4 ms·

I've gotten the "pleurisy" diagnosis, twice even, and I don't believe it. Pleurisy seems to be the catch-all default diagnosis for when they can't find anything

by tropo 10y ago

I've gotten the "pleurisy" diagnosis, twice even, and I don't believe it. Pleurisy seems to be the catch-all default diagnosis for when they can't find anything wrong and just want you to go away. There isn't actual evidence in favor of pleurisy, just the inability to find something else wrong. In the first case, I'm pretty sure I had a panic attack. At least they served me bacon and eggs, probably hoping for a repeat customer with a real heart attack. In the second case, I'm pretty sure I pinched a nerve in my back. I got shoulder pain associated with movement. I then got pain in the front -- but remember that a nerve pinched in one spot can cause pain to be felt elsewhere. Other back-related issues in the days afterward lead me to my conclusion. I'm now way less inclined to go in to the emergency room. I don't want to spend 12 hours with an IV hurting my arm, no privacy, no sleep, and not being able to work on anything. One of the times the doctor even cleared me to go home, but the nurses didn't bother to remove the IV for hours afterward. Being in the emergency room isn't harmless; it is a place where diseases spread.

xyzzy_plugh 10y ago
> Pleurisy seems to be the catch-all default diagnosis for when they can't find anything wrong and just want you to go away. There isn't actual evidence in favor of pleurisy, just the inability to find something else wrong It's a valid diagnosis: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnosis_of_exclusion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnosis_of_exclusion I once waited four hours to see a doctor because of a sharp pain in the left side of my chest when I breathed more than shallow. The doctor told me it was probably a muscle spasm and to take some Advil. I thought "what an asshole" as I left. About 20 minutes later, someone told me a joke, I laughed, and was cured. Turns out the doctor was right. If you had ECG, x-ray, CT scan, echo, and everything looks fine, then the treatment is the same regardless. If you think you had a panic attack or hurt your back, then communicate that to your doctor. It's important. Edit: thought I'd mention: my wife is currently diagnosed with pleurisy. She went to the ER due to shortness of breath and chest pain a month ago. We've done all the tests possible. She's still in quite a bit of pain. Pleurisy usually takes months to resolve. If you were diagnosed and it disappeared within a day or a week, then you were likely misdiagnosed. However, it does not necessarily mean the prescribed treatment was erroneous.

by tropo 10y ago

xyzzy_plugh 10y ago

> Pleurisy seems to be the catch-all default diagnosis for when they can't find anything wrong and just want you to go away. There isn't actual evidence in favor of pleurisy, just the inability to find something else wrong It's a valid diagnosis: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnosis_of_exclusion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnosis_of_exclusion I once waited four hours to see a doctor because of a sharp pain in the left side of my chest when I breathed more than shallow. The doctor told me it was probably a muscle spasm and to take some Advil. I thought "what an asshole" as I left. About 20 minutes later, someone told me a joke, I laughed, and was cured. Turns out the doctor was right. If you had ECG, x-ray, CT scan, echo, and everything looks fine, then the treatment is the same regardless. If you think you had a panic attack or hurt your back, then communicate that to your doctor. It's important. Edit: thought I'd mention: my wife is currently diagnosed with pleurisy. She went to the ER due to shortness of breath and chest pain a month ago. We've done all the tests possible. She's still in quite a bit of pain. Pleurisy usually takes months to resolve. If you were diagnosed and it disappeared within a day or a week, then you were likely misdiagnosed. However, it does not necessarily mean the prescribed treatment was erroneous.