Hi all. Over a year ago after being hospitalized for 3 days and having full heart work up I was diagnosed with Costochondritis. After over a week of bed rest along with pain meds and muscle relaxers life returned to normal and I hadn't given Costo a thought since. That is until 2 weeks ago when the unmistakeable earth shaking pain struck again out of the blue! I started with taking Extra Strength Tylenol, rest, rotating heat and ice and trying not to flare things up thinking it would quickly pass.
It did not pass - it has gotten extremely worse! I can only take shallow breaths. Breathing out hurts worse than breathing in. Leaning forward causes horrible pain. I cannot lie flat so I am on my 4th day of being in a very uncomfortable recliner. Yesterday the pain had become so horrible I could no longer manage at home and I had noticed swelling in the area (my left side rib cage area) so I went in to my primary care doctor's office and saw a PA. There is a very visible baseball size knot there. When she had me lie down on the table she said my rib cage was noticeably larger on my left side. She ordered several x-rays and once done came back to my room (where I sat with my husband crying in pain) and said "well, I can't tell much about x-rays but I called the doctor (he was off site) and explained this swelling and we think you have the worse case of Costochondritis we have ever seen".
The prescription narcotics aren't helping and the 8 steroid pills I have taken so far haven't reduced the swelling at all. I am now running a fever. Has anyone else experienced this type of swelling with Tietze? I can't find anything or anyone who mentions this in any of my on line searches. Thanks!
Hi just to say yes I've had this lump on my ribs it took a long time to get it to go smaller but finally did go altogether my chiropractor worked on it my doctor reassured me it was from the Costco i was really worried and my chiropractor said she has never seen a swelling like this size but please be reassured it will go in time mine took well over 18months I still go to see my chiro on regular visits just to keep a check on things hope this helps you wi
omg this sounds horrible. im so sorry you have to deal with this.Maybe you should try accupuncture, or a pain specialist. Have they ruled out all else? I take a medicine called neurontin. which helps with pain and anxietuy as well. also aids in sleeping. I hope one of these helps. hang in there. it will get better
Thank you for the response. It helps ease my mind knowing someone else has experienced the lump like this. Right now I can't even drive myself anywhere because using my chest muscles just to turn my steering wheel to pull out of my garage is too painful!
This is horrible - truly one of the most painful things I have dealt with and I have some serious health issues, multiple ones unfortunately. I am allergic to Neurontin so can't take it. I have been researching acupuncture and once this calms down enough that I can actually drive myself somewhere may give it a try. Thanks for the response.
Al;so. one thing that always helps me when my Costro is pretty bad, is that thank God its not life threatening! Also, forgot to tell you my pain specialist suggested over the counter Salonpas cream with 4% lidocaine in it. It helps numb it to get a break for up to six hours. A TENS unit may also be helpful. Ive tried it. It helps a bit. Good luck!!!!
Please don't stress be reassured this is costo I take a pill called sertraline for anxiety and panic attacks takes a few weeks to kick in but it helps lots with the symptoms and helps you to relax have you tried the Olbas Oil to rub into the pain areas and use ice packs to bring down the inflammation it does work believe me I know how this affects you most think it's a heart attack I did and the worst thing is I lost my husband of nearly 40years suddenly with heart problem so that didn't help but I also had all tests and heart scan put my mind at rest so then I could concentrate on the illness properly I still find I can't lie on my left side as it aggravates it but I'm so much better say 99 per cent and yes it does come back most sufferers will tell you this take care try to do deep breathing sat in a chair or led down it helps to but gradually
Have them check you Tietze's (almost same as Costo but lump is present) that is what I have. I also have Intercostal Neuralgia, which is an entrapped nerve somewhere in the chest area. I just had nerve block done, 4 injections in the back between ribs, one side at a time. It worked for 6 days and I could feel the spasms on the other side. For me it feels like a "charlie horse" in the ribs and back area instead of the calf of your leg. Good luck and keep me updated what they say.
One of the things that's odd about my Costo/Tietze is I have no pain at my sternum not even when the doctor presses on it. My pain is isolated to my left rib cage (from under my shoulder blade wrapping around to under my left breast but stops there). I do get the sudden muscle spasms like you get when you get a "charlie horse" but it's a very quick intense grab and release spasm. The steroids are really upsetting my stomach (I have lots of stomach issues on "normal" days) so I took a Phenegran tablet for the nausea last night which makes me sleepy so I was finally able to get some sleep but woke to the same miserable pain! I feel so bad for all of us who experience this - no way to describe it to someone who hasn't gone thru it. Thanks for responding.
