Cause Of Pain In Side And Painful Breathing After Suffering From Pneumonia?

Posted on Sun, 16 Feb 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 Answered on

Thu, 6 Mar 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Approximately a months ago, I had pneumonia. (I'm 37 yr female). I recovered, then relapsed. As of last Saturday my chest xray and ct scan of my chest were normal. However, for two weeks I have had an intense stabbing pain on my left side, adjacent to my left breast. it's not the breast that hurts, but next to it. Tonight I started hurting under my breast. The pain is intense, and taking even small breaths is quite painful. Until tonight, it did not hurt to move around, now it hurts whenever I move the left side of my body. I forgot to mention, my left side of my back has starting hurting too sorry, one more thing. I still have a pretty nasty cough, and it's absolutely excruciating to cough (from pain on my side)

Answered by Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan (46 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Pneumonia recurrence, needs management Detailed Answer: Good day Miss Weebustyle! Thank you for asking. I am Dr S Khan and i would like to help you with your recent presentation of painful left costal margins and painful shallow breathings. Miss Weebusstyle i want you to know that your recent history of pneumonia and associated clinical morbidity of diabetes makes it very much likely to be a recurrence as this presentation of pain in chest and painful breathing indicates pleural involvement and it needs urgent evaluation by a pulmonologist and a good heavy dosage of antibiotics with concomitant control of diabetes profile as that worsens the prognosis for the pneumonia and delays the recovery rate. It needs a complete evaluation for these recurrences and some work up to sort out the aetiology and cause for that.So get a pulmonologist and let them help you. Hope it helps and you see it in right perspective. take good care miss Weebusstyle and don't forget to close the discussion please. Regards Khan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar