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Shortness of breath with Costochondritis?

Posted , 83 users are following.

Ipsydaisy
Ipsydaisy

I was diagnosed with Costochondritis and I have been noticing shortness of breath along with pain. I have had EKG's and chest xrays as well as blood tests. My doctor firmly believes this is not a heart issue.

Has anyone else noticed shortness of breath with this? My pain is mainly in my sternum but radiates through out my whole chest wall.

3 likes, 152 replies

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  • rich4444
    rich4444 Ipsydaisy

    Posted

    this is re assuring for me since i had an ekg, CT of chest, lung xrays, all negative.  I get pain in my Left sternum and feel short of breath just walking up the stairs.  Now I get pain in my L shoulder and neck.  I run 2 to 3 miles a day, and i haven't been able to run bc of the pain, SOB, and fear of the worst.  

    ?EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED!

    • kate57551
      kate57551 rich4444

      Posted

      Yes.. shortness of breath doing pretty much nothing! Let me know if you manage to find anything to calm yours down. It's very hard going from being an active person to a couch potato pretty much overnight. I feel your frustration. K

    • steven22779
      steven22779 kate57551

      Posted

      Hi guys, glad I found other people going through this & was wondering if I could join the cono. I've had this chest pain for about a year and kept lifting weights and it's just incredibly awful now. about 2 months ago I was diagnosed with Costo. I have felt shortness of breathe but the thing that scares me the most is I will randomly throughout the day get these quick feelings as if my heart stopped for a split second & my chest also feels tight when it happens. I jump whenever I feel this and keep thinking im having a heart attack. ive been to the chiropractor about 12 times now and had cool laser done. it feels a lot better for about a day but then the feeling comes back. this is causing me so much anxiety I've started taking Lexapro from my psychiatrist becasue the pain in my chest is giving me panic attacks. I'm taking Meloxicam 7.5 mg once a day for 3 days now. helps a little. I hope this anti inflamatory will help becasue the chiropractor is getting expensive. So again, just wondering if anyone else feels these sort of quick random feelings like your heart is skipping a beat. Thank you all for sharing it has really helped! (:

    • simone_40974
      simone_40974 steven22779

      Posted

      Yes and yes , the pause in the heart best feeling . I get that . Have had Costo five years  , had cat scan , echo , blood test am over it all . This has caused me massive stress and anxiety . I seek accupunture and my accupunturist says i have fibromyalgia and am having intercostal muscle Spasms. 
    • JuditD
      JuditD steven22779

      Posted

      Hi, welcome to the club. Sadly, doctors don't understand that weird heartbeat symptoms are part of the package and do not reassure us. I asked to be put on propranolol for that (helped a lot), and was taking meloxicam for about 9 month (helped too). I am meds free now (2 years from start) and mostly pain free. I had to say goodbye to lifting weights apart from our toddler and also no running. I hope I'll be able to get back to these at some point though. Good luck, hope your recovery will be faster than what you read on this forum!

    • mariann81772
      mariann81772 steven22779

      Posted

       I also get quick palpitation feelings in my chest and was diagnosed with PVCs    Dr. told me not to worry about it,   Very hard to do because you feel as if a heart attack is forthcoming.   After 16 years with this condition I still have not found anything to ease my pain .   I’ve been to the ER so many times I’ve lost count .   I am in a bad flareup right now experiencing shortness of breath as well as chest pains .   May last a few days or a few weeks 
    • joann96742
      joann96742 kate57551

      Posted

      Hi kate  Just a note I have intercostal inflammation and costo. 4 months now I have been to two chiros, Pt. Rheumatologist 3 times, er 1, had 8 x rays and a ct lung scan all fine also took flexeral for 2 weeks at bed time . still in pain . the only thing I have found to ease the pain is Ice 4 times a day and dont sit for more than 20 minutes at a time or you will stiffen up . keep moving slow and steady ......    I believe mine was trigered by a bad cold I had in Februrary. praying you feel better soon...
  • dayle65713
    dayle65713 Ipsydaisy

    Posted

    Just signed up for this forum, after reading everyone’s comments here. It’s been since Jan 2018.. I was coughing excessively. They have no idea what I had, I was dx with broken ribs. That was about 5-6wks ago. X-ray showed two fractured and were ‘fuzzy’ as if healing. That is why I was in such ‘pain’ on my left side. 

