A cough is so painful it literally splays your arms and body each time? Otherwise you can breathe without pain, or very little discomfort? Pleural effusion or an intra-pleural pocket of infection differs from pleurisy in that breathing isn't a pain with each breath, feeling like an adhesion. I often present hemoptysis along with a bout of pleural effusion. My first bout of pleural effusion hit over a weekend, of course so I dealt with a frightening mystery a few days. No pain this potent can be a minor problem therefore, panic. If you don't own a home pulse-Ox meter, buy one now and monitor your oxygen concentration. On these weekend or night time emergencies, a home set of thermometer, BP cuff and pulse-Ox finger monitor can help determine the extent of an emergency. I have a few added goodies but the "vitals" of heart, oxygenation, temperature immediately measures if you are sick.
The 420 in your handle indicates that you might use medical marijuana. If I'm in error please excuse the presumption. My point is vaporized MM is inhaled and can cause irritation deep into the lungs. Not debating whether this is good or bad for a person it occasionally generates an extremely deeply sourced cough. I have blown out some strange calcifications that have been on Xray for decades. The first one I thought I was dying the next one I was hoping for a merciful end. Just a thought because MM is a terpenoid or pulmonary irritant.
Feel better soon,
LL