Costochondritis :: Tietze's Forever?
Jan 19, 2009
I have had Tietze's/costochondritis for 6 years now and it has affected my life drastically. Not sure if it began with a bacterial infection (like one doctor said) or a slight ribcage injury. My symptoms or more like 'gasping for air' and just about passing out because i can't breathe as well as a feeling of 'swelling in the ribcage area'. The pain is around mid-section and wraps around so very difficult to sleep on side. It has affected my quality of life because i have become reclusive and don't do anything that involves a crowd because i don't want to get bumped or elbowed in the ribs. The last time someone hugged me (which was three years ago) i had to go to ER and get a steroid shot and dose pack because ribcage area was so inflamed. I am a thin person so that may have something to do with it--not sure because i saw where someone said that doctor told them they would get better if they lost weight?? When i go to a doctor (and i have been to many from rheumatologist to neurologist) they do not have answers for me as to why this will not go away. I have been told everything from vitamin deficiency to chronic inflammatory problem to 'they don't know what it is or what to do for me'. I am very frustrated at this time because I get roadblocks everywhere i go for help. Any suggestions?
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I was recently diagnosed with tietze about a week ago and have been suffering for a week. My lower rib cage under my breast on my left side is completely swollen, is this normal?
The pain radiates in the center of my chest and the top of my chest is hot and swollen on both the left and right hand side of my body....
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I suffer from anxiety and have done for some time.. I also suffer from palpitations, ectopic beats and dizziness.
Every ECG i've had has been normal (heart rate a little high) I've just finished a 6 day holter monitor and typically i didn't have an ectopic or palpitations BUT over the last few days there back.
Will my heart just stop? can it just stop? i'm so scared. I do have chest pains but i have tietze's syndrome and always have chest pains.
I have flutters in my throat that makes me want to cough.
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I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 14, and since then i have been taking Levothyroxine to help with it. I am wondering, will I need to take levothyroxine forever? Or is there a fix for thyroid problems? I don't see my weight going down at all, or my thyroid level. My doctor has been increasing the dosage of my levothyroxine, and has three times now. I recently got Levothyroxine in 0.137mg dosage, and it smells terrible. My old ones were 0.125mg. Is this a very small change, and will it even do anything?
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I used to have PSA readings as high as 6.0 until my doctor prescribed Avodart 0.5 mg capsules daily. Since starting the Avodart regiment (3 years ago) my PSA readings have dramatically fallen to the range of 3.2 to 3.8 which obviously I am very pleased with. However, looking forward, (I'm 72), I'm wondering what to expect. If I stay on Avodart forever I assume that my readings will continue to be in the good range. But, is there a long term negative scenario for taking that much Avodart that I should be aware of ?
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my TSH level is 6.3, does that mean have to take medication forever? this is the first time it came this high.
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I have had a terrible month. Seems like I have done nothing but cry. I usually have more anxiety than I do depression and most of the time I can somewhat shake it off but not this time I don't know what's different. I was having symptoms of my period but so far no show. My question is do any of you have times when you feel you have been bloated forever and does your weight fluctuate?
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I was looking at my past medical records and I't appears that I have had elevated BP for the past 5 years and now it is approx. 170/100. I have taken good care of myself all my life (never smoked, never drank, not overweight, never even had a cup of coffee) and feel awful about going on meds. My wife says its time. Are BP meds a forever thing?
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Just wanted to share my experience, the weekend before Easter I had to go home from work on the Thursday with Flu like symtoms, I returned to work the following Wednesday, still feeling under the whether, coughing but thought to myself that I have a long weekend to come so I would rest and recover. After the Easter break I returned to work still not up to par and still coughing but also had a pain in my lower rib cage as if someone had sharply elbowed me. These symptoms continued onto the weekend and on the Saturday became worse, I had to pick my daughter up and the cold wind hit my lungs and it took my breath away. On returning to the car I couldn't fill my lungs up the pain was so excruciating, after the car warmed up the pain subsided enough to enable me to drive home. On returning home the situation became worse and I waited for my husband to come home and he had to take me to accident and emergency where I was admitted straight away. They had to administer morphine for the pain to enable me to breath more easily, it was as if I were being stabbed with a thousand knives. The doctor, after blood tests and x-ray diagnosed pleurisy and I went home with Ibuprofen, codeine and paracetamol which I took to the maximum daily dosage!
