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New sufferer needs advice

Posted , 2 users are following.

yvonne99380
yvonne99380

i am not sure I have costochondritis but am currently waiting for the results of an X-ray. I have been worried sick as my symptoms seem very similar to the  early symptoms of my late husband who died 18 months ago with lung cancer,. My GP,sent me for an X-ray immediately I went to her with my symptoms as she agreed that cancer  sometimes presents in this way which did nothing to reassure me it was not that! She may just be wanting to rule that out to make me feel better but I have to wait two weeks for the result and the wait us killing me. My GP obviously ruled out heart problems as she didn't even mention that, just said an X-ray would be a good idea. 

I had a VERY heavy fall on my chest ten months ago and the pain I had then was obviously caused by bruised ribs. 

That went away eventually and I have been OK for quite a while.

now I have pain which started in my shoulder and down my arm then I had a dull heavy ache in my left breast and then pain round my left shoulder blade. It also goes down my left arm and I get some tingling which is worse in the morning when I have been lying on it.

The various pains  come and go and sometimes hurt to touch and sometimes dont. The pain in my breast is over my 4th rib, very close to the breastbone and seems to mirror the place where my back hurts. It is tender to the touch - sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot. Breathing is OK but I have slight asthma so am sometimes a little breathless anyway. 

Does this sound like costochondritis?  I wonder if it could be as a result of my fall but that was a long time ago now. Could there be a connection? The GP didn't suggest that and I gave only thought about that since my visit to her. Any advice would be very welcome. 

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Conta10
    Conta10 yvonne99380

    Posted

    Hi, sorry for your loss! I'm not a doctor, but have been suffering from costo since January. One thing about the costo diagnose is that the ribs are tender to the touch. That's how I got diagnosed. It can manifest in all kind of weird ways, waxing, warning, hurting in your arms, back, shoulder blades. Mine is everything, now a constant, dull and sharp ache in the whole rib cage. Started in by left breast and armpit...
    • yvonne99380
      yvonne99380 Conta10

      Posted

      Thanks so,much for your reply. I don't think I can read it all,as it seems to end with the word 'armpit' and have a continuation but I am not able to,open it any further. Technology! 

      However what I could read has reassured me as the symptoms do seem to correspond. I'm so sorry you are experiencing pain. It's a horrible thing to put up with.

      ill try to open your reply again later to see if there was more. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply,

      i just wish this X-ray result would be here sooner. They told us that if there was a problem with my us bands X-ray it would be back in a very few days. In the even it took two weeks and brought dreadful news so I can't even take comfort in the fact that it isn't back yet! 

      Hope you are having a relatively comfortable day today. X

       

    • Conta10
      Conta10 yvonne99380

      Posted

      Hi again, there was no more. It ended with "armpit..." Indicating a weird, unexpected spot, but sooooo typical for costo. Unexpected in every ways. My doc didn't even know it can be chronic. I now know more about costo than she ever will. My chiro knows some, but even he is confused with the stubbornness of it.

      hope you will get your answers soon. Costo doesn't show in X-rays, btw.

    • yvonne99380
      yvonne99380 Conta10

      Posted

      Thanks SO much. I am hoping and praying that nothing shows up on the X-ray that is life threatening! 

      Once those fears are over my next stop will be my chiropractor I think. At the moment I don't want to do,anything to agravate the pain or inflammation if that's what it is.  I'm hoping it's all as a result of my fall, even though that was quite a time ago it does feel very like it did I the days after I fell. 

      Thanks again for your help, it is much appreciated. 

    • jenn3030
      jenn3030 Conta10

      Posted

      Mine started the same way, left breast and armpit and now the whole rib cage hurts, along with other areas.. what helps your pain? Sometimes heat but mostly ice to numb the pain for me

    • Conta10
      Conta10 jenn3030

      Posted

      Hi, Chiro twice a week and Diklofenak ointment, I use it profusely. Now my chiro says I need to start exercising and that will probably make it worse to start with. Haven't started yet with that. But as a whole it has improved after almost 3 months of treatment. Sometimes I take ibuprofen.
    • yvonne99380
      yvonne99380 Conta10

      Posted

      My pain doesn't seem as severe as most people on here. I went to the doctor because it had gone on for so long rather than the severity. It seems to move around and sometimes hurts a lot when I touch it but sometimes it doesn't. It's in one or two places on my back. First of all on myleft shoukder blade and then deep inside my left breast. It hurts to touch my sternum most of the time and feels as if I'm laying on a pebble when I lay down. 

      Im still,waiting for the results of my chest X-ray last week but know that if its costochondritis it won't show, I'm still worried that it might be my lung although as it moves around and now hurts on the right side if my spine I'm thinking it sounds more like the symptoms talked about on here. 

