My boyfriend has a stabbing pain on his left hand side?

Question

Had a bad cough for 6 weeks, coughing up blood, or so much he vomited and blacked out causing injury. He struggled to breathe, got antibiotics, which helped a bit but not completely. Doc gave him ventolin inhaler but nothing for this stabbing pain that he's had for about 4 days now, which is getting worse and he's struggling to move and get comfy. It's just on the front of his left side by his ribs, any ideas?

Answer 1

sounds like pleurisy.  Its basically there is this lining around your lungs and if it isnt moving right or gets folded wrong it hurts to breathe.  I have had it before, and i definately can see how coughing if you have pleurisy would making you black out because of the pain.  And if you have another disease that is causing you to cough all the time, that would just cause terrible suffering.  Go see a lung specialist(pulmonologist) (those doctors in the emergency rooms always do the same thing for every case...they just prescribe anti-biotics, pain medicine and then send you on your way for pretty much anything you come in there with.)  You really should see a pulmonologist though.

Answer 2

pancreas? or could it be appendix? i think pancreas is on the left side. not sure where appendix it but your doc seems like a dumb ****, like most of them. tell him to get a scan and a chest xray saying that it could be his lower lung making it hard to breathe. get the doctor to take a blood test for mycoplasma antibodies and bacteria before he dishes out antibiotics to find out which are the right ones, mycoplasma needs high doses erythromycin or left alone, bacterial can be other antibiotics. if he has pneumonia it could even be viral so test for both mycoplasma and bacteria and get a chest xray to point to viral pneumonia he may be able to ask for antivirals then. the antibiotics may  not have been the right type or strong enough. drink lots of fluid and look after him. DEMAND CHEST XRAY. i would demand blood tests too to figure out the right med.

Answer 3

Don't be stupid!  Take him down to the hospital NOW NOW NOW not even in 5 minutes!!!!!

I had a chest pain a year ago, went to hospital, was kept in.  Had

had a heart attack and 3 days later had a stent fitted to my partially blocked heart artery!

Hospital told me any chest pain - phone for ambulance!

Remember you only have 6 minutes before you become a vegetable if the blood supply is cut off to your brain!  

Answer 4

He may have bruised a rib when he fell over. It could be a pulled muscle. It could also mean he has had a heart attack. I would go to casualty and have it checked out.  

Answer 5

Go back to the dr.

It sounds like a deep bronchitis or pneumonia to me.

Have it checked again,and the sooner the better before it gets worse.

Answer 6

here is the first idea. shoot the doc that gave the inhaler. he mite have ulcer if he is coughing up blood but for the pain, it  could be a pinched nerve in his back. go to another doctor

Answer 7

Could be pleurisy - but it could be a host of things.

Off to casualty for anything to do with chest pains: you don't want to find out the hard way that it is anything more serious.

Answer 8

Could be anything from muscular pain to a collapsed lung. If he's had a cough for 6 weeks, he needs a chest x-ray, particularly if he's been coughing up blood. I would recommend a trip to A&E - I'm not saying this is an emergency, so don't panic, but it's the quickest way to get an x-ray, and it sounds like his GP is pretty shite if all he's done for a cough lasting 6 weeks is give him an inhaler.

The most likely cause of his symptoms is a chest infection or pneumonia, and the pain is likely to be either muscular from coughing so much, or pleuritic - inflammation of the covering of the lung which causes a stabbing pain when breathing in. It is HIGHLY unlikely to be from his heart.

Anyway, I'd recommend going to A&E and he should tell them he has had a cough for 6 weeks, coughing up blood, shortness of breath and chest pain and feels generally c**p. They'll more than likely do blood tests and a chest x-ray and then treat him appropriately.