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I Have IPF. I Had Pnuemonia 2 Months Ago, Then Pleurisy, And A Broken Rib From Coughing. I Am Having Difficulty Breathing After Only 40 To 50 Steps, If I Bend Over, Or If I Reach Over My Head, After I Eat. I Am Overweight. Should I Be Getting My Heart Checked? I Cough A Lot And Hard. One Time I Had Pain When Coughing In The Center Of My Chest.
Posted on
Fri, 24 Aug 2018
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 24 Aug 2018
Answered on
Fri, 17 Mar 2023
Last reviewed on
Question : Hi, I have IPF. I had pnuemonia 2 months ago, then pleurisy, and a broken rib from coughing. I am having difficulty breathing after only 40 to 50 steps, if I bend over, or if I reach over my head, after I eat. I am overweight. Should I be getting my heart checked? I cough a lot and hard. One time I had pain when coughing in the center of my chest.
Brief Answer:
Please refer to the detailed answer below
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ma’am
After going through the medical details provided by you I can very well you’re understand your concern for your health and well being and I would like to tell you that although there is only Obesity which is a risk factor for heart disease in your case but still it’s advisable to get basic cardiac checkup done to rule out any underlying cardiac disease .
Chest discomfort on coughing is because of your lung problem and not due to heart disease.
I would like to suggest you to get basic ECG eco-cardiography as well as a treadmill test done for routine cardiac evaluation .
Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap
Please refer to the detailed answer below
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ma’am
After going through the medical details provided by you I can very well you’re understand your concern for your health and well being and I would like to tell you that although there is only Obesity which is a risk factor for heart disease in your case but still it’s advisable to get basic cardiac checkup done to rule out any underlying cardiac disease .
Chest discomfort on coughing is because of your lung problem and not due to heart disease.
I would like to suggest you to get basic ECG eco-cardiography as well as a treadmill test done for routine cardiac evaluation .
Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Dr. Partap, Thank you for your reply to my previous question.
Now, dealing with the obesity. I am currently taking 75mcg of Thyroxine and still I am seldom hungry. I eat 2x/day anyway as I have a husband who needs to eat and is loathe to eat if I don't. However, in all honesty, I enjoy many foods particularly sweets, breads and other starchy carbs plus fried foods. Now I know those are not what I should be eating and though I have tried over and over again cannot seem to stick on a proper eating plan. In addition, due to the IPF + the obesity + the continuous shortness of breath I get little exercise. Is there a surgery that could get some of this fat off of me without undue problems for my condition, other than cutting my stomach down (I do not want to die if I am unable to eat such extremely small food portions). What about that cold treatment that supposedly kills the fat cells? Or wiring my jaw shut?
Now, dealing with the obesity. I am currently taking 75mcg of Thyroxine and still I am seldom hungry. I eat 2x/day anyway as I have a husband who needs to eat and is loathe to eat if I don't. However, in all honesty, I enjoy many foods particularly sweets, breads and other starchy carbs plus fried foods. Now I know those are not what I should be eating and though I have tried over and over again cannot seem to stick on a proper eating plan. In addition, due to the IPF + the obesity + the continuous shortness of breath I get little exercise. Is there a surgery that could get some of this fat off of me without undue problems for my condition, other than cutting my stomach down (I do not want to die if I am unable to eat such extremely small food portions). What about that cold treatment that supposedly kills the fat cells? Or wiring my jaw shut?
Brief Answer:
Hello again
Detailed Answer:
See there are few procedures like liposuction that takes the fatty out of the body but all those are temporary and if you don’t control your appetite you will grow obese again very soon.
Rather I would like to suggest you to consult a good dietician and hire a trainer as these both coupled together will be a better and a healthy option instead of going for medical procedures.
Hope to have been helpful.
Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap
Hello again
Detailed Answer:
See there are few procedures like liposuction that takes the fatty out of the body but all those are temporary and if you don’t control your appetite you will grow obese again very soon.
Rather I would like to suggest you to consult a good dietician and hire a trainer as these both coupled together will be a better and a healthy option instead of going for medical procedures.
Hope to have been helpful.
Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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