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What Causes Pain Below Armpit While Breathing?

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Posted on Thu, 16 Jun 2016
Question: I am 55 years old, non-smoker, white male, 190lbs 6'4", athletic. While on vacation over a month ago, I got pain in my left (non heart side) ribs about four inches below my arm pit. It got worse and worse until every breath was so painful, that I had to sleep sitting up in a chair. I had NO cough and no cold symptoms, but did cough up two small mucous with some blood in it. The pain was so bad I went to the ER and they did a CT scan and x-rays. The said that I had pneumonia in the right bottom lobe and gave me antibiotics. That got rid of the pain in a day and a half, but it lingered after I finished the antibiotics and so when I got home, my GP gave me another antibiotic Levofloxacin 750MG and another x-ray with till showed a small somewhat linear airspace opacity at the right peripheral lung base, but lungs are clear and well expanded. Now two weeks later another round of x-rays and the opacity has not changed. He would like me to come back to check again in three months. The radiologist recommended close follow-up and if "this lesion continues to persist despite adequate treatment, the possibility of an underlying lung nodule should be considered and a CT scan may be beneficial." My question...what do you think is going on here? I fell good now. Some slight pain if I take a huge breath and kind of twist my trunk a bit. I am a cyclist. No problems riding at training speeds. This has me worried. Can you shed some light?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
could be a scar or an underlying process

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

patients with atelectasis (this linear opacity) may be more prone to pneumonia. This means that this opacity could have been there before you got sick. On the other hand pneumonia may leave scarring to the lung tissues and cause such opacities, although this is not the expected outcome. Pneumonia findings should resolve completely a couple of months after the patient gets well. When they persist, suspicions for malignancy are raised. A CT at that time would be a wise decision.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3810 Questions

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What Causes Pain Below Armpit While Breathing?

Brief Answer: could be a scar or an underlying process Detailed Answer: Hello, patients with atelectasis (this linear opacity) may be more prone to pneumonia. This means that this opacity could have been there before you got sick. On the other hand pneumonia may leave scarring to the lung tissues and cause such opacities, although this is not the expected outcome. Pneumonia findings should resolve completely a couple of months after the patient gets well. When they persist, suspicions for malignancy are raised. A CT at that time would be a wise decision. I hope you find my comments helpful! You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information. Kind Regards!