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Healing Costochondritis and Anxiety

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kelly1981
kelly1981

Hi All,

I have been dealing with Costochondritis for nearly 5 months and like all of you, am at my wits end! It came about after I had experienced a very intense 3 month period of extreme anxiety due to lots of little and big stress factors in my life. I had a lot of physical symptoms accompany my anxiety but after seeing a social worker and psychologist for a few months I am feeling much much better and happy : ) and can see why and how I ended up with anxiety. Basically, I didn't know anxiety could manifest physically and it got worse because I began to become more anxious. Thankfully that is under control and all my blood tests and ultrasounds and bp/ heart rate are all normal and I feel more like a new and improved me. But about the time I got a grip on my anxiety the chest pains kicked in. I understand why and how and have been diagnosed with costo by 2 different doctors. I have tried Meloxicam which seemed to work for a week, but that is about it, apple cider vinegar, drinking ginger and chamomile tea, eating lots of vegetables and vitamins and trying not to life thing (which is very hard to avoid) and still I have costochondritis. I am even lathering myself with arnica gel everyday. I wanted to hear from anyone out there that has had costo arise from anxiety and also any tips for healing? I try to walk as much as I can and do soft exercise but am frightened I am aggravating it all. Thanks for any thoughts or advice smile Kelly

6 likes, 206 replies

206 Replies

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  • kelly1981
    kelly1981

    Posted

    Thanks Catherine, Margaret and Mitouback,

    I understand just how frightening and uncomfortable costo can be. I just want it to be gone and am trying my hardest to not sit too long, to have a perfect posture and get some gentle exercise not to mention trying to stay away from anything that will inflame the area. 

    It is beginning to affect my quality of life really as I want to get into more exercise and I find it really taking over all aspects of my life. I have just relocated to the UK from Australia and am in the midst of job searching and setting up a home with my partner. It is really difficult when I can barely hold a pot of water.

    I also want this gone before I start employment. I am a fairly active and independent individual and it is very frustrating. 

    I think it is also causing me to feel more tired than usual and sometimes a bit dizzy. I don't know if that was the Meloxicam I was on or if it was a knock on effect from my anxiety. I did fall over back in February and think it did spur on the costo to return and make it worse and now it won't go away.

    Thanks for listening everyone. It is hard to describe all these feelings and aches to someone who doesn't have it. When I push on certain areas I feel pain and it goes to my back as well. I have a Dr's appointment tomorrow evening and will ask for advice about an osteopath or chiropractor. I refuse to go on anymore anti inflammatory drugs or just rest (which I am doing anyway). I need this gone!!! 

    • mitouback
      mitouback kelly1981

      Posted

      Dear Kelly..Are you relocating to London when coming back to UK?

      Our condition is caused by something. Each cause has an effect.

      My costo started last year...or it could even have been 2 years ago. I went to A & E department as I thoufght it was a heartattack. i then couldnt lie on my side at all. I woke 3-5 times per night as each time I turned it was super painful. It came and went. But 5 mths ago I was doing something in the attic at home; lifted and shifted things. Kept rotating my back all the time. Taking things off shelves and putting things in boxes. The day after I was in such pain I could not walk.I couldn't get out of bed unless I rolled out of bed. Each time I lifted the telephone receiver I was in pain. I spoke to my Yoga teacher as we had been practicing a lot of rotation of the torso, I felt as if this was also causing the pain to get worse. I found a Chiroprcatic and he studied my back and shoulders, rib cage and spine. 

      From then on, 3 weeks ago now, he has been treating me. His masseur gives me massage on and around my shoulderblades once a week...As you can see from previous post from me; my ribcage was too rotated and my practice of yoga daily made it worse. I was forcing my trunk to rotate..etc etc...Th inflammatin on the ligamnets attached to the ribs were under constant squeeze and push..Even when I wasnt doing anything; becasue of the rotation of the rib cage..If something is always under squeeze and under irritation it WILL stay inflamed. Think of a sore on your knee, if you constantly scratch at a sore it wont heal...I am glad you are going to seek an Osteopath ot Chiropractic. Make sure they are really good and patient and don't fob you off...