    After being in constant pain, not being able to use my left arm, and just laying down constantly.. the steroids, coughing meds.. nothing helped this pain!! Someone said they’d rather have child birth .. I told them that at the walk in clinic the 6 times I had gone since Jan. The Tylenol & Motrin wasn’t doing anything but making me sick to my stomach. 

     I went to ER and was given a CTscan. They DX me with costo. This was 5 days ago. I was given 14 pain/anti inflammatory pills, pills to stop the coughing, and told to ‘get some rest’. I actually need to care for my kids and work though.. I am so sad and angry that I can’t do anything but slowly move around and try to catch my breath when I do move.  I am up about 5-6 hours and totally exhausted. I feel like I am laying here wasting my life away and none of these Drs are taking my pain seriously at ALL! 

    They gave me an inhaler (pro air) around end of Feb. I had not used it until I was wheezing at night. I was searching here to see if this condition caused the wheezing/shortness of breath, because the Drs didn’t tell me anything. It could be a few months for it to repair/heal itself.  Get rest, take Motrin, and use pain meds if it gets bad, oh and put ice for twenty mins at a time. 

    Thank you to everyone for taking their time to share their experience and look forward to any and all advice in the future. I just want to breath, move and be with my kids 😔

    • JuditD
      JuditD dayle65713

      Posted

      Sorry you are in so much pain.

      I can't help with ideas as to how to fix it, so this is just to say that this year's flu was pretty bad and many who got it were coughing for 2 months. I only stopped when I asked for antibiotics... (I know, that does not cure flu, but helps combat overinfection with bugs). Also, standard flu jabs did not protect against the Japanese strain of flu this year, just in case you had the jab but still got flu. Worth taking anoxicillin for a week or so and see what happens.

    • dayle65713
      dayle65713 JuditD

      Posted

      Did not get the jab, seen to many people get sick from it. But I am going to ask about the antibiotics for sure. 

      If I can’t stop coughing, how is this suppose to heal ? Every night seems to get worse. I wake up sweating, shaking and can’t go back to sleep for hours. It’s now 4:13am and I’ve been awake since 2.

      I can’t lay and get comfortable even with the three pillows I need to lay on my side. I’m going to look in to vitD, as well as acupuncture (don’t have $ for it, but will try), and see how that works. 

      Thank you JuditD

    • june49619
      june49619 dayle65713

      Posted

      Hi.  I too have been diagnosed with Costocondritis.  Have had it for many, many of years.  Same pain that has been listed in others previous reports.  Pain in my back going around the ribs to the front of my chest.  Can feel the inflammation in my chest as well.  Causes me to feel like I need that deep breath and feel like I need to yawn to get a full breath.  Have tried all types of therapies, acupuncture, massage, etc.  I am now seeing a chiropractor that has helped me greatly.  He has a plethora of treatments, laser, different equipment etc.  He has made such a difference.  Also, I have been using CBD cream on my back and chest and the tincture of CBD as well.  Also, I have been going to the gym.  I cannot use the machines as that is way too much stimulation for the muscles  I ride the bike for 25 minutes at about 80 rpm, walk on the treadmill for one mile at 2.7 working up to 3 miles an hour.  Somehow it feels good while I am doing it, expands my chest, feels like I can breath better.  Sometimes the next day i can again feel the pain.  Its a real balance of what I can do or cannot do.  Some days I feel really good and overdo (cleaning, yard work, etc.) and then I am out of commission for a couple of days. I also use a heating pad when my back gets too tired and achy.  This site has really helped me, knowing others have the same symptoms that I have.  I refuse to give into it.  I keep moving and work through it.  I also trust my God that He will see me through all of this.
  • jeff82857
    jeff82857 Ipsydaisy

    Posted

    Hi Daisy -

    First time posting here. Glad I found this thread. I have also recently been diagnosed with Costochondritis. My docs couldn't figure it out. Ran me through all kinds of heart and lung tests. Luckily my chiropractor knew what it was. I have been having symptoms (tightness and pain in sternum and now moving to neck, burning pain in left side of chest, shortness of breath) for almost a year. I think it started after a long bout of bronchitis. I spent several months dealing with anxiety and was even prescribed anxiety meds (that I never took) because I spent a lot of time thinking that there was something wrong with my heart and lungs. Fortunately I've been able to get over the anxiety.

    These are the things that have helped me.

    - Meditation ( I started doing "Headspace" a guided meditation app for your phone. They have a good program for anxiety and one for dealing with chronic pain)

    - Stretching (especially MILD chest stretches in doorway). Don't over stretch.

