The good news is that my EKG was normal. The bad news is that I had to have an EKG.

The whole family has been sick since we got back from vacation in January. Nothing major. But yesterday when I started having trouble breathing, I decided it was time for a doctor’s visit. The doctor did the EKG to rule out heart trouble – thankfully!

The diagnosis: Pleurisy

What??? I thought pleurisy was one of the names they gave to unknown diseases in the middle ages. But apparently I was wrong.

This comes from webmd:

What is pleurisy?
Pleurisy is swelling (inflammation) of the thin layers of tissue (pleura) covering the lungs and the chest wall.

The outer layer of the pleura lines the inside of the chest wall, and the inner layer covers the lungs. The tiny space between the two layers is called the pleural cavity. This cavity normally contains a small amount of lubricating fluid that allows the two layers to slide over each other when you breathe.

When the pleura becomes inflamed, the layers rub together, causing chest pain. This is known as pleuritic pain.

Pleurisy is sometimes called pleuritis.

So – my doctor prescribed antibiotics, steroids, and cough syrup with codeine. Ahhh, codeine – sleep at last.

So, hopefully I am on the mend. My breathing has already gotten easier, which is a good sign. And I have a good excuse for sleeping in!