Worst Two Weeks Ever :(

[Lily Wilkins]

I have had the worst two weeks ever, and last night was the culmination.

I am 33 weeks pregnant.
On the 4th, my fiance and I got back from visiting my mom in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving.
Two days later, my fiance woke up with a fever and chills. His condition steadily got worse and we went to Urgent Care where he was diagnosed with Influenza A.
The next day, I woke up with a horrible scratchy throat and a cough. I soldiered through and went about my day because I had a very expensive childbirth class that I wasn't going to miss come heck or high water! I got through it, went home, went about my evening, and went to bed.
I woke up the next morning will chills, fever, cough, the works. Coming to terms with the fact that I, too, was being given the gift of the Flu, I went to urgent care and got on some TamiFlu. Funny aside: two hours into my wait at Urgent Care, the clinic lost power and tried to send me away. I opted to wait it out and luckily power came back on within 20 minutes. THANK GOODNESS

I kicked the flu pretty quickly. My fever broke within a day and the sore throat/stuffy sinuses subsided after a day or two. Except for a lingering and somewhat severe cough. My fiance assured me that it was par for the course; he also still had a cough at this point and assured me that he was getting better, and since he was a day ahead of me, I would get better too.
Days went on... I was still coughing, and now was also suffering from bruised ribs... Ouch.

Yesterday I woke up and I thought the clouds has finally parted; my rib pain was at an all-time minimum and my otherwise dry cough was finally producing phlegm and felt like it was doing its job of clearing my lungs out. Then, it happened... I coughed and felt/heard a "POP" followed by the most god-awful excruciating pain I have ever felt in my 25 years of life. Holy moly, Batman, I thought I was dying. So I called my fiance and begged him to come home from work and get me to Urgent Care.

Urgent care diagnosed me with what "sounded like" a fractured rib (they would not X-Ray me because I am pregnant) and walking Pneumonia. Due to my pregnant status, they could not prescribe me painkillers, so they sent me home with a prescription of antibiotics and topical Lidocaine cream.
I knew there was no way I was going to sleep with the level of pain I was in, so my fiance and I agreed that he would stay home from work today, and we would pull an all-nighter watching Physiological Thrillers to keep my mind off the pain.
I made the fatal mistake of attempting to lay down on the couch....
It hit like a bullet. Sudden stabbing pain radiated down my right side - through my shoulder, all the way down to my hip, and I could hardly breathe in... I was SURE I had either just collapsed a lung, or the stupid fractured rib somehow punctured something. It was 2:00AM at this point, and we found ourselves rushing into the car and heading for the Emergency Room.

They X-Rayed my chest and listened to my mile-long list of horrendous, painful symptoms, and they determined that I have *pleurisy due to chest trauma (coughing and rib injury) and that's what is causing my excruciating shoulder and chest pain. Since I am pregnant, I was once again denied ANY sort of pain management, and sent on my merry way home.
Mind you, I am disabled at this point. I can only breathe in about 1/4 of the way, I can't use my right side, I cannot stoop forward, I can barely get on/off the toilet, I can't wash my hair or dress myself or take care of myself, and if I so much as HICCUP, it sends what I can only describe as a "gunshot" of pain through my chest. I am constantly battling my cough reflex, so I cannot speak. And sleeping? Yeah forget that.
I've caught myself hoping I go into preterm labor because at least then I would get some pain relief

Prior to this pregnancy, I had never been majorly sick a day in my life. At this point, I can only assume that being with-child has somehow completely demolished my immune system because this is the THIRD (3rd!!!!) respiratory illness i've had during this pregnancy. I was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis at 8 weeks along, and literally like 6 weeks ago I finally got over a lingering cough from a cold that stuck around for a month. I am so ready to be done being pregnant, and have this kid out of my cursed body safe and sound.

*Pleurisy (PLOOR-ih-see) is a condition in which the pleura — a membrane consisting of a layer of tissue that lines the inner side of the chest cavity and a layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs — becomes inflamed. Also called pleuritis, pleurisy causes sharp chest pain (pleuritic pain) that worsens during breathing. - Mayo Clinic

[Ashley Gibson]

Have you talked to your OB? They are absolute LIFESAVERS when it comes to medicating you during pregnancy. Most Non-OB docs won't so much as give you a tylenol pregnant. My AMAZING OB always found a way to make sure I got what I needed for anything pretty much when I was pregnant (and it wasn't that long ago, my little princess was born at 37 weeks on July 31). I got spoiled by having the BEST OB, who quite literally saved my life. Your OB is WAY more knowledgable about what is truly risky vs what is not advised but you'll be okay and not miserable which is pretty important since most people at 33 weeks are already pretty dang miserable. If you are in pain, it affects that baby! I'd call your OB for sure if they aren't aware of what is going on right now. If you're in a large amount of pain I'd even consider calling the after-hours number for them.

