[jferestad]

I was just in the hospital 2 nights ago with chest pain and the Dr stated I had pericarditis and started me on 2400 mg of Ibuprofen per day (normal therapeutic dosage) and told me to go to my primary- problem is I don't have a primary physician so will set up an appointment with an internist first. I am a nurse so kind of understand the situation, however, Question/suggestions- does anyone just see a general MD for this?? Do you recommend a cardiologist?? With my history in family I assume I am going to get the full work up etc. and I plan to request a stress echo because of my family/history. My pain does'nt seem to be extreme at this time however is rather annoying. I am finding that I am pretty tired. I am reading that some people are "spiraling" downward and this comes and goes for them- if you are one- do you maintain a hectic schedule and how are you dealing with that??? I am 36- single - full time mom- and just started full graveyard shifts + overtime along with everything else crazy in my life- am kind of worried I can't keep up the pace if I get worse. I do have to say kudo's to those who have worse situations with their health- to stay positive is one of the hardest things to accomplish sometimes. Thanks for your time- Jody

[ginny1]

Jody,
I am a teacher--have been dealing with bouts of pericarditis for 9 months. Pericarditis generally can be just one episode and then go away--generally brought on by a virus, idiopathic if they don't know what caused it, etc. Mine, is relapsing, and I keep getting bouts of it--I was started on prednisone for different reasons before they discovered I had pericarditis. You may only have this one episode of it! It may be gone after this, however, go to a cardiologist. They could put you on a drug called colchicine if you get further episodes of this because it is the best thing out there to prevent further events of pericarditis. If it keeps coming back, generally, it is not serious, but can be very painful. It is important to be screened for rheumatology causes of pericarditis, etc, but, see a cardiologist (in my opinion). It is very rare and many regular doctors don't have the experience to treat it. I have had trouble finding a cardiologist who really knew how to!

[EAF]

I am new to posting to forums,but I am desperate for answers; In november I visited the ER, because I thought I was having a heart attack after several more visits to the ER, they discovered that I had a pericardial effusion of 7.21 mm. I am in lots of pain, shortness of breath and I times I am unable to even get out of bed or become very tired trying to bathe or get dressed. My employer recently demanded that I go on a leave as there were many days that I was not able to perform the basic duties of my job..... The ER doctor placed me on Indomethacin which I have been on for a little over a week, I went to a cardiologist for several tests, he said to continue taking the 50mg of this medicine 3 times a day..... (sometimes I have really strong palpitations and shortness of breath, numbness and other) and if I get really bad go to the ER, he did an echo, ekg, blood work... I am scheduled for a stress test on 02/06/08 and a follow up on 02/08/08... what should I expect, can I take something else for pain? please share some info with me; as I am desperate and the pain , shortness of breath and lack of sleep seems to be getting worse I thank you in advance

[ginny1]

So sorry you are in pain! Many of us with pericarditis have gone through this, but, your cardiologist should be prescribing something to help you! The indocin (indomethacin) should help with the pain as it is an anti-inflammatory. Here's what I have learned! First of all, my pericarditis was not related to cancer, post-heart surgery, or rheumatological conditions. I have idiopathic (they don't know why I have it), probably viral-caused pericarditis. I had an effusion. I have pain when I have a relapse of this pericarditis (it relapses sometimes!). The Treatment options are either: Non-steroidal, anti inflammatories, (NSAIDS)--indocin is one of these. Colchicine should be taken at the same time--it supposedly reduces and there is evidence that it stops the relapses of pericarditis.. Steroids should be avoided. Toradol (it has another name too), can be given for acute episodes of pericarditis. The trick is finding a doctor that understands all this. I have been to several. Find a major teaching hospital with a cardiologist who has treated pericarditis. If you have a cause that they can find for the pericarditis, they need to treat the cause. Otherwise, if it is idiopathic, it is a matter of handling the symptoms, pain, and watching for further complications like effusions and constriction/calcification (which supposedly are quite rare in and of themselves). Get a pain doctor--they have good drugs to help you through the painful episodes--just make sure your cardiologist and pain manager have knowledge of each other's medicines. Generally, pericarditis (viral/idiopathic) runs a course and burns itself out! (That is the good news!)

