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Costochondritis pain and discomfort

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sinead_34836
sinead_34836

I am a 39 yr old mother of a 5yr old daughter. I live in Newry, northern Ireland.

I was diagnosed with costochondritis 2 years ago this month. Like everyone elses case I have read on here I was totally convinced there was something more serious wrong with me and argued with my Doctor for a long time about it.

It started when I got a flu while on holidays and the only thing that I can think may

have brought it on was the coughing. It comes and goes every couple of months but there isn't a day that I don't get some kind of pain in my back or chest area. Just

before Christmas last year while driving to work I took really sharp chest pain and

felt like my heart was jumping around in my chest. This panicked me as I thought I

was having a heart attack. I pulled into the hard shoulder as I had my little girl in the car with me and I was finding it difficult to breath. The panic stopped after a while and I went straight to A&E. They did numerous tests, ECG, chest Xrays, blood tests, you name it and in the end they said they agreed with my GP that it was

costochondritis. They put me in Diclofenic tabs, which are anti inflammatory. They did help and the condition eased up after a few days but it wasn't long til it reared its ugly head again. so for me its 2 weeks of severe pain and maybe 4-5 weeks of bearable pain then back to severe pain again.

I am down at minute but this time its really bad, it seems each time I get it It is more severe. I am now on naproxin which to be honest I find useless. Pain killers are not working and even the hot water bottle which I found great is no use this time.

The majority of my pain in in my back between my shoulder blades and travels up into my neck and shoulders, sometimes down my arms. Although I have chest pain the worst is in my back, though if I were to press on my ribs at the front I could scream with pain.

I find this time with it being worse it is affecting my moods. I am snapping at my little girl all the time which I feel terrible about, and I just dont want to do anything. Work is just a nightmare recently. I am normally an upbeat person and very little gets me down, but it is really taking its toll. I have had this condition now for 2 years and it really in not understood. Most people I talk to have never heard of it, so when I found this forum and so many people suffering like myself it was a God send. So hopefully I can gain some knowledge from other people and anyone panicking about the pain they are feeling and thinking its something bad, can take some reassurance from my story.

Does anyone feel the pain is in their back more then their chest area. And if anyone has any advice or anything, please do share with me.

Sinead

11 likes, 604 replies

604 Replies

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  • amgel03
    amgel03 sinead_34836

    Posted

    the heart attack feeling is because the inflammation is on the heart side.

    i had it both left and right. It's not the heart. I had regular massage on my chest to dissipate the knotted tissue and muscle and knotty rib joints and Chinese acupuncture to re align the blood flow. This stopped the stabbing pains and heart attack feelings. Visit a chiro to stay aligned and if they find sore rib joints they massage them and they unlocked the jammed up bits mid chest with air impulse.

    doctors will prescribe NSAIDs that's all. You have to help with alternative therapies and I rub cold freeze gel on my ribs when they hurt and rub my chest with it at night if required. You have to help yourself it's not a thing dr are interested in to be honest.

    its inflammation and swelling, it's painful, it's life quality inhibiting, it makes you ratty but you can get in under control with time, effort and I hate to say it but you need to spend money on it. Good luck everyone. 

     

    • amanda405443
      amanda405443 amgel03

      Posted

      Hello, I just had my bought with Cosocondritis. Came after a really bad bought with bronchitis and then after a gym visit. The thing is, the pain is subsiding in my chest but now my lower back is shorting pains from the L4 region, should I wait this out to and just continue to take it easy or go see a Dr. What was your experience as it started to heal, did random things hurt after the run age pain went away?
  • jules756
    jules756 sinead_34836

    Posted

    Hi Sinead,

    I can completely relate to you. I am at 7 months now and have experienced all types and levels of pain. And becasue this condition has symptoms of many more serious illness I have an extensive work up which always comes up negative beause this condition rarely shows up on scans. That in itself is extremely frustrating!

    Everyone I mention this to also has never heard of it so these forums are extremely helpful and they soothe me a little.

    I have now decided to stay off the anti-inflammatories as they either don't do anything or they ruin my stomach and bowel system. I'm down to Tramadol pain-killers. I just got 8 costosternal injections done 3 wks ago but not seeing a great improvement so far... 

    Like yourself it is now taking its toll on me emotionally because I see no end to it and it is persistently bad! Hence I am thinking about taking nortriptyline, low-dose, which was suggested months ago but I said no desiring to stay away from anti-depressants and nerve drugs... Alas I may have beaten on this on and think it can only helo.

    The constant daily pain wears us all down in the end.

    I see your post goes back a year so if you read this let me know how you've progressed. This nonsense is supposed to just "go away." I'm still waiting...