    - Ice and heat (heating pad seems to help more than ice)

    - My Fitbit - it shows my pulse and so when I think that I am having a heart issue I look at where my pulse is. It is always normal.

    - I haven't received it yet, but I just purchased a "Back Pod" (search on Amazon). It's supposed to help get your ribs back in place.

    I am still having all of the symptoms but they seem to be lessening. The sharp pains are not nearly as sharp and don't last nearly as long. I am so happy to be past the anxiety. It was almost worse than the physical discomfort and pain.

    I wish you luck in your battle. I will continue to look here for my own answers and post remedies when I fine them!

  • chris98633
    chris98633 Ipsydaisy

    Edited

    Hello all,

    First post on here but I have also really been struggling recently with what I’m guessing is costochondritis - with chest pains & shortness of breath. I had costochondritis exactly 3 years ago to the day and became part of the furniture at the local GP, constantly concerned I was having a heart attack and keep seeking that reassurance.

    Eventually, it disappeared for several years, only to appear again last Sunday. Again, I instantly feared a heart attack and found myself prantically googling chest pain & sob only to get myself in more of a mess as everything said to “call an ambulance” or “head to emergency room right away.”

    I have long suffered with health anxiety and constantly have all kinds of worrying thoughts flying around my head, always fearing the worst. Just like many others, I have gone from being quite active to now not doing anything as I feel rubbish and am worried about what might happen. 

    It’s all just a vicious cycle as I believe costo can flare up due to stress, but the costo causes chest pain and sob which then makes you anxious, which then increases your symptoms and you just keep going round and round.

    I’m finding it very difficult to stop worrying, despite lots of reassurance from my partner and friends and reading similar things on here. One thing I could recommend is a video I saw recommended on a forum somewhere, “The relationship between breathing and anxiety” by Dr Litman on Youtube which although I’m still very much experiencing chest pain and sob, does seem to help, especially the way you think about things.

    I’m so glad I’ve come across this forum and glad we can all share our experiences to help each other. One final thought, this forum was created 2 years ago but seems to have been a lot of activity over the last mth....is it just a coincidence or this time of year more common for costo occurence?

    Thanks

    • jeff82857
      jeff82857 chris98633

      Posted

      Hi Chris - I was feeling the same way for a long time. Learning how to meditate and control my breathing has helped my anxiety so much. I used to be at a 10 every day worrying about my health, but now most days I am around 2 or even 0 some days. There are a lot of meditation apps for your phone - personally I like "Headspace", but there are many comparable. I get up in the morning and sit in a chair with my headphones on and do a guided mediation for 20 minutes. After the first week I already started to feel better. Now when my costo flares up I just close my eyes and breath and tell myself it's just nerve pain and let it pass.

      I haven't receive it yet, but i also just bought a "Back Pod" and I am hoping it can help me. Check out this guys video explaining it.

      This video also explains one possible reason why we get pin in the chest. I think this is why my costco came about and I have been going to the chiropractor and it seems to be slowly getting better.

      Moderator comment: I have removed the link(s) directing to site(s) unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

    • chris98633
      chris98633 jeff82857

      Posted

      Thank you so much Jeff, it is really appreciated.

      Part of me feels ashamed to say this but I actually ended up in the ER room yesterday evening as the chest pains and sob just got too much, I honestly thought it was the end.

      At the hospital they took bloods, ECG & chest xray and sure enough everything came back fine, again. The Dr told me that it’s anxiety and that I need to relax etc, which I know but telling my brain that is another story.  Even now I still have chest pains and sob but am relieved to have the reassurance/confirmation that everything is fine and I just need to relax, eventually this will get better once I learn to stop worrying.

      I will certainly start using an app like headspace to start the day going forwards, I think this will benefit me enormously and great to hear you’re having such good results. Will also check out the back pod which I’ve seen mentioned a few times and looks like it has really good reviews online.

      Thanks again, if we all support each other we’ll definitely get there in no time smile

    • jeff82857
      jeff82857 chris98633

      Posted

      Hi Chris - sorry to hear about your ER experience. I ended up there one myself. Thought it was my heart but I was just having a panic attack. Now when I start to feel that kind of anxiety I just calmly say to myself "this is not your heart it is only anxiety". Just being reassured with all of the tests helps so much. I also recommend getting a fitbit or other device that measures heart rate. Sometimes I feel like my heart is beating really fast and I look down at my wrist and my pulse if totally normal. It's also great for biofeedback. I can check my pulse before and after I mediate and see how I am effecting my heart rate. I can now totally control my pulse with just a few deep breaths. I also recommend exercise when you have anxiety. My doctor told me when you have anxiety you are already in a heightened state - fast heart rate, etc. so if you get yourself out for a walk (I have a treadmill) you are also raising your heart rate so your body adapts to the anxiety better. Sitting there with a fast heart rate is scary but on the treadmill it makes sense.