      If you havent had a chest infection or a huge trtauma to your sternum--you can bet your bottom dollar its all mechanical....

      I hope you get better......I am. Just back from my shoulderblade massage thatI have each Wednesday. I am pain free. I eat well and gently strect my chest ( the Fascia)..Take my homeopathic pills. I can bang on my chest..press on my sternum and feel nothing. That hasn't happend for 2 years.

    • kelly1981
      kelly1981 mitouback

      Posted

      Hi Mitouback,

      I have already arrived in the UK and am in Guildford, Surrey so not too far from London. To be honest, my pain was only extremely painful 2-3 times since it started in December. The first time I felt the pain was the worst and it felt like someone was stabbing me under my left breast on the rib cage. It went away over night and I noticed when I moved the pain eased. This made me reailse it was not a cardiac issue and could either be anxiety related or muscoluoskeletal etc. 

      Since then, it has just been an annoying little friend and occupies a lot of my waking thoughts. I even sleep hugging a pillow so not to crush my sternum area. I have had another episode of an extreme ache on my left collar bone. My costo was predominantly left sided but now I do get aches and pains on the right side at times too. 

      And I have had to stop pretty much all exercise except walking and even then I have to be gentle. I guess I am always anticipating an ache or pain or nerve hurting etc. But you are right in what you say- if something is under irritation and inflammed it will stay that way until it has been fixed. 

      I have contacted a chiropractor here in Guildford and have asked if they think it is worth me coming in for a visit. He gets wonderful reviews on the internet so fingers crossed and hopefully my GP will be able to assist too tomorrow night. I am not a fan of swallowing tablets just for the sake of it and feel that it could be mechanical that perhaps also started a flare of costo.

      Can I ask- what homeopathic pills do you take? I am so happy to hear you have been pain free for sometime and are feeling well : )

    • mitouback
      mitouback kelly1981

      Posted

      Hi Kelly..

      Super news..I hope your Osteopath is great. Sounds iike you found a good guy.

      I went to the homeopathic pharmacy in Duke Street W1 London and told them about my costo. They asked a few questions: Like;-- Is it a stabbing pain? Is it better when you move around? How about when  you sit still? Etc etc. Then they mixed something up and I take it 4 times a day. 2 little pills. First day I took them every 2 hrs. Now 4X day.

      I'm not a fan of medications, painkillers or sleeping pills. I try, if I can, to go the Homeopathinc route.

      What job do you do, if you dont mind me asking?

      Last night I slept on my side for the first time in I think 18 mths..It was so wonderful...

      Im pain free today as well ---Day 10.

      Im continuing my massage as my shoulderblade was so knotted up and in a weird place. I have a back massage by this wonderful sport masseur, once/wk.

      Here are some details for you:

      Nelsons Homeoptahic Pharmacy----87 Duke Street, London W1K 5PQ

      020 7629 3118

      I think maybe you can ring them and explain your symptoms and they can maybe post the pills to you..Try!!!

      Mitouback

       

    • kelly1981
      kelly1981 mitouback

      Posted

      Hi Mitouback,

      Thanks for the advice and details for the Homeopathic Pharmacy in London. I will heading to London a couple times next week so will be sure to visit the pharmacy.

      Great news to hear you were able to sleep on your side for the first time in 18 months! And congratulations of 10 days of pain free too!

      My job environment in Australia was working in Tourism Operations in an office environment so I did sit at a desk from 9-5 during the week. I had sat on a horrible chair and my posture has not been the best so I know that these would be factors playing into the state I am in now.

      However, over the last few months despite how I am feeling and the pain I have really taken extra care and attention to my posture, tried to relax all my muscles and do more gentle exercise. I love swimming and and am so upset I can't do it at the moment. My doctors in Australia said it wouldn't hurt to do some light swimming but I have just been too afraid that it will aggravate the pain and issue.

