pain. Dx with pluerisy and
sent on her way with a prescription for Ibuprofen (sp). She continues to have
some discomfort but no pain six weeks later. She did go to a follow up visit
which the doctors said that she had no other symptoms of gall bladder attack.
They had her jump up and down and etc. She recently had breast surgery to
enhance her breast and I am wondering if this could be related to her pluerisy.
That sugery took place two months before she had this pain. In addition, she
has had a deprovera shot (sp). A birth control shot about three months ago. I
looked up pluerisy and saw possible causes listed, lupus being one of them.

They did a cat scan at the er room and found nothing. So I am guessing no mass
or cancer. She is starting a new job here in a few weeks where medical
benefits start same day she starts. I need your advice on how i should proceed
with my daughter. I am not a educated man but I love her deeply. Do I take her
to the doctor or wait until insurance kicks in . Will a pre existing condition
make it harder for her if I take her in prior to insurance? Or Am I crazy in
waiting? I live five hundred miles away from her and will drive there in a
flash if you all think I should take her to the doctor prior to her getting
insurance. She insists that she is okay, etc. However, she loves me and
wouldn't want to worry me. So I think she could be lying to me . I need to
know what you all think about this. I know you are not doctors and etc. I
just need some guidance on how to approach this issue with her and I don't want
to alarm her needlessly. SHe is 22 years old and
has allways had knee problems most of her life. I need some objective advice
so that I don't under react or over react here. I need to do what is right for
her. Any suggestion or feedback would be appreciated.


nbfaa@aol.com

Neil

j

Partial reply which you might not like.


causes of pleurisy http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home2/sb/sb052_1.htm

Neither did I, but I had 2 huge stones which started "acting up" very shortly after
I started birth control meds.
Large stones can sometimes be picked up on x-ray.
Note in causes of pleurisy "pancreatitis". Gall stones can cause pancreatitis.
The symptoms can be similar (mimic each other), the organs are close to each other.

Although I would think that an inflamed pancreas would have been picked up by a CT
if they imaged that area of her body and not just her lungs.


This must be some "inside doctor" joke for the "jiggle factor". I have never in my
born days (and that's a long time) and on newsgroups heard of this !

One?

Which makes little logical sense to me (to add weight) to a person who "has had
knee problems most of her life".
You'll see arthritis on the list (above), but she seems rather young for that,
unless she's had sports or dance-related wear and tear/injuries and/or wears the
wrong shoes.

What else makes you think autoimmune or Lupus? Family history? or other signs
/symptoms (if so which)?
CT scans don't rule out all types of cancers.

Talk to us, maybe we can help figure it out.
J

jdwat

Hi Neil!

I don't know how much I can offer, but there will be some advice coming
along for you.

Lupus is very difficult to diagnose at times. I was misdiagnosed at
first, then was told it's an autoimmune disorder or a "Lupus-like"
disorder. I could later be diagnosed with Lupus or never be. It's up
for grabs.

A lot of people go through this & it takes years to be given a
diagnosis. It seems to me that it's too soon to panic, but never to
soon for you to learn everything you can about pleurisy, Lupus,
pancreaitis etc.. You can be prepared when & if more symptoms begin or
continue.

Another thing you need to consider is her willingness & youth. You know
her much better than I, but I remember being 22. Ahhh! Young &
carefree--at least until I was 23. : ) You want her to share her
symptoms with you & I fear if you panic & run out to get her & drive her
to the nearest doctor & they can't find anything wrong right now, then
she may be less likely to trust you with *new* information in the
future.

I know you're stuck between a rock & a hard place & you want her to know
you care. It's just such a hard call & like I said, other's will be
along to speak to you & they are down right brilliant. Be patient as
it's the weekend & it may take 'til Monday or so for those people to
appear.

In the meantime, listen to 'J ' & let us know if other symptoms have
occured in her life. Does she have fevers often, any rashes, etc.. Is
there a family history of thyroid problems, asthma, diabetes, Lupus,
rheumatoid arthritis etc.?

Be patient & try not to worry, k?

Kind Regards,
Maggie

j

Yes.
A pre-existing condition could make it harder for her to get a job or insurance.
A pre-existing condition could make it harder (or more expensive) for her to get
health and disability and travel insurance.
And that includes breast implants (if that's what you mean by breast enhancement),
based on my reading that newsgroup.
While I'm on the subject, I think they cost approx $2000? It is said they're
guaranteed "for lifetime".
As best I can tell, 10 years is about the average, and resurgeries cost about
$10,000 (US), so if she's a Lupus patient (or any chronic illness for that matter),
how the devil is she going to cope with that (maybe 3 or 4 resurgeries in her
lifetime) not to mention complications like infections or poor healing (for those
who are on Prednisone).