      Imdud have a VERY painful episode in my right breast about three months after my fall and was assured that was inflammation following the fall. This is much less painful but goes on and on. I don't need painkillers but am taking Devils Claw as it's easy taken that before for muscle pain.

      Hope all that makes sense. 

       

  • yvonne99380
    yvonne99380

    Posted

    Sorry about the bad typing - can't see how to edit. Hope you can make sense of what I've said. 
  • victoria_30702
    victoria_30702 yvonne99380

    Posted

    Have you got your x ray results back yet? I would say that this Costo can be really scary, I've had a number of tests, ultrasounds and ct scan, so by elimination I'm hoping this is what I have although it's horrible, I'm going through a flare up, not sure what has caused it. Sleeping on a bad mattress perhaps, driving for more than 30 mins, I find I always get it when driving and I'm due to drive 6 hrs on Friday so dreading that, mine is bottome of left rib cage but it did move into my back, it's not as bad this time, but perhaps I'm not worrying as much that it's something truly horrible after tests but I do wonder something like this is really bad but no true diagnosis Exists j don't believe apart from everything else looks ok.....hope your results are ok, horrible waiting I know. If you've had a fall then it definitely could have caused it, I had mine after my one and only yoga session...and that's pretty tame compared to your fall....

     I find that if I press my ribs to make it hurt, ( to check where it hurts) it Ramps up over the next few days, anyone else get that? 

    • yvonne99380
      yvonne99380 victoria_30702

      Posted

      Thanks for contacting me. It's good to talk to people

      I am still waiting for my Xray result

      They said that if it was a problem it would come back quickly but my husband was told the same thing and it took two weeks for them to tell him he had lung cancer - and of course I

      Have similar symptoms. I have one pain in my back that is almost always there and sometimes it hurts to touch but sometimes doesn't which I know can be a bad sign. So worrying. I don't think the doctors realise how stressed it makes you waiting

      I also have a tender breast bone though and other tender spots that come and go so I'm hoping that's a good sign

      I did have a flare up a few months ago that was very severe but short lived. They didn't give it a name but said it was inflammation caused by the fall which I didn't really believe as it had been several months since the fall.

      I didn't connect that episode with this one until I started to read this site though

      This is much less severe but has lasted for a few weeks now - getting gradually worse

      My fall last September was a very heavy one and my chest and nose bore the brunt of it. I thought I'd broken my nose but hadn't. I had huge bruises on my chest and a lump

      On my breast which lasted a few weeks

      I'm so sorry you are suffering too

      I hope your drive doesnt make things worse

      I have just spent a few weeks working all day on my laptop - probably not in a good position - and think that might have started this lot going. Do you think that might have been a reason?

      Thanks for your concern xxx

  • yvonne99380
    yvonne99380

    Posted

    My GP rang me yesterday to say my X-ray had come back clear. What a relief!

    He wants me to take regular pain killers but so far they are not making any difference. I have another appointment booked for next week with another doctor at the practice so think I'll go and have a chat and maybe also go to a Chiropracor as that has helped me in the past with other problems.

    Hope  everyone is having as good a day as possible.

    yvonne 

  • yvonne99380
    yvonne99380

    Posted

    I'vebeen going to my chiropractor for a couple of weks now, during this time the discomfort in my breast and chest has stayed the same. I had a really bad episode of lower back pain which has now passed but since yesterday my whole left rib cage  has been painful to touch and also hurts when I,breath deeply or do some movements.

    i guess I do gave Cistochondritis  as its following the symptoms of many on here, My doctor hasn't given it that name, just says its inflammation and referred pain from how I am holding ,myself to relieve other pains. Not much   To look forward to at that rate! Off on holiday next weekend but worried about how I'm going to be.

  • yvonne99380
    yvonne99380

    Posted

    Well I was much better on my holiday as I did a lot of swimming. My GP said when I got back that exercise is good as it stretches the muscles. Once I got back it all started up,again and I tried to,think what I was doing differently at home. I have stopped using three pillows as I only had two,while away and that has helped I think. My GP  has now agreed that what I have is Costochondritis and admitted that they don't know how long it will last as everyone is different.

    i find anti inflammatory medicine upsets my stomach so I am now using natural remedies. 

    Glucosomin and Tumeric are natural anti inflammatories and I think  they are really helping me. I thought this might be useful information for others who find the usual medicines upset them. I take them every day now and I also go to a chiropractor who, although he says he can't cure the Costo - does help,with the pains I get  in other  places due to holding myself badly when my chest is painful. 

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