I had 8x lung AVMs filled by 40x coils approximately 3 days ago and my question to all, what are the chances of an infection occurring near the lung? The reason I ask is because since I left the hospital, I have had a mild fever that comes and goes (average between 99.0-100.0), chills, sweats, but most recently, I am having pain when I breath in. Mainly in my mid to upper back (left side near the ribs) up into my left shoulder. It is very difficult take deep breaths as the pain is pretty sharp.
I called the doc today and he said there was no way to know, at this point, whether there is an infection or if I am just coming down with the flu or something similar. While, I guess catching the flu isn’t out of the question, I do not have a sore throat, runny noise, cough, etc… and I am concerned about an infection and how quickly I should get looked at.
Should I wait a few days and let this play out or should I seek medical help sooner?
((FYI - I have a high tolerance of pain and am known not to worry about medical issues, so I am definately not an “overreactor”.)) Thoughts?
If the Do0c treating you says it’s too soon to know, you may wait until Monday but if you cannot breathe, that is not good either.
It could also be a side effect of your embolization.
Some of the side effects do not show immediate and it coiuld be worse now that you are off the pain meds and just now realizing it.
Go with how you feel and if you feel you need to be seen right away, by all means go.
If something inside of you is thinking that something is not right, LISTEN TO THAT INNER VOICE!!! I would say you need to be over-cautious with anything like this. It is so much better to catch any infection when it is in it’s early stages and for you, I’m sure it is even more important. You are not over-reacting. You are just trying to stay as healthy as possible and you do not want further damage to your lungs. No one will look after you but you, I’ve learned, so you need to demand what you think is needed. If it’s a false alarm, then great.
Hi Bob…I have had multiple lung avm’s embollized and my experience following the procedures did have some significant lung pain. My doc said it was due to the swelling of the lining surrounding the lungs and kept me on a steady full dose of advil (anti inflammatory) for about 7 days after. The fever sounds troubling though…I am surprised that the doc didn’t want you back in there right away. The pain from the swelling can be very intense - difficulty filling lungs, moving, turning, - and it pretty much radiates through your entire torso. I’d go to emerg…
Hope you feel better soon -
/pat
Thanks everyone! I went to the ER the day after I typed this and came to find out that I did have some swelling around the lung, which was extremely painful, and a hint of pnemonia. They pump me full of morphine and steroids and I’ll stay on the steroids for the next several days to keep the swelling down. Thanks for everyone’s advice and personal experiences with this sort of thing. It is really good to know that I have a place to ask these sort of questions. You guys are great!
V/r,
Bob Mc
Patricia Duguay said:
Hi Bob…I have had multiple lung avm’s embollized and my experience following the procedures did have some significant lung pain. My doc said it was due to the swelling of the lining surrounding the lungs and kept me on a steady full dose of advil (anti inflammatory) for about 7 days after. The fever sounds troubling though…I am surprised that the doc didn’t want you back in there right away. The pain from the swelling can be very intense - difficulty filling lungs, moving, turning, - and it pretty much radiates through your entire torso. I’d go to emerg… Hope you feel better soon - /pat