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Tietze Syndrome????

Posted , 6 users are following.

kim43715
kim43715

Hi, I'm a 50 year old fit and healthy eating female. 3 months ago I was standing in an airport when I suffered two very sharp painful  attacks under my left rib cage. It felt like glass going through my arteries. I suffered the next attack at 2am the next morning out of the dead of my sleep. I went to the dr and he sent me for bloods and a CT. The white cells were elevated and my CT clear. The attacks continued at school and a home up to 5 a day.  They were only under my left rib cage. I was then sent for an ultrasound and an ECG. Ultrasound showed gallstones but that pain should be on my right side. I then saw a surgeon who sent me for an endoscopy and colonoscopy but they were clear. The pain started to move to my right too so the took out my gallbladder. By this time I have lost 8kgs. Five days later I went back to the ED with severe chest pain. (The only chest pain I've ever experienced in this illness). They said the CT showed a blocked bile duct. I was transferred to a new hospital and specialist for an ERCP. This failed as the dr couldn't get through as the scope was too big. This though gave me pancreatitis. Horrendous! 8 days later and 8 days of nil by mouth, many antibiotics intravenously and an MRCP I got released from hospital. It took 3 weeks to bring my liver levels back to normal from a peak of 1400 (should be no more than 50) and my enzymes from over 500 to normal of 15. BUT the pain has not gone away. I now have developed a severe intentional infection from the antibiotics and I'm 11 kgs off and haven't put anything back on. Eating had been a struggle. After another endoscopy that only revealed mild gastric I'm being sent for a bone scan for chostochronditis/Tietze syndrome. I have had no chest pain or arm pain but I do get bad pain in my back and left shoulder blade. My pain is under my 7th rib but does tend to travel into my abdomen. Has anyone else not had the chest or arm pain but still diagnosed with this disorder??? My pain doesn't let up until I go to bed. 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • simon57068
    simon57068 kim43715

    Posted

    Hi Kim

    Sorry to hear you been through so much !!

    I have been diagnosed with chronic costochondritis for the past two years now and like you I get pain in my left ribs and right and mostly in the centre of my chest . I also get it in my back and down my arms as between each rib runs hundreds of nerves that connect into back and arms and neck also .

    I have had 14 ECGS to determine that it is not cardiac.

    I also woke in the night in severe pain and covered with sweat and could not lay down on my sides for months.

    Have you tired anything for it ?

    • kim43715
      kim43715 simon57068

      Posted

      Hi Simon

      I'm sorry that you too are in so much pain. I have taken neurogenic but it doesn't help. I don't have chest pain or arm pain either so I wonder if I am in the same boat or not as the rest of you.

  • shanna2479
    shanna2479 kim43715

    Posted

    Sounds terrible! So sorry to hear your having this trouble. I have very typical costo symptoms that are manageable with Meloxicam when it's really bad and natural anti inflammatory diet otherwise. I wish I had some comforting words but all I can offer is empathy. Good luck and feel better....
    • kim43715
      kim43715 shanna2479

      Posted

      Thanks Shanna. How everyone has done this for years is alarming.. I'd like to know more about the anti inflammatory diet.
    • shanna2479
      shanna2479 kim43715

      Posted

      It is definitely difficult and my symptoms aren't "that bad" really. You can google anti inflammatory diet and get so much information. I stay away from processed foods and I eat a lot of pineapple, papaya and tumeric. I am gluten free and vegetarian. I try to eat only fresh whole foods 80% of the time. It leaves little room for the bad stuff. I do indulge but not more than a couple of time a week. I do eat some eggs (once in a while) and seafood....a lot of seafood. It may sound difficult or boring but I eased into it over the course of about 5ish months and a year later I love the way I eat smile. Check out the diet on google, it may help some. Good luck!
    • kim43715
      kim43715 shanna2479

      Posted

      Thanks Shanna, I'll do that. I appreciate you replying to my post. It's nice to know we're not alone in this. 
    • Guest
      Guest kim43715

      Posted

      I have been suffering very sensitive to touch ribs for a while. But I have now got a sore constant pain at the back right lung area. Also warm sensations and pain comes and goes in centre of my chest. I feel awful dr has given me ibuprofen. Said I might have Costochronditus but ibuprofen is what he would give me for it....I also have Fibromyalgia. Just feel so achy if it's not one part it's another or numb feeling 😞
    • kim43715
      kim43715 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Jacqueline, I'm very sorry to hear of your condition. It so often seems to be connected to another underlying condition. It is just so debilitating. I keep going to school because at least the kids take my mind off the pain for a while. I've also developed bad constipation since my long hospital stay and now a very sore stomach which is obviously due to the constipation. It's hard when I've come from being a super fit, 4 day a week gym goer. I haven't been able to go since August but I'm still losing weight. It all sucks and unfortunately we're all in this together. I was told to take ibuprofen too but. I don't like taking anything. Because the pain gets much worse after I eat I've had to take some. But, ibuprofen has it's own issues that can occur in the gut so you are damned if you do or damned if you don't. Please take care and know that you are not alone. 
    • kim43715
      kim43715

      Posted

      Hi Shanna, I googled the anti inflammatory diet and I was pleased to read that I already eat 90% of the foods on the list. I just need to make a few minor adjustments. Thanks again for your advice.
  • Guest
    Guest kim43715

    Posted

    I have tender to touch ribs, armpit area too and front of chest but now getting additional pain at back right lung area and chest pain and warm feeling sensation.
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