[Stormy Peak]

I know the pain of a rib giving out from coughing, and had pleurisy due to pneumonia that I had and didn't get help with...thinking I would get better on my own, given enough time. By then, I already had pleurisy but just thought it was pain from all my coughing, and difficulty in breathing. The night my rib gave way, I remember I was standing at the kitchen sink, and had a major coughing spell...and 'bang'...I felt like the right side of my body just gave way....so much pain!

I lived 10 miles out of town, didn't have phone, and back then, to just walk into the emergency room was like $700.00, which I couldn't afford. So I waited until morning to drive into town, as I was still going to work during all of this... I had been sick for several months by this point.

At work I called for an appointment to see my doctor, and luckily, I was able to see a him that afternoon. The doctor was appalled at my condition, and the fact that I had been going to work during that whole time. He told me my lungs were in bad shape, and that I 'sprang' a rib...I don't know if it cracked or not, but he said the muscle around it gave way due to being so weak from all the coughing and that I had pleurisy on top of that - he described the pleurisy as having like air bubbles and inflammation between my lungs and chest....at least that's what I got out of his explanation.
He wanted me to check into the hospital and stay for at least 3 days to get rest, treatments and fluids in me.

I told him I couldn't afford it, and I broke down crying - which made my rib hurt even more. He was a wonderful doctor...he called my dad, who I worked for at the family store...and told him I was injured and too sick to come in for the next 4 days. Then in the exam room, he wrapped my ribs and also hooked me up to an IV drip and gave me a prescription for a bunch of pills and made me promise to stay home from work for the next 4 days and stay in bed. While I was sitting in the exam room with the IV, my dad came in...he went and picked up my prescriptions and brought them to me so I could go straight home from the doctor's office.

My dad also sent one the guys who worked at our store to my house and he brought in a huge amount of split wood in from the wood pile so I wouldn't have to do so during those 4 days. My wood stove was my only source of heat...so I had also been outside splitting wood and hauling it in while having pneumonia.

I was so young and dumb back then...felt like I could tough anything through. Talk about 'live and learn!'

I hope you get to feeling better soon...and as Ashley suggested, a trip to your OB might be needed...perhaps you can get some kind of pain relief that will be safe for your child. I recall not being able to lay down in bed and I slept in a recliner for like over a month, even after that doctor's visit. I hope you have a way to prop yourself up at night...I thought it helped a lot with the pain and the breathing.

Take it easy,

Stormy

[Lily Wilkins]

Interesting, thank you for that insight Ashley. I am actually very disgruntled with my midwife (especially after just reading your reply), because I went in for a routine OB appointment about two days before the rib fracture happened, and I was complaining to her about my severe lingering cough and how badly my rib cage hurt. She basically said "keep taking Robitussin and Tylenol, there is nothing I can do" and sent me home. She didn't even listen to my lungs.

Had she been proactive and prescribed me antibiotics, it's quite possible that my rib injury would not have happened and possibly the pleurisy would not have developed. Within 24 hours of taking the antibiotics that urgent care prescribed me, my cough decreased to almost nothing. It is so frustrating to think that the woman who will be delivering my baby could have listened to me and prevented my condition from deteriorating to the extent that it did. It's late in my pregnancy, but I am considering a switch in medical care...

[Dawn Palka]

Prior to this pregnancy, I had never been majorly sick a day in my life. At this point, I can only assume that being with-child has somehow completely demolished my immune system because this is the THIRD (3rd!!!!) respiratory illness i've had during this pregnancy. I was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis at 8 weeks along, and literally like 6 weeks ago I finally got over a lingering cough from a cold that stuck around for a month. I am so ready to be done being pregnant, and have this kid out of my cursed body safe and sound.

It's a good thing I never wanted/had kids--I would have been in a world of hurt with my dollar store respiratory system!
Even though you're very pregnant at this point, do look for another OB/midwife--one that is on top of your other issues and could suggest pain killers that are fetus friendly.

[Polk Buffalo]

I must say that I agree with the midwife, that much coughing implies a viral cause and then there isnt much to do.

I don't imply that your weeks weren't terrible, I just mean that probably wasn't really much more that the midwife could do.
Antibiotics don't do much good against viruses.

I hope you get better soon!

[Jo Ferris]

Man that sucks That's incredibly frustrating. If your midwife had listened to your lungs she should've been able to diagnose pneumonia, that could've saved you a lot of pain. Hope you get better soon! Or at least can get some pain management