It could be an entrapped somewhere else just make sure you push them to find an answer not just a guess. Ask about some kind of meds for nerve pain. I have peptic ulcers and chronic kidney disease II so I can't take alot of meds either.
I have prescription Lidocaine patches which don't help at all nor does my TENS unit. Wish they did though. I think I am just in the middle of such a bad flare that until things calm down a bit nothing much is going to help. The prescription narcotics aren't even helping. I am doing meditation along with heat and ice as well as the prescription stuff and ALOT of praying!
My husband and I are closing on a new house on Monday and I am trying not to stress that not one single box is packed and I have a moving company scheduled 2 weeks from Monday to move us to our new home. Hard not to think about though especially when I have no one I can call upon to help me pack... I certainly can't do it in the condition I am in currently and adding stress will only delay my healing time so this is a vicious cycle of trying to calm my mind/nerves while my body hopefully kicks in to start mending itself.
I have Mitochondrial Disease so anything involving muscle tissue is truly an uphill battle for me. I will still do as usual though and put on my big girl britches (I'm a Southern gal! Lol) and do the best I can do! Thanks so much for responding.
Thank you for responding. I am so sorry to hear you lost your husband suddenly. I cannot imagine having to go thru that at any point and especially after 40 yrs of marriage. You are a very strong woman.
I have fought with anxiety and panic attacks the past 4 years or so so I already take 2 prescription meds for anxiety. I have been using ice and heat, prescription Lidocaine patches, prescription steroids, prescription narcotics, meditation and lots of prayer! This is my 2nd attack of this which is much worse than the 1st attack was. I did think I was having a heart attack the 1st attack and spent 3 days hospitalized and had all the heart work up done and was told it wasn't my heart. I do have a hole in my heart and have Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (causes me to throw blood clots for no reason so I am on blood thinner for life) and Mitochondrial Disease - which I was just diagnosed with 2 months ago after being very sick the past 9 yrs and the heart is one of the organs affected by Mito. Because I have so many other serious health issues my body has a very difficult time repairing itself when it is handed a major flare of something this big.
I can't lay flat or on my sides right now so I have been in a recliner for my 5th day now. Has made me wish I had spent more money when purchasing and gotten a more comfortable one! Lol So far the steroids are not reducing the inflammation and my doctor's office just called to let me know the doctor reviewed my x-rays and had no acute findings and if I was not feeling much better by Monday I need to come back in. Fingers crossed that Monday will be a much better day. One day at a time - right? Again, thanks for your response.
Do you see your primary care physician for this or a specialist? Just wondering if I need to have my PC refer me to a doctor more specialized because my PC's office just called to let me know he reviewed my x-rays (I was there on Wednesday so 2 days later he looks at them...) and there were no acute findings but if I was still the same on Monday to come back in.
I will say prayers for you!!!! So sorry youre going through this. They say God only gives you what you can handle. You must be a very strong and amazing person!!!! Hang in there. Better health is coming. Moving is exciting and stressful. Just keep your eye on the prize! A new house..how exciting. Im here if you need to talk!!!!
Thank you so much! I often say I wish God didn't have so much faith in me! Lol Of course I am only kidding around when I say this because I know the only strength I have comes from Him! The new house is very exciting! It's our "forever home" and is a new build so this flare is really messing with a very special moment in time for me but I won't let it ruin the moment! We do our final walk thru tonight and I will be there. I may look so bad I scare the builder and the realtor but I will be there!
It took me 3 yrs to find a diagnosis for Tietze, then another 2 yrs to find out about the Intercostal Neuralgia, look that up to see if your symtoms match up. I live in a very small area in northern Maine and does not have very good specialist. I have been going to a FNP, family nurse practioner, and I've been doing my own research, go back to her and tell her what I want done. I'm tired of them just brushing it off and push drugs. I don't take any narcotic pain meds. So I went to a Ortho specialist, found nothing to cause spasms but a bunch of spine and cervical issues, but nothing to cause spasms. So I ask to be referred to a pain clinic 160 miles away, Bangor, ME, I knew they had seen everything for conditions there. So the MD in that office gave me a diagnosis of Intercostal Neuralgia. Right now I'm waiting for a referral to a Osteopath, they can do some manipulating and binding (wraps I think). I will know after the appt. Inflammation will not show on xray, not even the tendon & ligament damage. But they have to start with xrays due to insurance. Xray only shows bone
You poor thing when you go to acupuncture make sure you use a chiropractic not Chinese medicine as some are not qualified my chiro is fully qualified she is a Dr of chiro and has letter behind her name she also teaches students so be aware try to get to one as soon as possible