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Need some sound advise

Posted , 6 users are following.

mark53771031
mark53771031

I have a frustarting situation. I was an advid workout nut for about 2 years prior to December 2014. I would take tons of supplements and my workouts were crazy, like 40 sets, 4 days a week, just crushing my body. I noticed in November 2014 grabbing sensations on my right side. I had all kinds of scans and x rays, gallbladder, liver, etc. Everything got worse, I noticed my skin became very inflammed after workouts, the grabbing pain turned into more pain and then it became bilateral pain (both sides of intercostal ribs. I was forced to stop working out in December 2014. That did not help, my condition became worse with my skin inflammed and lots of pain (nerve pain type) on both sides. I was prescribed Gralise for a month and in late January I came off. With the combination of coming off the supplements and being on this type of drug I was thrown into a mania and forced to go on Lithium which I have been on since. The pain in my ribs calmed down to a point of not needing meds (pain 1-5) daily. Partly the deduction in pain was due to removing the toxins (gym supps and vimatims). Were now into almost May and the issue is still there and getting worse. The pain and discomfort now is in my chest and there are inflammation lines where the chest creases. If I sit for too long I become inflammed. I will have stinging and bothersome pain in the middle of chest and my Xiphoid process hurts and is inflammed. There have been a few times I have felt I was having a heart attack. The pain extends to the back now. As far as the ribs area I can't lift anything except light stuff or I am screwed for a day or two, it becomes inflammed. I am intolerant to vitamins and some foods and even medications will flare up pain and discomfort or inflammation. I never had these issues prior. I have had all kinds of scans and xrays and blood work down to blood disorders, etc. I feel a bit helpless I have done so much and the closest syptoms I can can is on this forum. However, I have a nerve discomfort or iritation that causes pain after activity and I wanted to know if that's a possible sympton with the inflammation or if anyone has an idea of what this may be, thanks - Mark

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Tonatius
    Tonatius mark53771031

    Posted

    Hi Mark,

    Sorry to hear about your experiences. I actually had something similar and it made going to the gym excruciating. In my case I got misdiagnosed with costochrondritis when in actual fact I had coeliac disease and industrial strength food intolerances. My advice would be to stop working out and keep a rigorous food diary. There can be a gap between eating food and getting pain (in my case several hours) so that's why people don't tend to connect the two. Conditions like coeliac disease and food intolerances can come along at any time so def worth keeping a food diary! Good luck and hope you feel better soon. 

    • mark53771031
      mark53771031 Tonatius

      Posted

      Its interesting you bring this up because I wax and wane with rashes and pimples and just cleaned up my eating even more. I even went to an allergist who said I have only a slight rye allegy but nothing else. He did say he did not know what intolerances do for anyone. I can tell you fish oil, certain B vitaims, etc make me flare up. I will do the diary, thank you so much.
    • Tonatius
      Tonatius mark53771031

      Posted

      No worries at all! Rashes and pimples are coeliac symptoms (as well as symptoms of other things, of course). I had terrible rashes before I got diagnosed. Have you had a blood test for coeliac? If you were coeliac, you would definitely react to rye bread, but you wouldn't necessarily test positive to being allergic to anything with gluten because coeliac disease isn't actually an allergy it's an autoimmune condition. With supplements, I have found that it's sometimes the additives in them to which I'm intolerant. I can't take fish oil capsules for example not because I have a problem with fish oil but because the capsules contain glycerol derived from rapeseed oil and I'm intolerant to the latter. 
    • mark53771031
      mark53771031 Tonatius

      Posted

      I've had so much blood drawn in the past 3 months its crazy. I do not think I have had a coeliac blood test and the rhumatologist is the only place I have not been and its scheduled for May 27th so that will deal with autoammune.

      Is gluten in just about everything?

      I'm thinking a rice and water diet lol.

      Can those supplements do damage like inflammation, etc?

    • Tonatius
      Tonatius mark53771031

      Posted

      Hi Mark,

      Sorry to hear about the blood-letting! I know how these things can get you down. Gluten is in most pre-prepared meals and breads, but there is an increasing amount of options available in supermarkets. Hardest thing for me was understanding why I wasn't getting completely better after giving up everything with gluten and that was because I still had other food intolerances to discover (brown rice included!). Supplements can def cause inflammation. The ones I was taking with minute quantities of rapeseed oil in them caused insane testicle inflammation! Food diary is the only way to get a handle on these things. Just wish I had known sooner as I had 15 years of health problems. Wish you luck - please tell me how the blood test goes and whether you notice any reaction a few hours after eating gluten-filled foods like pizza. 

  • Loo_pulpy
    Loo_pulpy mark53771031

    Posted

    Hi Mark I'm not the same as you as in I didn't work out, but was a fit ish 40 yr old woman who had only had problems with lumber pain in my teens but since 40 I've only really known daily pain and like you heart attack symptoms , going in and out of a&e.

    I can honestly say the only time it doesn't hurt is if I don't do anything, and then it's heaven.

    I can't carry heavy goods, sit, lean or write for too long , really everything in our daily life makes it sore!

    The sensation in my back at times is like hot pins and needles and the pain in my ribs is like a stabbing sharp pain .

    I haven't got the answers god I wish I did, but it would seem rest is best ,but in a normal life that's just not possible 😡

    • mark53771031
      mark53771031 Loo_pulpy

      Posted

      Yes when you don't do anything its fine, especially laying down. But any running, sitting, driving, etc can be terrible. 
  • victoriam
    victoriam mark53771031

    Posted

    Hi Mark

    The way my pain came on was very similar. I am a fit 27 year old and started having pain all around my chest and ribs and even upper stomach to the extent that I just had to stop doing any exercise at all. I have just started again but I can only do a very small workout and then the pain comes back. It feels as if I'm about to have a heart attack.

    Like your pain, I could be doing nothing but have moved around a bit too much in the day and that can cause the pain.

    I wasn't sure about the diagnosis first, especially as steroid injections in to my chest had no effect at all but the Arcoxia I'm on now has helped slightly.

    Keeping a food diary will definitely help to rule out any intolerances that may be causing it and keep activity to a minimum in case it is costochondritis.

    Good luck

    • mark53771031
      mark53771031 victoriam

      Posted

      Thank you, I'm thinking all the supplements created an inbalance and intolerance. I enjoy being fit and even though I can't really exercise trying to look the best is the next best option. The diary and eating clean is not hard. I'm sorry about your pain and it sucks for sure.
  • can4484
    can4484 mark53771031

    Posted

    My symtoms were the same. I had every test done and seen an orthopedic surgeon, a rhuemetologist, and a primary care all with no answers. I find ally seen a Wellness all natural dr who found my ribs were out of place causing my back and chest pain where they meet the sternum. She said I need a good chiropractor to adjust me for pain to stop.
    • can4484
      can4484

      Posted

      The rhuemetologist was no help at all since all my test were fine they tried telling me i had fibromyalgia which the last all natural dr said I deff do not.
  • mitouback
    mitouback mark53771031

    Posted

    My symptoms are almost identical. I have radiating nerve pain down my left arm.

    I'm now seeing a chiropractic who will try to see if he can realign me. When he assessed me he said my right shoulder blade was further away from my spine than the left shoulder blade. He also said my rib cage was slightly rotated to the right.. I'm now going to see him every Saturday and have massage on upper back each Wednesday. There were loads and loads of knots around left shoulderblade. He said my left rhomboids and left teres minor and teres major were hyper tense and shortened. Let me know how you get on. Nervepains down my left arm ..down triceps..and at times I feel it all the way down to left wrist.

    Mitouback

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