Some do better than 10 years (20 - 25 years), some have complications early, even
soon after the surgery.
Some have complications and don't recognize them as such.
Some have no complications but just change them due to aging or size issues.

It would appear that some who get involved in (non health-related ) cosmetic
surgery early, often go on to wanting other
enhancements to their bodies, over the years.


On the one hand, one thinks a 22 yo is an adult and must make their way themselves.

Parents worry and rightly so. There's a limit to what parents can actually "do"
for adults.
We were fairly healthy but our parents watched out for us well into the twenties
and longer.

I wonder how she could afford the surgery if she was not working...
Is there more happening (where she is), that a father might want to be aware of and
warn her about.

Back to the knees, of course she could have JVA juvenile arthritis, which may later
require Prednisone. It too is/can be a systemic illness - and very serious.

Back to Lupus, certainly pleurisy can be one of the symptoms and if she still has
symptoms six weeks later, one must wonder because in healthy individuals, I think
pleurisy clears in a matter of weeks.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00244
Pleurisy occurs as a complication of a wide variety of underlying conditions.
Relieving pleurisy involves treating the underlying condition, if it's known, and
taking pain relievers.<snip>
http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=3639

If she does have Lupus, she would need to know what to avoid (meds, foods, sun
etc).
She in theory could be treated, without an official diagnosis, if she found the
right rheumatologist.
If not, she could crash badly, and end up in hospital very serious.

Those are my thoughts for now, maybe more later.
J

nbfaa

Hi,

Sorry to barge into your support group . I am pretty shook up at present as I
am very concerned about my daughter's health. About a six weeks ago my
daughter went to the emergency room due to chest pain. Dx with pluerisy and
sent on her way with a prescription for Ibuprofen (sp). She continues to have
some discomfort but no pain six weeks later. She did go to a follow up visit
which the doctors said that she had no other symptoms of gall bladder attack.
They had her jump up and down and etc. She recently had breast surgery to
enhance her breast and I am wondering if this could be related to her pluerisy.
That sugery took place two months before she had this pain. In addition, she
has had a deprovera shot (sp). A birth control shot about three months ago. I
looked up pluerisy and saw possible causes listed, lupus being one of them.

They did a cat scan at the er room and found nothing. So I am guessing no mass
or cancer. She is starting a new job here in a few weeks where medical
benefits start same day she starts. I need your advice on how i should proceed
with my daughter. I am not a educated man but I love her deeply. Do I take her
to the doctor or wait until insurance kicks in . Will a pre existing condition
make it harder for her if I take her in prior to insurance? Or Am I crazy in
waiting? I live five hundred miles away from her and will drive there in a
flash if you all think I should take her to the doctor prior to her getting
insurance. She insists that she is okay, etc. However, she loves me and
wouldn't want to worry me. So I think she could be lying to me . I need to
know what you all think about this. I know you are not doctors and etc. I
just need some guidance on how to approach this issue with her and I don't want
to alarm her needlessly. SHe is 22 years old and
has allways had knee problems most of her life. I need some objective advice
so that I don't under react or over react here. I need to do what is right for
her. Any suggestion or feedback would be appreciated.


nbfaa@aol.com

Neil

nbfaa

Thanks for all the input. I will continue to revisit this group for possible
information.
As per her financial position? She just quit and is starting a new job. Her
implants are already in and I was wandering if the surgery itself could of
caused the pluerisy, etc.

j

1) just read that payment plans are offered
2) pleurisy, I don't think so, but I don't have them, and don't know for sure.

The chest is in front of the lungs/pleura. (pleura/pleurisy)
The implants apparently can be inserted in front of or behind the chest muscles.
So, in theory, if she got an infection during this surgery, maybe it's possible to
get the bacterial form of pleurisy???
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home2/sec04/ch052/ch052b.htm
But the surgeon would have to be pretty bad (and there are some out there) to have
mucked this up that badly.

