Rib Pain really anxious
Posted , 15 users are following.
I dealt with bad anxiety last year where I had really bad chest pains and would google every symptom and my doctors told me anxiety and left it at that. These symptoms all disappeared during the summer when I was distracted with traveling and was really happy but then I came back and all my terrible thoughts came back.
So the past couple of months I’ve dealt with a lot. The first and worst of which is i now can no longer go out to lunch/dinner with my family or I have a mini panic attack (I get severly nauseaous and hot and feel like I’ll faint or throw up) and I think it’s because it’s an inescapable place and I hide most of my anxiety from my family because they make my anxiety way worse when they worry so my body panics when I can’t hide from them knowing they’ll notice something is wrong. I’m in college so I don’t have to deal with this a lot as I don’t live at home but sometimes they visit and I have to fake having my period or something to avoid these situations.
Now the past month or so I’ve had multiple things. First I thought I had a chest cold because I’ve had a non productive cough and felt like there was mucus in my chest. I went to the doctor who listened to my lungs and everything and determined if it was anything it was a mild cold but there wasn’t anything in my lungs. The funny thing about that is my coughing stopped almost entirely immediately after the appointment.
But now I’ve had rib pain. It first started one night when I rolled over and felt a twinge of pain when my arm hit my one rib bone (on the right side). I started pressing that bone and realized it was tender to touch. the pain started radiating to my entire side but then I fell asleep. When I woke up the pain was gone until I started touching that same bone and felt exactly where it was tender to touch. Then the pain again radiated my entire side. I was obsessively touching it wondering if I could feel a tumor or lump there. Sometimes I convinced myself I felt something but then I couldn’t feel it again. The bone that hurt is my very bottom rib or the second one from the bottom. I realized the rib feels kinda like it’s sitting on top of the rib Above it? I decided it might be displaced ribs because the same rib on my left side doesn’t feel like that but a couple of days later my left side started hurting too. Certain ribs on both sides are now tender to touch. On my left side the bone that hurts is further up, closer to my chest but still completely on my side. Like it’s the sides of my body that hurt when these pains radiate. Everywhere I search says costochondritis but none of the pain is near the center rib bone and it’s mostly on the bottom.
I’m getting it checked out in a few days but I’m wary. I’m scared it’s bone cancer or something terrible but also the doctor Will attribute it to anxiety most likely. I’m tired of always being scared.
1 like, 23 replies
brad14787 stacey54711
Posted
I’m the Same as the last three people who are so anxious to hear if you got answers to your symptoms... you have described exactly what I’ve been experiencing with rib pain. Did any of you recent commenters get any resolution?
lauren34626 brad14787
Posted
hi brad, did you ever get any clarity on the issue? I'm struggling right now and bloods, x-ray, chest etc all sound fine?
randall28657 stacey54711
Edited
I dont know if anyone has found answers to the rib pain, but I figured I would tell my story as I see a lot of commonality here.
I think we cab all agree that 2020 sucks horribly.
but early in the year I began having all sorts of weird symptoms and feeling as though I was seriously ill.
it has always involved a lot of abdominal/digestive issues.
this lead to a multitude of x rays, several blood draws, an abdominal ultrasound, upper and lower gi endoscopy and a hida scan to check my bile tract.....all of which with no conclusive findings so far.
I feel as if im exhausted most of the time and physically weak like I dont have the energy to do the things I used to do on a daily basis.
for about the last month or so I have the discomfort in my right ribs like the original poster described. its never excruciating, but just constantly uncomfortable.
im going to start taking a probiotic regularly and see if it helps my digestive issues and maybe the rest will follow if it does.
I should also add that my lower gi endoscopy was just on Friday and I haven't got full results yet. they only said that they hadn't found anything requiring immediate attention. they did take some biopsy material and samples to culture for bacterial infection, but I dont imagine i will hear anything about the results for a bit.
I will gladly let everyone know if I get any answers from the testing and hope you will all do the same
brad14787 randall28657
Posted
Thanks for replying to this thread. I will share what I find out from Doctors etc as well. after 6 visits or so to different doctors, including blood draws, they have no conclusive answers for me.
randall28657 brad14787
Posted
im right there with you my friend. i was prescribed citalopram back in January and seems like everything has been a roller coaster since then. I wish I could get something definitive found but nothing to speak of yet
claire12259 stacey54711
Posted
Hi Stacey
Have you heard of rib pain anxiety syndrome? You could have that xx
DaeSayuki stacey54711
Posted
Ive experienced the same thing and on top of that back pain, as well as a bit of asthma/tightness of the chest.
From my psychologist and remedial massage therapist, they've said it's most likely a symptom of high anxiety.
When you're under a lot of stress or experience a lot of anxiety, you tend to take shorter breathes out of habit. Also in combination with low moods, means less physical activity and so poor posture. I tend to get absorbed in work or use my laptop/phone more, so this explanation was applicable to me. Anyways, this lead to slouching alongside consistent shorter breathes, encourages rounded shoulders, upper body to sort of slightly hunch forwards curling in on itself and our ribs to lower. There's more pressure on mid section of our body, over time this causes pain in that same area.
Fixing this is a matter of solving anxiety as the cause of the issue. But that's easier said than done.
Mental health is a long time journey but in the meantime, these are some things that helped me asap.
sean1215 stacey54711
Posted
Hi everyone, i've been going through the same thing/symptoms. i do Crossfit and believe this has been bought on by over exertion. To the point where i ended up in A and E convinced i was having a heart attack.
my breathing has suffered and caused anxiety. I was convinced it was either coschindritis or somthing very serious.
ive been trying to sleep on the uneffected side. but tonight was so bad i rolled onto the left side and something released! i cabt exsplain my relief but i can almost feel its teethering on popping back out.
just relieved its fixable as ive been going out of my mind with anxiety.
i hope this helps everyone