1 week later I was at my own GP who gave me another sick note, I saw him again the following week and after examination he said that the pleurisy had gone but I had had a double whammy as I was also suffering with costochondritis and it could take a while, just to rest and keep taking the tablets.
It is now 28th April and the symptoms on some days have now subsided enough to the enable me to do very light duties and on other days I can't do much at all. The doctor hasn't really given me much indication as to how much I should or shouldn't be doing, feeling very frustrated, the mind is willing but the body isn't. He said that, "many people don't realise that more people die in a year from influenza than meningitis and I had to be patient". Being a full time working Mum who is usually house proud and very busy, is now living with a basket full of ironing and dust that I can write my name in. My employer has been very understanding and great about it all but not sure how long they will be patient and my work will no doubt be building up there too.
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i have suffered with teitze for the last 12 years but for the last 8 weeks i feel like a thudding in the left side of my chest but more recently it feels like my heart is jumping out my chest and it takes breath away. I find this very scary as you wonder what will happen next,it disappeared for 4 days this week but appeared again now and has been happening most of the day
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I've had a bad costo flare up for the past 5 months since my dad passed away but lately if I do heavy cardio (my heart is fine) I get the standard pain in the sternum but one rib is up higher and I can feel slight tingly pain in area even brushing my fingers lightly against my chest. Not even pushing. Has anyone else experience this. It's a weird kind of baggy pain and tingling in chest. I can also feel bumps along the intercostal muscles in my ribs that are pea sized.
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i had this last year with chest problems because of bad position now i have this for 4 days going and for two days i been feeling weak , nausea ,sometime dizzy , sweating very down since i been doing cardio with the chest pain an accident, but does anyone feel this way im 18 years old and i am nervous why am i feeling this way then the last year this is very usual and i have trouble sleeping because of the pain and sometimes i get worry and my anxiety gets worse if i think negative thoughts,
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Anyone have experience with cortisone injection for costochondritis - positive or negative - benefits or side effectS?
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I was diagnosed with costochondritis when I was 14 and have had it for five years now.
I can manage the pain when it isn't flaring up but for the last few months it has been very bad to the point where I can't sleep. My job is quite physically demanding sometimes which causes the flare ups.
I recently went to my gp and requested x-rays as I haven't had any taken since I was diagnosed. Last year I had a bone scan but nothing showed up.
Last week the doctor said that I also have mild thoracic scoliosis curving to the left which may give a reason for the costochondritis, finally!
I have decided that the time has come to get cortisone injections as other medications/treatments don't relieve the pain. I will be seeing a specialist in a month's time.
Has anyone else had the injections? Did they help you? What was the whole procedure like for you?
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I am 35 yr old male and for 5 yrs now my ribs keep popping out weekly. They don't come all the way out they just separate from the sternum and spine a little bit but enough that it causes pain and makes it hard to get a deep breath through. Anyone have this issue?
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I recently noticed a hard knot between my breasts at the bottom of my sternum. I also have pain in my left upper back and sometimes down into my lower left abdomen. It is sometimes tender to the touch, but not always. I don't lose sleep over it, food doesn't bother it, just the aches and pains in my upper left back and shoulder, sometimes on my left side. It doesn't hurt constantly and Ibuprofen helps. Any suggestions? This discussion is related to costochondritis or ???.
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Recently diagnosed with Costo. Lately I've been having pain/discomfort radiating up to my collarbone,neck and jaw. All other common symptoms as well! Anyone else experienced this and any ideas on ways to ease it. Mine was brought on by an accident and has been made worse by stress/anxiety.
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So approx 6 months ago i was having lots of chest pain, having gone to a & e i had an ecg/bloods/lung xray etc and all came back clear, so my doctor prescribed me omeprazole, he thought maybe acid reflux, it wasn't this, i was then prescribed some anti depressants which did not work ( im no longer taking these) im not depressed im just down about what is actually wrong with me, so having agreed with me he thought maybe it was costochondritis, now he thinks i have some mucus on my lungs as i only blew 250 in a peak flow test last week( but my lung scan was clear), all these diagnoses are driving me insane, i just don't know what is wrong with me, and the doctors don't seem to care, my usual daily pain is to the left of my right breast, sometimes it's just a twinge and other times it's quite a dull ache, i also get a deep ache in my left shoulder, is anyone in the same boat as me, as today i feel im at my worst.
I'm female, 30 yo, obese( but been losing weight), i walk plenty.
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