Pericarditis

[livingwith]

recently i had no choice but to go to the local hospital emergency ward after a night out with my mates with a fever, shortness of breath, dehydration, chest feeling like it had been kicked in repeatedly, or someone was crushing it from within from the sternum right around to the lower rib bones in my back.
I thought i was having a heart attack Now this may sound like an over exaggeration, more so since i am a 26 year old male normally healthy outgoing and fit. I went to the emergency ward in ...Read the full article

[8months2Dx]

Not only that you should have been released from the hospital with discharge orders which included no exertion for at least 2 weeks.

I had a similar thing happen as you, except I have viral caused pericarditis. It took 10 ER visits to get a diagnosis AND the proper discharge medication and orders.

I had 9 out 11 symptoms and signs on my 8th ER visit but the doctor told me I had Atypical Chest Pain and sent me home without pain medication. Upon returning home, I developed a fever and sharp pain along my sternum. I called the ER and was told by the doctor that I didn't have pericarditis. You see I knew I had it because I had done research about it. My friend had it and said my symptoms sounded like hers and how they started. The ER expected to see a temperature of 102 F or more. However, that doctor's criteria was based on bacterial caused pericarditis. And I had viral caused pericarditis which causes a slightly elevated temperature.

The next day I presented with the full blown symptoms of pericarditis and finally got treatment. And I ran into the same problem as you in not being sent home with the correct prescription and the correct discharge orders.

Resting is critical in the early weeks of treatment or there can be reoccurrences.