      So hopefully my GP tonight and the Chiropractor tomorrow can help. I refuse to be told it will go away on it's own. I can't work properly and am actively in the process of securing employment. I don't want this condition to affect my career.

      Thanks for all your advice!

      Kelly

    • kelly1981
      kelly1981 mitouback

      Posted

      Hi Mitouback,

      How is your therapy coming along & are you still pain free? Hope you aee feeling better : )

      I went to a chiropractor here in Guildford almost 2 weeks ago & he did a full examination. My back & posture need some work & he has dealth with costo before and believes it is all connected and once my back issues are sorted, the costo should resolve. Have had two treatment seasions with him already & having another 2 this week. Have noticed a bit of a difference but today the pain is back but haven't seen the chiropractor since last Friday and was sitting still a lot the last few days. Am just trying to do everytbing he says, gentle exercise and look after myself. Feeling a bit down about it all today & very much fed up. Thanks for your advice and hoping your still pain free!

    • mitouback
      mitouback kelly1981

      Posted

      I am now totally pain free. I am still going to my Osteopath and my masseur; now down to once / month as maintenance

      Good posture is paramount. I have now stopped my Homeopathic pills. 

      I cant beleive that after 2 years of pain, I have no issues any longer.

      Maybe it will return? I really dont know. I will be vigilant with my exercises and if need be, I restart my homeopathic pills again. All good this end. It might take time....Did you have a rotated spine or?? What did the Osteopath say that he will adjust for you ?

    • maree64599
      maree64599 mitouback

      Posted

      Hi mitouback,

      Just wondering if i could grab the name of the osteopath and masseur you use in London? I've just been diagnosed with costo but have suffered from neck and back pain since i can remember. Im just a little overwhelmed where to start - Chiro, physio, osteo, acupuncture... its all so confussing but i need to do something!

      Thanks!

  • chervelm
    chervelm kelly1981

    Posted

    Hi ive recently been diagnosed with titze syndrom which as i understand is very similar to costo im almost 30 and have been having these pains daily for months seen several docs and specialists had ecgs and bloods and finally given a diagnosis around 6 weeks ago i suffer with very high anxiety due to the pains and also suffer with acid reflux which causes really bad heart burn which adds to the anxiety. My pain seems pretty localised to left side of my chest just above the breast and under the collerbone although sometimes its under my breast and in my shoulder as well. I work in a busy resturant which is quite stressful and prob doesnt help with my anxiety levels but i cannot change jobs right now im just wondering if i could get any advice on hiw to manage my anxiety i try breathing techniques but deep breathing makes pains worse i also feel like i have to remind myself to breath as it feels like i am holding my breath was tushed to hospital pre diagnosis due to panic attack and try my best not to get myself that worked up anymore but the anxiety is really hard to manage dont want to resort to medication as i already take medication for an underactive thyroid and dont wanna have to rely on pills to get me thru the day im just desperate to lead a normal life again and any advice would be gratefully recieved x

    • mitouback
      mitouback chervelm

      Posted

      The breathing must soft and gentle into belly. Lie on your back and keep 2 pillows under knees. Small pillow under head. Hands on belly. You want to be ultra relaxed. Try not to tense up your body. Put hands on tummy. Learn how to fill up your belly with air. Breath in and feel the belly rise.. ( like dough under a cloth).. breathe in SLOWLY to the count of 3 or 4 and let the air sip out through your lips to the count of 8 or 10. The more you stay relaxed and let the belly relax, the more beneficial. You dont want to to do lateral breathing as this sort of breath expands the ribcage. The belly must rise up..NOT your chest. Practise practise..Do this kind of breathing for abput 10 min per day.

      Good luck.

  • Beekeeper3
    Beekeeper3 kelly1981

    Posted

    I asked a naturalpathic doctor about Costochroditis and he told me to take neproxin and Castor Oil Packs.     I've been taking Neproxin and it does help but doesn't really cure it.   It always comes back.    I haven't tried the Castor Oil Packs yet, but bought all the stuff and when I have another painly attack I'm going to give it a try.   You can find the instructions on the web.   Hope this helps
  • tonytonytony
    tonytonytony kelly1981

    Posted

    Here's my 5 cents - I have had costo for a few years.