    • chris98633
      chris98633 jeff82857

      Posted

      Thank you Jeff, once again very helpful and reassuring smile

      Just like you, even though I’m still getting chest pains and sob, the test results were a huge weight off my mind. I’ll definitely take a look at investing in a fitbit which sounds like a great help.

      I think what you say about exercise is important, a lot of the time I don’t feel like exercising at the moment as I feel rubbish and like I will have a heart attack but by avoiding the exercise, it is just causing the issue to manifest itself more. Will definitely be doing some exercise this weekend, even if I have to literally force myself!

      Take care

    • sally_10036
      sally_10036 chris98633

      Posted

      Hi Chris!

      I've ended up in ER 3 times last year at the beginning of this horrific illness. No doctor knew how to diagnose it until 5 months in! They were all sure it was anxiety but I knew that something else was causing that to happen. The pain was intense 24/7 and I couldn't breathe all day. Anyhow what i intended to comment about was the exercise. I was so sick for so long I could barley walk 5 minutes or even move my arms. I slowly started to force movements in my upper body. Finally I was forced back to work which basically foced me to move. It was dreadful to force it But after weeks I was getting less chest pain and was breathing better and the days felt easier. I think we have to force the ribs to get stronger. Take it slow though. I've been dealing with this for 16 months now non stop. The breathing issue is the worst. The little things you learn along the way really help. I rub my ribs down all day with anti-inflammatory creams. I also do accupuncture which helps and I make sure I get my vitimin d. Good luck were all here to help ?

    • chris98633
      chris98633 sally_10036

      Posted

      Thank you Sally & June! smile

      Your comments are really helpful and reassuring. It’s good to know that exercise helps and even though I don’t feel up to it, will start forcing myself to get back to it (easing myself in gently to begin with.)

      I guess you’ve got to make sure it doesn’t beat you, depsite how difficult it feels at times. I’ve already started using a meditation/breathing app which I will continue to use each day. Still feeling pretty breathless right now but I appreciate it’s not going to be an instant miracle overnight.

      Will just perservere with it, taking on board all of the helpful advice people have given on here and eventually it will get better.

      Thank you all ??

    • HPE11
      HPE11 chris98633

      Posted

      Hi Chris

      I have been where you are now, and i know it is monster scary. i think i have died a hundred times. And like you i have been through blood test, ECG, several xray's and CT scanning of chest and heart, without getting a clear  diagnosis for my heart jumping, shortness of breath and discomfort.

      And yes, when you accept that you are suffering from costochondritis, you will begin to focus on getting better and stop worrying so much. Eventhroug i still get scared when "it" hits me,

      Recently, I started using a product called "Voltaren Gel" and it really helps me alot. I would recommend you to try the product.

      Good luck

    • sally_10036
      sally_10036 HPE11

      Posted

      Adding a cream to my chest and ribs has made the biggest difference too!I think it penetrates into the cartilage. I got a prescription one but the otc voltaren works great too!
    • chris98633
      chris98633 HPE11

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply, will definitely look into using Voltaren Gel on my chest and see if this helps me smile

      At the moment, I seem to begin to feel a bit better then will have an anxiety flare up or do something too strenuous and then pay the price for the next few days, awful chest tenderness both sides and constant shortness of breath. I've read that Costochondritis can linger for mths and even years so may be in for a long road ahead but won't let it stop me. Fingers crossed this gel may help a bit and going to try and start CBT sessions again to try and improve the anxiety situation as I think the mix of Costo & anxiety causes the symptoms to be much more extreme.

      Thanks again

    • jonathan55993
      jonathan55993 chris98633

      Posted

      Hey Chris, I've had this now for over 2 years and everyday i feel the same shortness of breath and the feeling of heart attack. I seen a specialist who advised me to keep active as much as possible and don't rest for too long as this makes it worse. Secondly, I've been using a hot water bottle each night on my chest which really does help. I am a nurse so my chest is constantly hurting due to my job but I hope this has helped you. Ask your gp to give you some amitriptyline which is an depression tablet but is also used to treat nerve pain. 1 tablet a night makes a massive difference. Hope you feel better soon

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