Chest pain(lung pain)

[SLEEPY101]

Anyone have chest pain? Not heart pain more in your lungs. I was told that it must be muscular pain. My asthma is really bad right now so I think the pain is related to that. I just remember that the last time I had bad chest pain was exactly the same time last year. I was wondering if anyone experiences this pain along with bad breathing. I was wondering if I should ask to get a chest XRAY. I dont't see new Rhuemy till March. My GP is relunctant to treat me. Maybe she will do I chest Xray for my asthma? I know I had one as a child but I don't know if it was just for diagnosis. I am worried SJS might be effecting my lungs. Any thoughts?

[LizPetillo]

Definately.  I had chest pain for 3 weeks.  BURNING chest pain.  Not acid.  Not a heart attack.
But actual burning of the tissues. I could feel it progressing and burning. 
I went to the ER.  They were idiots and didn't get it.  Told me it was GERD.  (it definately wasn't).
It took 3 weeks to go away.  Now my lungs are burned out and weak.
I can't help but wonder if I had been able to find a competant dr. if my lungs would have been saved.

[SLEEPY101]

That's why I am afraid to go in to get this checked at the Dr.. I am afraid I will have to get a bunch of tests that are not related to my problem. I don't have buring pain, I would describe more like tight pain? It is in the strenum area right above my breasts. I am just relieved that this in not a chronic problem but it does seem to last several weeks. No fun. Our air quality is really bad right now. I wonder if that is the culprit.

[Rhonda]

I had the same thing last fall and my GP sent me to a new, young pulmonologist.  I was thrilled because I thought she might be able to figure out something.  In the end, she said I have "mild" asthma and gave me inhalers.  She said Sjogrens does not affect the lungs and I worry too much.  She did do a chest xray which was abnormal and showed "interstitial changes".  The CT Scan came back normal - so the pulmonologist has determined my burning lung pain is from the fibromyalgia.
Needless to say, I am seeking a second opinion because like you, I am experiencing the same thing all over again.  The symptoms began about a week ago.   

I did spray all the furniture down with Febreeze last week and I think the burning in my lungs resulted from that.  But, again, the pulmonologist says it is from fibromyalgia and to take Ibuprofen.  Sure.... that's going to take care of it!

Hope you feel better soon!

[bloodless]

The doc thinks Sjogrens can't affect lungs, but fibromyalgia can? Weird....It definitely affected my lungs!

[olmphoto2]

Lung problems and pain are DEFINITELY associated with Sjogren's Syndrome.  Here are a few references and links:

From  the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases page at:
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sjogrens_Syndrome/default.asp
"Lung problems. People with Sj?gren?s syndrome tend to have lung problems caused by inflammation. These conditions include bronchitis (affecting the bronchial tubes) and tracheobronchitis (affecting the windpipe and bronchial tubes). Lung problems are usually caused by white blood cells (lymphocytes) migrating into the lungs and causing a disease called lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis. Depending on your condition, the doctor may recommend using a humidifier, taking medicines to open the bronchial tubes, or taking corticosteroids to relieve inflammation.
Pleurisy, another Sj?gren?s-related problem, is inflammation of the lining of the lungs. It is treated with corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. 
[On a personal note...one of my worse flare symptoms is pleuric pain.  For a discussion of why this is so painful, you might want to read the Wikipedia page at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurisy
Under 'Causes', autoimmune disorders are noted as one source]

From Preview of the Medifocus Guidebook on:
Sjogren's Syndrome
Updated August 24, 2010, pdf page at :
http://www.medifocus.com/2009/preview.php?gid=RH011&a=a
Check the bottom of the page 17 and continue reading onto page 18 of the pdf---it's actually pages 30 and 31 in the booklet

I found the order form for this Medifocus booklet on this website last week:
http://www.medifocus.com/mda/index.php?gid=RH011&?a=a&assoc=mda
I signed up for the monthly newsletter, ordered the substantial booklet and already have it in hand!  :-)

Here's a more technical link, an abstract that your physician might appreciate, covering some of the pulmonary manifestations of SJS.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19390161

[Rhonda]

Thanks for all the links!  I am going to print them out and hand carry them to my pulmonologist, GP, and neurologist.  Maybe then they will see I am not just whining!  Thanks again!

[DragonflyC]

Could it be pleurisy, an inflammation of the lung tissue? 

I had it twice, and it was incredibly painful.  It hurt all the time, but was much worse and sharper when I'd breathe more than a shallow breath and was awful when I'd cough.  It's more common with lupus, but it isn't unheard of with Sjogren's.  In fact, one of the first questions my rheum asked during my first visit was whether I'd ever had pleurisy.

My doctors also thought that I had asthma when my pleurisy first developed, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

Another possibility is costochondritis.  It's "an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint ? where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions . . . Most cases of costochondritis have no apparent cause. In these cases, treatment focuses on easing your pain while you wait for costochondritis to improve on its own. " (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626).

My husband just recovered from a bout of costochondritis, though we aren't sure what caused it. 

As a final thought, Sjogren's definitely can affect our lungs, but that doesn't mean that if our lungs are affected it's definitely Sjogren's.  It's worth your time to pursue this until you get an answer, even if that answer is just ruling things out. 

[beebs]

I've always had stabbing pain in my lungs since I was little = not sure if its related to any of this stuff. But over the last two days I have a kind of irritated lung feeling. Kind of like burning maybe? But not bad - more like I've breathed dust in my lungs - it feels kind of gritty. God so hard to explain....I wonder if it could be a side effect of plaqeunil or something?