[Help] Pericarditis

[jcdenton08]

Was hospitalised with what turned out to be acute pericarditis on Wednesday, following a bout of COVID. Prescribed 3 months of colchicine twice daily and ibuprofen four times a day.

Just wanted once again to praise our brilliant NHS workers. I called 111 for advice Wednesday morning with severe chest pains and they advised they’d send an ambulance, which arrived within 20 minutes. Paramedics were brilliant, and ECG showed an irregularity.

Within 5 hours in A&E I’d seen two nurses, a GP and a cardiologist and had blood tests, two further ECG’s, a chest X-ray and an ultrasound.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with this? What are your experiences? At the moment I get chest pains and exhaustion just doing the dishes or emptying the bins. Do the pills work? How long was your recovery?

Thanks!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Was hospitalised with what turned out to be acute pericarditis on Wednesday, following a bout of COVID. Prescribed 3 months of colchicine twice daily and ibuprofen four times a day.

Just wanted once again to praise our brilliant NHS workers. I called 111 for advice Wednesday morning with severe chest pains and they advised they’d send an ambulance, which arrived within 20 minutes. Paramedics were brilliant, and ECG showed an irregularity.

Within 5 hours in A&E I’d seen two nurses, a GP and a cardiologist and had blood tests, two further ECG’s, a chest X-ray and an ultrasound.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with this? What are your experiences? At the moment I get chest pains and exhaustion just doing the dishes or emptying the bins. Do the pills work? How long was your recovery?

Thanks!

Had it twice. Last time blue lighted with suspected MI and given morphine (mmmmmorish...).

I don't get why you have been given colchichine, which I was given for acute gout. The pericarditis goes away after a couple of days. Colchicine isn't nice.

Ask your GP questions!

 

[Justice]

No and stay the f*** away from me

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I've had it after a severe virus, it took me a while to get over it. About 3 months sounds about right, I ended up getting quite stressed out about the whole thing and went to see a private cardiologist which was a bit unnecessary as he told me the same thing as the NHS did but was good to get some reassurance.

No real chest pains for me at any time just a pinching feeling whenever I got up from lying down.

 

[jcdenton08]

Had it twice. Last time blue lighted with suspected MI and given morphine (mmmmmorish...).

I don't get why you have been given colchichine, which I was given for acute gout. The pericarditis goes away after a couple of days. Colchicine isn't nice.

Ask your GP questions!

From doing a little research, it seems a three month course of colchicine is first line treatment for acute pericarditis, although you’re right it’s prescribed for gout too. After that it goes up to a six month course to prevent recurrence if you get it more than once.

Luckily no side effects on the colchicine yet! It seems to really vary, some people it can weeks and months to recover, others it can be quicker. Obviously I’m hoping for the latter!

 

[seagullwedgee]

All the best JCD. I’m sure all of Club NSC is supporting you, power to you.

 

[jcdenton08]

I've had it after a severe virus, it took me a while to get over it. About 3 months sounds about right, I ended up getting quite stressed out about the whole thing and went to see a private cardiologist which was a bit unnecessary as he told me the same thing as the NHS did but was good to get some reassurance.

No real chest pains for me at any time just a pinching feeling whenever I got up from lying down.

Thank you for this. I guess I’ll just have to wait it out and get a sick note from the GP - if I can ever get an appointment

 

[Eric the meek]

That sounds pretty scary. Sorry you had to go through that.

For another kind of chest pain that isn't a heart attack, try costochondritis, an inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the sternum. I've had it occasionally for 17 years. The first time it happened, I feared the worst, but now it isn't a big deal. Painkillers take it away. But each time I get it, there's a small part of me that thinks, hmmm.

All the best from NSC's finest, and me as well.

 

[BBassic]

That all sounds very stressful! Glad to hear you're on the mend

 

[Guinness Boy]

Get well soon jcd, one of the NSC good guys.

 

[dazzer6666]

Take it easy, best wishes for a speedy recovery

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Thank you for this. I guess I’ll just have to wait it out and get a sick note from the GP - if I can ever get an appointment

Your doctor will have a letter/email from the hospital with the diagnosis. That should be enough for them to write a sick note for you. Someone else can pick it up.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Ask your GP questions!

Former girlfriend went to her GP with similar symptoms and he said she had acute angina.

When she asked for a second opinion he said, “Your boobs aren’t bad either.”


(I’m not convinced he was a proper doctor tbh)

 

[jcdenton08]

Your doctor will have a letter/email from the hospital with the diagnosis. That should be enough for them to write a sick note for you. Someone else can pick it up.

Thanks, I’ll get on that on Monday.

 

[Cordwainer]

Can he play right back atm?

 

[World of Sport]

Take care fella

 

[AmexRuislip]

Was hospitalised with what turned out to be acute pericarditis on Wednesday, following a bout of COVID. Prescribed 3 months of colchicine twice daily and ibuprofen four times a day.

Just wanted once again to praise our brilliant NHS workers. I called 111 for advice Wednesday morning with severe chest pains and they advised they’d send an ambulance, which arrived within 20 minutes. Paramedics were brilliant, and ECG showed an irregularity.

Within 5 hours in A&E I’d seen two nurses, a GP and a cardiologist and had blood tests, two further ECG’s, a chest X-ray and an ultrasound.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with this? What are your experiences? At the moment I get chest pains and exhaustion just doing the dishes or emptying the bins. Do the pills work? How long was your recovery?

Thanks!

Wishing you all the best in recovery.
My wife had this, which was brought on by stress from her work,
(story for another day ). Docs told her to take it easy for a few weeks and prescribed painkillers (anti inflammatory)
Now retired and no stress

 

[BN9 BHA]

Best wishes JCD hope you are feeling better soon

 

[Sussexscots]

Hi. Hope you start to feel better soon.

The combination of Colchicine and Ibuprofen could be pretty hard on your stomach. Did the prescribe a Proton Pump Inhibitor alongside these? Let you GP know if you get symptoms of indigestion or acid reflux.

All the best.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Was hospitalised with what turned out to be acute pericarditis on Wednesday, following a bout of COVID. Prescribed 3 months of colchicine twice daily and ibuprofen four times a day.

Just wanted once again to praise our brilliant NHS workers. I called 111 for advice Wednesday morning with severe chest pains and they advised they’d send an ambulance, which arrived within 20 minutes. Paramedics were brilliant, and ECG showed an irregularity.

Within 5 hours in A&E I’d seen two nurses, a GP and a cardiologist and had blood tests, two further ECG’s, a chest X-ray and an ultrasound.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with this? What are your experiences? At the moment I get chest pains and exhaustion just doing the dishes or emptying the bins. Do the pills work? How long was your recovery?

Thanks!

Best wishes. It's always a relief when it turns out not to be a heart attack!

Luck of the draw with the NHS. A friend of mine had a heart attack and his wife rang 999, and Lancashire Ambulance said they would send him an ambulance in half an hour. Half an hour later they rang again to say where is it, and were told it had been delayed and would be another 2 hours. So my friend's wife had to drive him to hospital, in the opposite direction to Yorkshire, where dying men are not kept on trolleys in corridors for 36 hours. Fortunately he got proper treatments in Yorkshire and survived.