    Julie

  • deeville
    deeville sinead_34836

    Posted

    Hi I am female 60 years old and have developed the chest bone pain you describe, I have had this pain for years but actually had a heart attack 18 months ago. The pain is very similar but feels more muscular sharp pain when I press the breast bone the pain is severe. This latest attack has given me pain in the back and difficulty breathing in getting very sharp pain in the back. I have had clots in the past and have been on warfarin for 10 years so cannot take anti inflamitory medication.

       I have an appointment today with doctors and have not been diagnosed with a condition but having read your description the pain I am in sounds exactly the same.

  • victoria_30702
    victoria_30702 sinead_34836

    Posted

    Hello 

    im so glad I've found this, I've been diagnosed with this and have had it for 9 weeks. I had physio on sat and its been worse for the past few days...past few days have been really bad and I'm now convinced its something really bad.although if physio masked it worse then perhaps it is costo and not internal organs......I'm taking co codomol and ibruprofen which takes the edge off a bit but not loads....I've had ultrasound on abdomen which was clear but now convinced they missed something,the reason is the pain on pushing my ribs is going but it's kind of radiating around my side from the bone under my left breast where it started....there isn't a lot of pain pushingribs but I that creates the pain a second later....this is really worrying and getting me down 

     

    • jules756
      jules756 victoria_30702

      Posted

      Hi. 

      That's the frightening thing about this, the pain radiates everywhere!

      My most intense pain is on the right but I get it both sides. And it radiates to the sides and I get a lot of back pain too especially shoulder blades...

      After 9-months of this I still cannot tell you if it's skeletal pain, nerve pain, or both. I tried PT also at the beginning but it was too early and made it worse. It just takes a really long time if you have a bad case of it and all you can do is rest and build up your strength and excercise levels slowly. Trust me I've overdone it so many times and pay the price for the next two days.

      And I understand the fear that you have something worse going on internally... Been there! I've had MRIs, CT scans, ultra sounds done on everything. And every blood test we could think of as I was convinced a virus was destroying my body. I say get tested if you're concerned...

    • victoria_30702
      victoria_30702 jules756

      Posted

      Hi, yes i've had blood tests for ovarian, lipase, amylase  and abdominal ultrasound, all clear.  My biggest fear is pancreatic C  as typing left side rib pain into google it was the first topic it brought back, so that has sent me into a spiral of anxiety. I do have a history and this is driving me mad ... . The physio made my whole rib cage ache like a band was tied around it about 2 hrs later on sat, its funny as the day before I nearly cancelled as it felt ok, so it has set me back with the anxiety too. I went back to GP for a referral on private healthcare which i've got for next week , but i don't have any other symptoms really, a 2 week period of wierd bowel movements and a bit of loud stomach after food about4 weeks ago, but everything else seems ok at the moment. The pain was getting better I think so i'm hoping the set back after physio means its more muscular/costo ie rubbing the ribs thatn anything else. ..but i just don't know

      9 months sounds absolutely awful. Id me a total wreck

    • sie1212
      sie1212 victoria_30702

      Posted

      Referring to your 2 week period of weird bowel movements. What do you mean by "weird"? Since I've been diagnosed with Costochondritis I've been having unusal bowel movements as well. 
    • victoria_30702
      victoria_30702 sie1212

      Posted

      Hi there sorry for late reply, how are things now? I think mine were brought on by the massive anxiety this has caused me...following 3 weeks of this I went for a colonoscopy to check that the pain on my left side lower ribs wasn't bowel issues, all clear, and an abdominal ct scan which got they'll clear last week...I have taken investigations as far as I can as I couldn't believe the pain was costo, it's been so awful, but now 4 months it has subsided considerably and is almostgone so hope for all for you it goes soon...

      yes anxiety caused all sorts of issues for me in the loo department 

      eg, of this are by in middle of night, diarhorea, going loads during the day, bad reaction to alcohol (this stopped after colonoscopy) really rumble tummy

      It could have been something but it could also have been anxiety,

      this condition has caused me so much stress and worry,

      i feel I'm almost out the other side now.

      advice get it checked out as this condition seems to be different for everyone

       

    • heather65594
      heather65594 victoria_30702

      Posted

      I had myself convinced it was something more serious as well. The pain is terrible and seemingly never ending. I was convinced I had lung cancer, then breast cancer, then stomach cancer, then pancreatic cancer. But after reading more about costochondritis all my symptoms make sense. Most of my pain is in my back right now, bit it had been in my abdomen for months. I had this before, but it was almost completely in the ribs/sternum area and a little in my back. The pain at the bottom of my ribcage and up to the bottom of my sternum was new this time around, I thought it was unrelated. It's not, though. It's all the same horrid awful thing. My chiro suggested ice for 20 minutes every hour on the sternum/ribs, sleeping flat on your back with a pillow under your legs, keep good posture, especially while using a cell phone, naproxin, rest, etc... It's helping slightly, which is better than nothing. Hope you're feeling better!
    • mitouback
      mitouback heather65594

