r/pericarditis

Hello, i have pericarditis and Incomplete RBBB. I have to do tooth extraction and implant and i am afraid. Anyone here had this procedure done, did you had problems from anesthesia? Thank you

I've had the sharp pain in my chest and shoulder feeling for about 3-4 days now, any deeper than really shallow breaths makes it worse, lying down sucks until ibuprofen kicks in. Ibuprofen helps significantly but it hasn't gone away since it started. Every symptom lines up and it's definitely not life threatening.

I spoke with a nurse on the phone through my insurance, she said go to the ER. I spoke with 2 different walk-in clinics and they said they wouldn't be able to help me. And from what I read online, people who go to the ER just get an appointment with a specialist anyways.

I'd be looking at (at least) $1,500+ USD in ER medical bills which I'm fortunate enough to be able to pay, but would definitely make me struggle bad. And at this point, it seems like the ER would just be "yeah, tests show this is happening. Get a specialist" and send me on my way.

What do you think? I can thug out the pain for another 4 days if it means I save $1,500+.

Edit: 26 year old male, United States

I have chronic recurrent pericarditis (as a result of an auto inflammatory condition)
And I’ve always had palpitations to some extent. More recently I have been having crazy palpitations. Really strong, really irregular. Like the kind you can’t ignore. I notice it tends to happen more when I’m tired, I work 12 hour night shifts and they are definitely worse after I get in from one.

I have previously had a 24 hour monitor and they said they noticed palpitations but weren’t worried. But since then it’s definitely worse.

I’m on the waiting list for a cardiology follow up and a cardiac MRI since October (love the NHS) 😅

Does anyone else experience this when not actively in a flare up? I don’t know it’s something I should be telling my GP or someone? I don’t want to end up sitting in A&E when I don’t feel it’s really needed.

I've been taking colchicine for 10 months (2 months with NAIDs and 8 months colchicine only and reducing the dosage with time). I'm currently at a low dosage of 500 milligrams every two days, and I felt really good for nearly 2 months. Even sleeping in positions that used to caused symptoms.

But I forgot to take my medication 4 days ago... Now I have like mid intensity symptoms and they are not going away that easily. I was supposed to try to stop colchicine in June because the signs were all good, but with what is happening right now I don't know how I feel about it... I finally thought I was free from pericarditis problems. My journey personally started on January of 2025 (19 yo woman).

Male 34. Have been on 0.6 colchicine once a day for 1.5 years because of a long flare.

I’ve developed mild dizziness over the last few months and have no idea what to contribute it to. Colchicine? Inner ear? Neck? Not sure.

No other symptoms to report, just dizziness that comes and goes. Generally worse when I’m up and around moving, but not any worse with exercise.

Has anyone who initially tolerated colchicine well for over a year started getting dizziness?

Edit: I’ve had pretty bad posture because leaning forward helps relieve chest pressure, so maybe part of me thinks neck issues, but who knows.

Hello all!

I am 24, M, have run multiple half marathons and a marathon, and am now training for a marathon this December.

Some background, I have bumped up my activity level even more this year in hopes to improve my Marathon time. About a month ago, a bunch of strange things I started observing:

On and off very mild fever symptoms like some aches, night sweats (never drenching, just damp), and fatigue. I chalked the first time as a one-time viral illness, but it came back for about a day or two this past week. I was seen by a doctor, and all my blood samples are normal, ANA normal, etc.

This past 2 days, I have been having what seemed like heart pain and some fatigue and joint pains, which I went to the ER to see. Originally, when my HR got elevated, my chest started hurting while I was on my bike. I chalked it off as it went away with rest, and yesterday it persisted on and off, even at rest and at deep breaths, specifically, I felt pain. EKG, Ultrasound, X-ray, and Troponin blood tests all came back normal. They recommended to again see a follow-up with my PCP, but I am afraid I am going to just get the "You are 24, and you are running, so it should be ok". I have rested since my ER visit, which was yesterday, and planning to rest until I guess I have this follow-up, but I am quite confused about what this pain could be. I was hoping if anyone who is also quite active is going through or has been through a similar process? Appreciate any insight, as I am losing my mind just resting and not knowing if I can keep exercising.

Hello there, I am suffering from acute pericarditis and got prescribed Anakinra a few days ago, after having multiple flares. The doctor told me that I will probably need to stay on Anakinra for a few years, as I see on this subreddit that that’s the case for many people. How do you guys keep your injections cool while traveling? I’ve seen some thermos-like bottles that you can put a cold pack inside, or even some battery powered ones. Which works out for you? Do you feel safe-comfortable during traveling?

Hi everyone, has anyone had ANYTHING like this??

I’m 33 and had open heart surgery in June 2024 for PAPVR and ASD repair. About a month later I started getting these flares that have now happened around 6 times where my neck feels tight when I inhale or bend forward, and I get this weird pulsing sensation in my neck when I change positions like sitting to standing, along with chest aching and pressure that’s worse with breathing or bearing down and upper back tightness. The whole thing lasts about 5 days, then completely goes away and I feel normal again between flares. I’ve had multiple EKGs, two holters, six echos, two CT scans, and a cardiac MRI, and everything is normal except my CRP, which goes up to around 17 to 25 during flares and then goes back to totally normal like 0.5 after. My doctors are hesitant to call it pericarditis or give me colchicine and want me to come in during a flare for testing, which I understand, but it’s frustrating because the pattern feels inflammatory. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something like this with CRP spiking then normalizing and symptoms like this, and if this sounds like post pericardiotomy syndrome or something else.

I was diagnosed with pericarditis end of March. At the very beginning of the year, I got sick with pneumonia, then bronchitis, and then Influenza A. I eventually got better but my heart rate was elevated still and they couldn’t figure out why. I had a ton of blood tests, ECGs, and a Holter monitor, but everything was coming back normal so they just chalked it up to my natural heart rate rests higher than normal. I was prescribed some metropolis to keep it low and that was that. About a month later, I started taking some phentermine prescribed by my doctor (he felt safe giving it to me since i was on metropolol and my heart rate had stayed low). The next morning I woke up with really bad chest pains and thought I was having a heart attack so I called 911 and ended up going into the hospital ER. They did more blood tests and ECGs but everything was still coming back normal. Eventually I ended up opting in for a CAT scan, an that’s when they found the fluid around my heart. It was such a small amount that it wasn’t able to be picked up on the ECGs. I’m now taking colchicine, metropolol, and omeprazole. I’ve been on it now a month and a half and haven’t had any more chest pain since the day I went to the ER. But this morning I woke up at 3 am with them again. I’ve been super on top of taking my medication because obviously I want this gone. I obviously know what it is now so I didn’t freak out but I haven’t been able to fall back asleep. I’ve messaged my doctor but it can take up to 4 days for a response so I thought I’d ask here, too. Is this normal to experience while being on medication?

First time having pericarditis, almost completely recovered & slowly adapting to a normal life (1 month after I was diagnosed). All tests came back amazing. Is it a huge risk to use mushrooms, weed and LSD? Should I use it only after I get off all the meds, or not at all?