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Chest pain not able to work

Posted , 5 users are following.

deeville
deeville

i am 60 year old female and have all the symptoms of costochondritis that is described on this forum. I had a heart attack 18 months ago and previously had pulmonry embolism 10 years ago. I am warfarin and am unable to take anti inflamitory medication, my pain has gotten so bad in the last few days I scream when breathing in and have a lot of pain in the breast bone when pressed. Since my heart attack I have had many of these chest pains which turn out to be false alarms. I have read all the posts and my symptoms are exactly the same. The only problem I have is every time I go to the doctors I keep getting sent to the hospital, who then clear me for heart attack but leave me with this dibillitating condition. I have a fairly physical job which is impossible to do with this pain I am becoming so depressed. 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • nikki09667
    nikki09667 deeville

    Posted

    Hello,

    Im sorry to hear that your having such intense pain. How long have you been dealing with this? I ask because i was first told i had costro, then 2 weeks into the pain i developed a lump on the secong part of my sternum, and what felt like swelling going out toward my left and right breast. It also made my collar bone on left side feel like it was swelling and streaching. My chst became red and warm to the touch, and that went half way up my neck. So keep an eye on it. As for anti inflamm meds, no need they do not work. I had 2 chest xrays, 2 blood draws, and a catscan. There was no swelling present around my cotro joints or cartilage on any of the scans. If there had been swelling then it would have been cause for concern. Now at the time i had costro my body went through a change. I lost weight, my blood pressure dropped, and heartbeat went sky high. I was a given tramadol ( i refused to take it ) I was givin vistril which i took one 25mg pill at night ( helped with sleep ) and diclofian ( again refused to take ). I was also on antibiotics because my gums decided to swell up on me...I have bad teeth. I was told to take 9 ibuprofin a day for a week. No way was i giving myself an ulcer! So after the antibiotics i quit taking everything a took tylonal. It helped but not alot. All i could do was sit on the couch for 2 mths in certain positions. I was very depressed, and just wanted to get up and be the old me again. No riding in cars, no housework, fixing dinner for my family, i couldnt even get my hands up to wash my hair. Time...that is the only thing that makes the pain better. I still have flare ups if i try to move heavy things, and every once in awhile il get pain in my ribs, but for the most part im doing good. I pray that anyone who has this gets better faster then i did. I did alot of reading in the Bible! Get well soon!!

  • jules756
    jules756 deeville

    Posted

    Hi there.

    I'm sorry you're going through this... I was at your intensity a few months ago but am still not working and trying to figure out how to treat this costochondititis.

    Do you know what triggered these recent symptoms? I ask as mine was clear after 2-months of viral colds, acute-bronchitis and pneumonia bad enough to create a benign lung-nodule. That was cleared with anti-biotics but thats when my last 2-months of pain began...

    I have been scanned and blood-tested for absolutly eveything! I too have chalked up a few ER visits on my record. Rarely will anthing visible show up with this condition. Recently, exasperated, I took myself to the best, the Mayo, and am still under their treatment together with my local GP who prescribes my meds...

    Over the months dealing with this I too have found  that the anti-inflammatory meds destroy your stomach and bowels with little positive effect. I take myself off them all eventually... I take Tramadol now for the pain which helps but I up the dose for it to work. 2-3 pills(20-30mg) and my doc is fine with that. My mental lifesaver has been Ativan so if you can take that or something similar it stops the panic attacks when you're beside yourself in pain. Or prior to them coming on...

    My acute pain is more right side of sternum but goes both sides. Also alot of nerve pain in back and shoulder-blades. I think its the combo of it all that sends your heart racing etc. Get on Ativan or Valium or Xanax!! I am considering breaking my rule of heavy-mental drugs and starting low-dose of nortriptyline to calm it all down. This was suggested months ago by 2-doctors but I didn't take it trying to stay away from mind-altering medication.

    However I just had 8 steroid injections in my ribs three weeks ago hoping that will be the magic cure howeer  am not seeing much improvement so the next step is to be discussed with the injection doctor. 

    They may hit it again with injections... I will let you know what happens.

    Gosh I hope this has been useful to you. I know exactly what you're going through. Your body is in control and its frightening. I too cannot work which is why I've been so pro-active to cure this. I believe the other post said it's a matter of time and unfortunately that is true. And to keep telling yourself it is a benign condition that will get better you just have to find what works for you to manage the pain and discomfort. That's all I know...! I have other ideas but I'll save that for another post if you're interested...

     

    • deeville
      deeville jules756

      Posted

      Thankyou so much for your prompt reply, I am off to the docs this afternoon and will have a better idea of how to describe my symptoms. when I read your first post it described the pain exactly that is what prompted me to make this discussion. From what I have read so far this is going to be a long battle I have had these symptoms basically since my heart attack ,but have allways had a problem with picking items up with my arms stretched forward. It felt like I sprained my chest bone, the pain would go away within a day. Now this latest attack started after opening the garden gate just swinging to one side I have had pain breathing and it has been pain in back and front of chest. When I breathe in too far I scream.

      My job is heavy and this was happening on a daily basis often going to bed straight after work, I have been off work for four weeks and started to feel better and now this flare up . I just want the doctor to understand that it is not heart related and to give me some help.

      thank you for replying it is so comforting

  • jules756
    jules756 deeville

    Posted

    Heavy lifting is a cause of this... As it any chest trauma ranging from coughing, sneezing, infection and absolutely a heart-attack which is chest-trauma.

    Good luck with the doc. Thay can only work on your description to know what's going on so be assertive. And get him/her to palpatate too. It's painful I know but make them push hard on the suspected areas to be sure. It's the only way to duplicate your pain and isolate the area...

  • jules756
    jules756 deeville

    Posted

    Just need to correct a the Tramadol dosage I told you. Forgot they are 50mg tablets normal dose being 1pill. Sometimes I need two or three when it's really bad.

    Talk soon. Hoping doc is helpful.

    Jules

  • karen55974
    karen55974 deeville

    Posted

    Oh dear, you have been  through it. I have other ailments, you do wonder why me ? Take care . Thanks 
  • debbie84914
    debbie84914 deeville

    Posted

    I wrote a comment "Sharing what worked to stop my Tietze pain". Have a read, it might help. I hope so smile
  • deeville
    deeville

    Posted

    Been to docs gave me amotryptaline at night , I take 2 zalpain aswell . I have been pain free for 2 weeks and I jacked my job in, it took the pressure off .

      The days without pain make me realise how much it did hurt, my doctor is now working with me understanding that it is muscular skelitol pain. 

         One thing she did mention is that my collar bone was very high up, a specialist said after xray that it had been broken and had healed at an angle. I am wondering if it catches on something if I move a certain way hence the flare ups.

    Hope this is useful to anyone with similar problem

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