A few points here:
I as far as I know, don't have Lupus, my brother might, is partly why I'm here
(besides friends and loving this group). I did have (dry) pleurisy about 5? years
ago. And man is that painful ! It's hard to breathe in, because of the pain.
I'd never heard of, so I went to ER and they did tons of tests, they shrugged and
said "it must be pleurisy" because they said the tests don't usually show pleurisy
unless there's lots of fluid showing up in the lungs, So that would be the (wet)
form of plerisy, which I think the lupies here get.
Anyway, they told me to take tylenol. I was better in a few weeks, then it came
back several times over the summer.
In Lupus patients, I believe their pleurisy may/could be more chronic, last
longer? (maybe someone else here could speak to that)

Next point, before such surgeries, I believe the doctors are supposed to ask the
person if they or families members have an autoimmune disorder. If "yes", they're
not supposed to do the surgery, I think.
But if the patient doesn't know or say (admit), then the surgery happens. The
patient signs an "informed consent" form saying that they've been informed of all
the risks and accept the potential risks. So in theory if your daughter has Lupus
and doesn't know, she could end up (wrongly) blaming the implants for the Lupus.

Of course, at this point, she may not have Lupus and just have a simple case of
pleurisy. I don't know.

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/
This one mentions autoimmune /Lupus
http://www.plasticsurgery.com.au/pdfdocs/breast_implant.pdf

By the way, you didn't mention if autoimmune runs in your family?
J-not an expert at any of this

j

Partial reply which you might not like.


causes of pleurisy http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home2/sb/sb052_1.htm

Neither did I, but I had 2 huge stones which started "acting up" very shortly after
I started birth control meds.
Large stones can sometimes be picked up on x-ray.
Note in causes of pleurisy "pancreatitis". Gall stones can cause pancreatitis.
The symptoms can be similar (mimic each other), the organs are close to each other.

Although I would think that an inflamed pancreas would have been picked up by a CT
if they imaged that area of her body and not just her lungs.


This must be some "inside doctor" joke for the "jiggle factor". I have never in my
born days (and that's a long time) and on newsgroups heard of this !

One?

Which makes little logical sense to me (to add weight) to a person who "has had
knee problems most of her life".
You'll see arthritis on the list (above), but she seems rather young for that,
unless she's had sports or dance-related wear and tear/injuries and/or wears the
wrong shoes.

What else makes you think autoimmune or Lupus? Family history? or other signs
/symptoms (if so which)?
CT scans don't rule out all types of cancers.

Talk to us, maybe we can help figure it out.
J

jdwat

Hi Neil!

I don't know how much I can offer, but there will be some advice coming
along for you.

Lupus is very difficult to diagnose at times. I was misdiagnosed at
first, then was told it's an autoimmune disorder or a "Lupus-like"
disorder. I could later be diagnosed with Lupus or never be. It's up
for grabs.

A lot of people go through this & it takes years to be given a
diagnosis. It seems to me that it's too soon to panic, but never to
soon for you to learn everything you can about pleurisy, Lupus,
pancreaitis etc.. You can be prepared when & if more symptoms begin or
continue.

Another thing you need to consider is her willingness & youth. You know
her much better than I, but I remember being 22. Ahhh! Young &
carefree--at least until I was 23. : ) You want her to share her
symptoms with you & I fear if you panic & run out to get her & drive her
to the nearest doctor & they can't find anything wrong right now, then
she may be less likely to trust you with *new* information in the
future.

I know you're stuck between a rock & a hard place & you want her to know
you care. It's just such a hard call & like I said, other's will be
along to speak to you & they are down right brilliant. Be patient as
it's the weekend & it may take 'til Monday or so for those people to
appear.

In the meantime, listen to 'J ' & let us know if other symptoms have
occured in her life. Does she have fevers often, any rashes, etc.. Is
there a family history of thyroid problems, asthma, diabetes, Lupus,
rheumatoid arthritis etc.?

Be patient & try not to worry, k?

Kind Regards,
Maggie

bj

Hi Neil,
Please don't feel as if you barging in on the group. Everyone is most
welcome here. I am not clear on whether it was possible gall bladder or
pleurisy pain that took your daughter to emergency. Perhaps you could
clarify that. Pleurisy can exist on it's own, without an underlying
condition. Maybe her surgery made her more suscepible to it. That is the
only connection I can make. She could go on a low fat diet for now, if gall
bladder is a problem. It would buy some time until her medical benefits fall
into place. I have a daughter too, and I worry about her. However, it might
be best to take her word on how she is feeling. I am sure you would know, if
she were terribly ill. She could have a doctor do a complete blood count at
a later date, if that has not already been done. That would give you an idea
of whether or not to look further. I don't know if I have been at all
helpful. Feel free to ask more questions.
BJ-Sk. Canada

I

want


advice

right for