Jude 2

Ilovebigcats wrote:I have pleurisy. As if I needed something else wrong with me!
It is going around... or so they say. Yet, not contagious.

Pleurisy occurs when the double membrane (pleura) that lines the chest cavity and surrounds each of your lungs becomes inflamed. Also called pleuritis, pleurisy typically causes sharp pain, almost always during the act of breathing.

One layer of the pleura overlies each lung. The other layer lines the inner chest wall. The two layers of pleura are like two pieces of smooth satin rubbing against each other with almost no friction, allowing your lungs to expand and contract when you breathe without any resistance from the lining of the chest wall.

When inflamed, the two layers of the pleural membrane in the affected side of your chest rub against each other, producing the pain of pleurisy when you inhale and exhale. Between breaths, you feel almost no pain.

Pleurisy occurs as a complication of a wide variety of underlying conditions. Relieving pleurisy involves treating the underlying condition, if it's known, and taking pain relievers.