[EAF]

Thank you for your reply! I am in the dark as far as information from my DR. goes....is it customary to loose sleep and have lots of difficulty breathing? Should I just tough it out? or at what point to I seek emergency care? For example last night the shortness of breath was really bad, I was continuosly woken up because of difficulty breathing, I kept gasping for air and had severe tightness in my chest.... I am very appreciative for you sharing your experience with me...... Thanks

[ginny1]

As far as shortness of breath, I would go right to the ER!!! Pericarditis has many causes, if you feel that much shortness of breath, it could be heart-related and not just pericarditis. Just go to the ER! That is what they are for! Tell them you are having chest pains and shortness of breath! That way they can do the tests during the middle of the episode instead of after the symptoms have gone away! It is really important to follow this stuff up as it is happening! I am on a first name basis with the ER near me and I am going to continue to go when I have bad symptoms. Sometimes, the doctor in charge of the ER will give you more tests and they seem to know that chest symptoms have many causes! Just make yourself get up and go to ER next tim--you are not an inconvenience to them, you are important too, and the ER doctors are very good at giving you appropriate pain meds and then diagnosis--but a good cardiologist follow-up AFTER the ER is a MUST! It is nothing to mess around with so just GO!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't take chances with your health, it is not worth it! Hope this encourages you to go--could be just the pericarditis, and that is treatable. Heart things are highly treatable usually, so, just GO and get all the treatment you need. It is always better safe than sorry later! Hugs to you! Ginny1

[k0ylis]

Hopefully I can give you some advice as I have been struggling with pericarditis for 7 years now ! got it aged 27 previously fit and well. I would ask about going on Colchicine which helps reduce inflammation and reduce relapses. Nefopam is a strong pain killer but effective for chest pain when mine is very bad. You need referral to Rheumatology, Infectious diseases and Immunology to rule out any underlying causes especially if it doesn't clear up.I would try to aviod steroid use as it won't cure you an you will not be able to wean of it. I am at the point of maybe trying I V immunoglobulin or having a perciardial biopsy as they have no idea why mine is so persistent. Good luck hang in there.

[JoshuaB]

Hi, I thought that you might be able to benefit from what I have been through. Keep in mind, I have had ideopathic pericarditis for over 7 years and I had a serious effusion in 2007, with recurrences happening every 6 weeks ever since. Also keep in mind that I STRONGLY BELIEVE that recurrent ideopathic pericarditis is an auto-immune condition.

Before the effusion, I would take Advil to reduce the pain. It worked for many years.
After the effusion, I had a MUCH more serious care of pericarditis. High-dose prednisone was used and after about 5 days the effusion was mostly gone. I stayed on 30 mg/day for months.

After multiple attempts at reducing my dose of prednisone, I found that I need 10 mg/day to feel good. Any less and I would have a recurrence. I also took 1.2mg of colchicine/day which had little/no effect on my symptoms.

So now the good stuff. I spent the last three years trying EVERYTHING to cure myself. No medication would work other than prednisone. Then, one day, I asked my cardiologist about Human IVIG. He was hesitant but referred me to a rheumatologist. My rheumatologist is very open-minded and he immediately recognized that my recurrent condition and rapid response to prednisone (and no underlying cause) likely meant that I was experiencing auto-immune pericarditis, and as I mentioned I think that is the only explanation for the ideopathic recurrence.

After 3 months of IVIG treatment (with pretty bad side effects), I noticed big improvements in my condition. First, the IVIG cleared up my inflammation on the spot. No prednisone needed. Then, I noticed that when my pericarditis would recur, it was less intense and I could use advil again to treat it.

So for the last nine months, I have not taken a single mg of prednisone, and I ABSOLUTELY NEEDED prednisone every 6 weeks or so for the last three years...recurrence after painful recurrence, almost like clockwork. I attribute much of my recent success to the IVIG.

Now the next thing that happened is curcumin. I caught a cold and was told by a colleague to swallow a spoon of turmeric powder with warm milk and black pepper. He assured me that it would make me feel better. Here's the really interesting part; my cold persisted (albeit mild) but my inflammation disappeared almost instantly; and completely. I now take 1 tsp of turmeric powder everyday and I don't take ANYTHING else for my pericarditis. AND it is GONE. Really gone. For those of you who know how awful this condition can be, you will understand how incredible this really is. No more ibuprophen, no naproxen, no prednisone, no colchicine...
Just a small spoon of a turmeric every day.

So, use this information for what it is worth. There is no question that we are all different and the underlying reasons for our pericarditis may differ, and therefore my experience may not work for everyone, nor may it be appropriate for everyone. I am not a doctor, but I did research my condition EXTENSIVELY (ie. I studied every peer-reviewed publication ever written on the disease) and I feel so much better now. If my story can help even one of you, then I will feel truly blessed.

And by the way, I went through EVERYTHING that EAF describes in his posts. We are also approx. the same age and prior health.

J.