Three Weeks Ago I Was Diagnosed With The Flu ,

Posted on Thu, 28 Mar 2019

Question: Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with the flu, which then turned to bronchitis. Last Thursday I started to feel better with minimal coughing. Friday came and I started feeling sore in my chest which I figured was from coughing so much from the bronchitis and flu. The pain in my chest has gotten worse each day. Hurts to breath, hurts to lay down and sit up from laying down. Should I go to the er or let it run it’s course?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
You should be tested further

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Normally we wouldn't expect complications three weeks after the diagnosis. There is a concerning point in your description namely the pleuritic chest pain ("hurts to breath"). An infectious complication seems unlikely due to the long time since the diagnosis but other types of complications are possible like the following:
- pneumothorax
- broken rib
- intercostal muscular strain (due to coughing)

Most patients who complain of similar symptoms do not usually have anything serious but symptoms like yours warrant investigation to exclude the more serious causes. Clinical examination and a chest X-ray is enough for most patients.

I hope I've answered your question.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Kind Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee