Shortness of breath with Costochondritis?

Hi Sally.  Glad to hear you are feeling a little better.  Once I found out how many folks had the breathing problem, the heart flutters or what ever you want to call it, I felt better myself.  I too try to keep moving.  I ride a bike at the guy, 4 miles at a decent speed, and walk for one mile at about 2.9 miles an hour.  Sometimes its difficult and when I increase the intensity, the next day I do feel it.  I cannot do the weights yet, I really have a lot of pain, even if I use light weights.  Attitude is the key.  I just keep telling myself, this is what it is, keep moving, don't give in to it.  I also use CBD cream and that seems to help a bit.  I also use a CBD tincture, that helps as well.  Stress is also a key.  I refuse get myself keyed up about anything anymore.  It just isn't worth it.   Praying all of us will wake up one day and be free of this issue!!!

Thank you Sally & June!

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 ??

This is has to be the one of the worst pains I've felt but you somehow have to deal with it. I've had this for almost 3 years now and I think being a nurse causes more pain. Does anyone sometimes feel like they can't breath in one lung if that makes sense like when you breath in it feels like only one lung is working??

I found this article about t4 vertebra being out. This seems to explain a lot of symptoms. Maybe worth a read?

https://www.physio-pedia.com/T4_Syndrome

I also have shortness of breath when I have the chest pain that travels down the middle of my chest, to the left making my whole left breast hurt. I’ve had every test done to my heart and everything always comes out clean. The last time I was in the ER, 2 yrs ago, I heard the Dr tell the nurse to schedule the tests, but that it was just stress. I never saw the Dr or nurse again. I was made to spend the night in observation.  In the morning, a nurse came in to discharge me, and just gave me paperwork to sign. I asked what the results were, all he said my heart was fine. I told him I still had chest pain and shortness of breath and a very bad headache. He said it was either stress, muscular or a stomach problem.  And, I should see my primary in 2 weeks.   All I was given when I checked in was nitro 2 times and something for the headache that had gotten worse with the nitro. Nothing else. The headache never went away. I had to the nurse practioner because my primary was out. He said nothing.  I googled my symptoms and this is how I found this website. I can’t get anyone to say I have this, but I know I do. 

I suffer shortness of breath when suffering flair up. I know anxiety makes it worse but when it is there pain sob hard not to be anxious. I have to self talk and focus on reducing anxiety which does help. Hope your symptoms reduce soon

I have experienced this myself.Actually last night I went to the hospital thinking it was y heart..ECG was fine and blood work. This drives me nuts.The pain really gets to me.

It is such a relief to see this forum. I have been suffering with these symptoms for years now and the doctors were unable to give me a diagnosis for a very long time. This is the second time I am experiencing it and it is now nearly two months since it began. It started out with excruciating pain in my chest and upper left back. The pain radiated around my left ribs into my upper back where the ribs meet the spine. I have muscle spasms under my shoulder blades and down my back on the right side. The spasms go on for days sometimes. When I try to take a deep breath I feel restricted. Sometimes I have a dry cough and being breathless is the norm. Walking up steps or doing any activities make me very winded. It all is very frustrating and stresses me out allot. I have lost fifteen pounds in the last several weeks just from the stress of not really knowing what was going on. 

I have done test after test and seen multiple doctors and they never figured this out until I had to rush to the ER one night and a junior doctor saw me and said that I had costochondritis. I had not heard about this before and began doing my research. Indeed the description fit perfectly into what I am experiencing. 

So so far I have been away from work for 6 weeks but I am still breathless and aching after all the meds. The pain I can deal with but the shortness of breath is a killer for me. I just can’t deal with that sometimes. This condition has been misdiagnosed by some of the best doctors I’ve been to and as a result I have been given drugs that do not apply to me. I’ve been given acid reflux drugs, asthma pumps, nasal sprays and a whole long list of things. After seeing that they don’t work , I just quit taking them. One has to have a strong mind with this condition, if not it can really mess with you.

I plan to share what I know so far with my doctor because I am sure that there are others suffering like I did for so long without knowing what was really wrong.  I am now seeing a chiropractor and a physiotherapist and doing massages to help cope. These are the things that actually give some relief. I understand that acupuncture helps as well so I will explore that soon. Now that I know what this is, I worry less. Treating it is now my focus in order to bring back some normalcy to my life.