My mum has been in hospital for the past week and a half, she has been told she has pleurisy, she has had this pain on her right side for about 3 months if not longer. She has been advised that they need to inject something into her muscle cartlidge of her ribs, is there any way that a pulmonologist could assist in this regard and tell us what the correct treatment is and if it is infact pleurisy?
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. Yes, you should definitely consult pulmonologist before giving that injection. Pleurisy is inflammation of pleura. This is commonly seen with lung infection (pneumonia or tuberculosis), pleural effusion, bronchitis, pulmonary infarction etc. So before giving an injection, we should rule out all these causes first. So consult pulmonologist for your mother and get done 1. Clinical examination of respiratory system 2. Chest x-ray 3. CT scan of thorax 4. PUT (pulmonary function test). She may need antibiotics if it is infection or pleural effusion. She may need inhaled treatment if it is bronchitis. Furthermore, she may need anticoagulants if it is lung infarction. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your mother. Thanks.