      Posted

      I def thought it was bone cancer then I thought breast Vander. ..it was so painful in my left breast into the armpit. .I couldn't touch my left breast ..rhat horrid nerve pain..Was it like this for you too???
    • rachel1738
      rachel1738 heather65594

      Posted

      Hi Heather, I can relate to your symptoms so much.I was diagnosed with costochondritis. I started out having very sharp pain in my lungs. And it gotten worst over the couple of weeks. Ive been to the E.R and also to my doctor, they prescribed me with inflammatory pills to help subside the pain. They also mentioned i could have anxiety. These pains are horrible and make me think i have cancer in my lungs and breast. It hurts so bad. Especially after i eat. Today I experienced a pain so sharp, my whole entire chest area became inflamed at once after I burped from eating sushi. I couldnt do anything but endure the pain in shock. Then it went away. After having that sharp pain in my chest & lungs. I began to get sharp pain shooting up into my head. Even niw Im feeling the pain. Its so scary. Im going to try these pain killers and fish oilss
    • amanda56143
      amanda56143 mitouback

      Posted

      I have the breast and armpit pain or rather sensations. I ascribe it to nerves too as I can never find the source of the pain by touch. It drives me crazy!

       

    • linda40573
      linda40573 victoria_30702

      Posted

      My concerns are exactly tne same. Worry about pancreatic cancer as it is in my family. The chondritis pain is really getting me down. I have had it for many years and get very little relief.
    • danielle79073
      danielle79073 heather65594

      Posted

      Hello, like everyone else am having the same symptoms, and my doctor says it's costochondritist.. The pain radiates from my chest to my breast making me think I have breast cancer and also to my neck and back. I'm 18. The pain is very uncomfortable and all that. Its been a month now and my doctor has order some blood test to be done. I hope this get over soon enough

    • jeffrey29659
      jeffrey29659 danielle79073

      Posted

      Nightmare, been a bad day today. Tried so many things. Had 1 session of chiropactice . Not sure if it will work. Low mood. Wrapping pain constant .

      Vodka helps.

    • chrism6973
      chrism6973 jeffrey29659

      Posted

      Hey guys - how flexible are you?  I know it sounds random, but I had costo and it was traced to my lack of flexibility.  It didn't make sense at first, but with the proper treatment, my pain is all but gone.  I need to manage it daily, but 5mins a day is well and truly worth it.

      If your cause is the same as mine was (and I have spoken to a number of people now) relief is measured in days or less...

    • jacqueline777
      jacqueline777 chrism6973

      Posted

      Hi Chris, what kind of treatment?  Stretching?  I've had this for 6 months now.  Started with what felt like a muscle strain in my bottom left ribs.  Then a few months later the pain took over my entire rib cage.  Mine is the worst on lower ribs.  I get a bad burning ache/stabbing pain when sitting, driving, or just moving too much in general.

    • chrism6973
      chrism6973 jacqueline777

      Posted

      Stretching is definitely part of it, but for me, it is very specific stretching.  I also got a 'kick start' from a physic/chiro...here is how it played out for me...

      My wife's family (affectionately?!?) call me "Concrete Man".  My back and hamstrings are terrible.  I can see my toes...but that is kinda where it ends.

      The theory is, your back gets extremely tight, this prevents your ribs from pivoting on the spine (where they are designed to pivot) for every breath you take.  You still need to breathe and that forces your ribs to move slightly where they meet the sternum.  This *isn't* supposed to happen and is, apparently, the root cause of the pain.

      What I did:

      1. Saw a physio / chiro and he was shocked at the state of my back.  He had me lie on my stomach and used his elbow between each rib along both sides of my spine.  He just pushed hard into the gaps to loosen them.  He was a big guy and put a lot of force into it in order to get them to stretch a bit.  I'll never forget ... he said: "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt...a LOT".  It did hurt, but it was nothing compared to the costo pain...

      I got a little relief immediately.  Not that much, but enough to be hopeful.  From there, every day for the next week:

      2. Standing still, knees slightly bent, I rotate as far as I can to the left 10 times, then to the right 10 times, then the left 10 times.  At first, this was hard, now it is pretty easy and I actually get a crack every now and then.  When I had it badly, I would do this 4-8 times per day.  It isn't pleasant, but it is worth it.

      I felt it was getting a little better every day, but didn't know if I was kidding myself.

      3. Back to physio a week later and he was stunned at my progress.  My back had loosened up considerably.  He went through the elbow thing again, but much less.  I noted that even lying on the table hurt a lot less.

      Within a week, the pain was materially gone.

      Now, in maintenance mode, I only do it once in the morning and every now and then if I feel a tightness in my chest.

      I think the physio thing was a really good start to try to get the back started, but I would do the twisting anyway...it makes such a huge difference.

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