I'm a 42 year old female. I had flu symptoms and a bit of a sore lower jaw. I did not pay much attention. When my flu symptoms went away and was actually feeling better, I woke at 2 a.m. in the morning with severe pain on my neck, chest, and lower jaw. I also have a constant pain that only makes it worse with every breath. I've read before that the lower jaw pain could be the heart, woke my husband up to take me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with pericarditis and given anti-inflammatories and pain killers. I was also in ICU for three days. I am currently waiting to see a Cardiologist, but just two days ago I felt the jaw pain mildly all day so I took pills that night (the anti-inflammatories) and woke up fine the next day.

I was diagnosed with on October 30, 2012. It is now February 13 and still suffering. Initially, I had severe chest pain in the middle and left sideDifficulty breathing, extreme pain in left shoulder, ear ache, inflamed throat, couldn't lean back or bend over. It was painful. I had Morphine in the hospital. Only drug that eased pain was Prednisone. I take Nabumetone 750mg. He did not give me Colchicine.

I woke up in the morning with severe pain in my throat. Later on it was in the middle of my chest and then in the middle of my back. The pain was so bad I could not breathe. I was admitted in the hospital and the next night the pain went to my left arm and back. I was given 6 mg of morphine within an hour the pain was so bad. I do have rheumatoid arthritis so my doctor gave me 90mgs of prednisone and then I'm on 60mgs a day which has helped a great deal.

Tight, crushing sensation in chest, which at times radiated down my left arm. Palpitations, fever, dry cough, fatigue. Deep breaths made it feel like my left lung and heart were rubbing together. Night sweats, got worse when lying down. Also, lots of anxiety because I didn't know what was happening. Dizziness, lightheadedness, could barely walk up a flight of stairs.

I am a 39 year old female with pericarditis. I initially first noticed something was wrong when I was walking up a steep hill at a waterpark with my kids. I am in very good shape and this was very abnormal to be short of breath. I had an episode last year where I fainted and hit my head on a railroad tie. The doctor is unclear if these two are related, but I do have abnormal T waves on my EKG as well as one side of my heart is enlarged from the pericarditis. The anti-inflammatories actually do not seem to help and are very hard on my stomach. I have good days and I have bad days. This has been going on for almost two months now. I am going to see a cardiologist next week. They will most likely do another echocardiogram to see how it is doing. Hopefully by then it will be better. I am not getting discouraged it is just a little frustrating being so young and being held back from being as active as I normally am. Keeping my spirits up though that this shall too pass.

I was sick with a virus diagnosed as bronchitis and after two weeks it went away. I started lifting weights again and felt fine. After playing pickup basketball two weeks later I felt very slow and out of shape. I went home and felt fine and then three hours later I felt like I had a weight on my sternum and couldn't breathe. After being diagnosed with pericarditis, I have has a ton of trouble falling asleep and stress has hit me very hard. It has been impossible for me to sleep the night before a test (awful during midterms week) and I have slowly regained all of my original symptoms after initially improving.