I quit smoking 6 weeks ago and the left side of my chest hurts when I take deep breaths? -
I-ve recently found out that my sister in law has active tuberculosis. She found out a couple weeks ago. i don-t come in contact with her very much but i have indeed come in contact with her a few times this year and she has hugged me and kissed me on the cheek a couple times. anyways, i-ve quit smoking cigarettes about 6 weeks ago, and for the last couple days the left side of my chest has been hurting whenever i take in a deep breath. it-s a pretty annoying, sharp pain and i-m very scared that it might be a symptom of TB but ive been told that it could just be my lungs healing from my quitting smoking. I-d love it if someone could put my mind at ease here. Also, the left side of my chest is sensitive to the touch. Basically where it hurts, is right around where my heart is, towards the upper part of my chest. Another thing, is if i sit or stand up more straight, it doesn-t hurt when i breath in deeply, and sometimes it doesn-t hurt everytime I take in a deep breath. Please help!
Just because you have been in contact with your sister in law means you have been exposed to TB and likely will test positive as a carrier not as an active case. You can go to your doctor and he can put uyou on prophylactic treatment. The deep breath pain could be a number of things, from a pulled muscle to plurisy (Inflammed lining in the chestwall) to pneumonia. Are you coughing alot? Coughing can cause a muscle to be pulled giving you that pain when inhaling. Did you fall? Kudos to quitting smoking you will feel alot better.