    There seems to be a thread of rib cage rotation.  I have a sort of protruding left side that rotates forward and clockwise ... and this causes strain on the ligaments of the floating ribs.

    Second thing and related is a sense of crushing on the left side.  This affect the region near the shoulder and armpit and presses those ribs into the sternum - and also affects behind the shoulder.

    What is useful ?

    If you stand under a doorframe and use it to twist your rib cage back the other way, that can help (recommended by a chiro).  You have to hold it for a good long time though.

    Neck relieving exercises a well as eye exercises are also good.  Why ?  Because they lead your stress ... so if you relax your neck or eyes, it's like you unlock the tip of the iceberg of your stress.  Eye exercises are like look left (hold 2 secs), look right (hold 2 secs) ... do the 8 directions, repeat.

    Exercise.  In general I think it is very important to continue some form of exercise, perhaps walking is the most low intensity, or perhaps tai chi something like that.  If you stop exercising your body will get more stressed ... exercise relaxes you.  So there is obviously a fine balance between re-injuring yourself, but do not become stationary.  Walk for half an hour.

    Relaxation.  Much feeling now is that there is a psychological subconscious thing going on under the covers.  My postures, rib cage twisting etc... is caused subconsciously ... it is the way I tense up under stress.  And life is very stressful these days.

    So relaxing, hot baths, sauna, relaxation music ... all good.  You could treat the whole illness as an opportunity to change your life.  Your body is telling you that carrying on is not gonna work !

    Because a calmer person.

    Situps / pilates.  Very good of course if you can do it.  Gently though, don't hurt yourself.  But even if you can do 3 gentle situps then it will help.  As you get slowly better you can add it more.

    On a good day I try to do 100 : 25 straight, 25 crunches, 25 to the left (left foot resting on right knee) 25 to the right.

    Yoga is how I damaged myself, a deep bend to the side and sudden giving way.  That was 2 years ago.  I did yoga gain last month and pulled it again; and it had been good for months.

    So, I am never doing yoga again.

    Sauna, or heat / cold therapy also good.

    But in general you have to treat the root cause which may be postural / psychological / stress.

    And whatever you do, try to keep moving.  It feels very bad to come to a complete stop.

    If you can't do anything, then just watch re-runs of Blackadder, that'll make you laugh !!!

    • Grahamsc
      Grahamsc tonytonytony

      Posted

      Great notes Tony,

      I just recently brought on a second bout of costochondritis from panic attacks so I really enjoyed your notes on relaxation and the possible subconscious effects of stress being at the root cause of it all.

      I hope I can find Blackadder in Canada smile

  • carly87054
    carly87054 kelly1981

    Posted

    Hi Kelly,

    My name is Carly. I'm 18 and have had the exact same pains and anxiety! I have been to several doctors about the pains and they all agreed that I'm okay and can't really find anything, but knowing me and my anxiety, I was absolutely mortified about what the pain was and was convinced that I had a serious lung problem going on. I went to see a pulmonologist and he also mentioned costochondritis as to why I am having pains like these and the more I read about people's experiences, the more it fits into what I've been enduring! I wasn't 100% diagnosed with it, but if I go back to the pulmonologist, I'm sure that's what he'll diagnose me with and when he mentioned it the first time, he told me to take some pain killers like Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

    I've had pains in almost all of the exact places you stated. I've had pains in my ribs and my sides under my arms, in my chest near my boobs, all in my upper back, and they have been coming and going for almost 4 months now! It all started with getting a random sharp pain in my ribs in my left side (most of my pain was on the left side at first), and I just kept getting more and more anxious about it since then since this pain seemed to come out of thin air! And the anxiety has only made it worse. The pains are not too bad, but enough to always be on my mind and always getting some sort of pain throughout the day. I'm so glad I found this discussion and have all of these people who I can relate to! Stay well, everyone ❤

