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Pain In Mid Sternum Area, Done All Tests. MAI Along With Benign Lung Nodules Causing Pain?
My mother has suffered with excruciating pain for almost two years in the mid sternum area. The pain she describes is deep, burning and gnawing. This pain Never goes away. She has had the million dollar work-up quoted by her pain management physician, and yet we still have no answers. The testing has included over 15 MRI s, several CT scans, complete gastric overview to include a fundoplasty, gall bladder removal, xyphoid process removal, all in hopes of relieving her of this torment. I have taken her to the Mayo clinic, AZ - to no avail. Even the Opoids no longer give her intermittent relief. She has absolutely no quality of life. The only thing we have going currently is the pain mgt. doc is passionate about her seeing pulmonolgy to begin a course of Antiviral drug therapy used for treating TB. A bronchoscopy at the Mayo had determined she was positive for MAI disease. My concern with this is the treatment can sometimes be worse than the disease, and is it possible that MAI, in additon to benign lung nodules be creating such devastating pain? I as her daughter feel so helpless in watching my mother suffer so. We live in Las Vegas. She is a 72 year old, otherwise, healthy lady. This pain by the way, literally, came on sudden. I am seeking any medical support, resources, and would truly go to the ends of the earth to see she has some quality of life left...Please help if you can. Kim
Mon, 14 Oct 2013
Kim
Your mother is a healthy person and so why should she have an MAI first of all. Howver the bronchoscopy has come positive for her and hence she should be treated. The treatment is not worse then what your mother is going through right now in pain everyday.
I feel that a bronchoscopy be repeated and then take a call from the culture reports whether she needs treatment or not for MAI. Many times an MAI be just a contaminant in the handling and processing of the specimens.
For the pain a lung nodule can certainly cauise a swallowing difficulty and pain in the chest as it encompasses the esophagus and constricts it but a continuous severe pain is unusual
Your mother is a healthy person and so why should she have an MAI first of all. Howver the bronchoscopy has come positive for her and hence she should be treated. The treatment is not worse then what your mother is going through right now in pain everyday.
I feel that a bronchoscopy be repeated and then take a call from the culture reports whether she needs treatment or not for MAI. Many times an MAI be just a contaminant in the handling and processing of the specimens.
For the pain a lung nodule can certainly cauise a swallowing difficulty and pain in the chest as it encompasses the esophagus and constricts it but a continuous severe pain is unusual
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