    • tony509
      tony509 carly87054

      Posted

      I was diagnosed with costochondritis about two weeks ago I guess I can deal with the flareups and sharp pains but what I really can't deal with this anxiety. I never had anxiety before and this costochondritis I believe triggered my anxiety what I wanted to know how do you deal with anxiety. I much rather feel the physical pain of the costochondritis then this anxiety that I'm feeling . And the Anxiety that I'm getting is pretty much lasting all day long every day

    • lisa33471
      lisa33471 tony509

      Posted

      Hi tony. I can really sympathise with u. I've hasn't costo for 6 months now. I used to suffer with anxiety before I got this. Although anxiety doesn't cause costo it definitely aggravates it! I found soon as I started getting the chest pain it made my anxiety levels hit the roof. So a combination of the two didn't help, like a vicious circle. It's difficult to advise on the anxiety as people cope with it in many ways. I have been given anxiety meds but haven't taken them. I started drinking a lot of camomile tea as this helps relax u. As the costo progressed I went from pain meds to more pain meds and nothing helped. To cut a very long story short, I take 10mg of amitriptylene every night. It's a muscle relaxant and I swear it's helped me to b more calmer. I still have occasions with anxiety but no where near like before. Its really hard and I've had anxiety for a long time but it's definitely for better. Have u tried exercise and things to help keep u occupied? Breathing technique CDs or even off utube may help. Finding what helps u relax is difficulty when u feel this well but try and stay positive and know that this will pass. Once u get rid of the costo the anxiety will probably go. Also know that some people can only have costo for around 4-8 weeks. Take care and rest and try to relax smile

    • lisa33471
      lisa33471

      Posted

      I forgot to say I'm currently having acupuncture which helps the costo and it is getting better. I actually have days where it doesn't hurt at all now smile also cod liver oil and omega 3 helps

    • tony509
      tony509 lisa33471

      Posted

      To be honest I never really did exercise regularly and my diet also was not that great. I've been on a good diet now for about a week and started doing some yoga and walking. I Really hope this anxiety I'm having goes away soon as my costochondritis gets better. I have been drinking chamomile tea also sometime it helps sometimes it does nothing . I also wonder if there's any techniques or stretching That can help the costochondritis go away sooner

    • grace28398
      grace28398 tony509

      Posted

      Hi Tony,

      Theres a costrochondritis exercises site. Just google it. Eliminating sugar or atleast alot truly helps. Ive had Costro for over a year. Bad days and good days for sure. But breathing exercises and I also have a counselor I talk too. And I now take anxiety meds and Neurontin help a ton!!!!!  Hang in there   Better days ahead!! smile smile smile smile

    • char75134
      char75134 carly87054

      Posted

      Hi Carly

      I have had pain in my entire rib cage

      On the sides, under my arms, under my breast area, upper back, ribs in my lower back area and the last rib at the bottom on each side. Please if anyone can give me some tips on how to helpsje this go away. Also both of my shoulder clavicle areas hurt too.

    • grace28398
      grace28398 char75134

      Posted

      so sorry for your pain. Have you tried soft ice packs? accupuncture? A med called neurontin has  helped my costro pain alot. Prescribed by my dr. I wouldnt stay on it forver but it helped me alot. Thers also natural remedies you can look online for. Also theres a prescription cream called diflucan it has ibuprofin in it. I hear it has helped many people. Hang in there!!!!!   It will get better
    • char75134
      char75134 grace28398

      Posted

      Thank you grace! I only tried a heating pad

      But I have experienced any pain in your hips or oblique areas? It's all sore and tender when I touch.

      How do you describe the pain in the ribs???

    • grace28398
      grace28398 char75134

      Posted

      No I havent had any pain in those areas. Its been mostly in my chest and Its like a burning sensation. And my shoulders, or under my ribs and in my ribs at times. Hope this helps
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