Costochondritis - help needed!

Hi,

I'm writing for a bit of advice / solace / peace of mind. I'm a 23 year old female, otherwise fit and healthy and a non-smoker, though I do suffer from anxiety. I've had chest pains for the last 10 days or so, I went to A&E last Wednesday and had an ECG and quite a thorough examination. The ECG came back fine and the doctor seems to think I'm suffering from chostochondritis. He prescribed me diclofenac sodium to take 3 times a day, yet I'm still in quite a considerable amount of pain. The pain is mainly central and on the left hand side and lower ribs, my breasts have also been noticeably more tender. I'm in the middle of final year exams at university, and am already feeling quite stressed and anxious, but the fact that this pain is persisting despite treatment is worrying me even more. I'm not sleeping properly because it's so uncomfortable, additionally with worrying about exams, and worrying about the pain it's getting into a bit of a vicious cycle.

Any suggestions /reassurance / ideas would be much appreciated!

Thanks :)

Aww, thank you for your kind words. I know those results came back fine, but because I didn't have a chest x-ray and because I still have the pain I can't seem to stop worrying that it's something more sinister?! :-(

I know that my current situation (given all the stress of exams) can't be helping with the condition, but it's just getting hard to separate it all and work out what's what...

Hi Holly,

Welcome to this great forum! I feel your pain - literally! I have been suffering from Costochondritis for about 7 months now. They say it usually goes away in 6 months but can last longer sometimes. I've had Fibro for 5 years now and I did not experience Costo until October. But I definitely felt like there was something wrong with my heart. I do not take anything for the pain, but I know many people don't find that much relief from meds when it comes to Costo pain. I use ice and heat and that sometimes helps. I also can not wear a bra because it hurts too much. I have searched all over and have found a variation of tank tops that I can wear, some with built in bras and others that are just form fitting enough to work. I do lack support though - I had to run after a bus this morning and it was very painful!

I think stress definitely contributes to the pain and since you said you were preparing for exams I am sure you are spending a lot of time bent over books and the computer. I find that when I am at my computer all day at work I am worse off. I try to pay close attention to my posture and stretching every so often. I have to be very careful about heavy lifting and I have learned that I can't bowl, vacuum, anything with that repeated back and forth motion will aggravate my chest. I also created "my fortress" as my husband and I call it to help me sleep better. I was finding myself being woken up in the middle of the night with the stabbing pain my chest because I would roll over and hurt myself. This caused my anxiety to go through the roof and it was not a good situation. I used three pillows and would cage myself in so I was comfortable but propped up and could not roll over and hurt myself. We just recently bought a maternity body pillow that I use as my fortress.

I'm 28 so having to go through a whole cardiac work up was not so fun, but I was glad to know it wasn't my heart. I even get palpitations and short of breath from it so it can be scary at times. I have read a lot about it to help calm my anxiety. It also reassures me (even though it hurts) to press on the area where I feel pain. If the pain sends me through the roof I can rest assured it is Costo!

Good luck with exams. Try an ice pack and see if you get some relief. Since it's inflammation that is causing the pain ice works great!

Hi, Holly, and welcome!  I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  I have costochondritis and you can be quite sore with it.  When I press on the sternum it is tender.  I sometimes feel like I have an extremely tight band around my ribs and chest and it hurts to breathe.  My doctor has me taking ibuprofen with food to help with that.

 

You didn't say if you had fibromyalgia or not but, if you do, be sure to check out Fibro 101...the second thread on the forum.  There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there.  There is a link all about costochondritis there because quite a few members are dealing with it.  This will explain it to you and help you understand it better and hopefully put your mind at ease. 

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626

 

I hope this helps you.  Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you.  I hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

Hi Holly and welcome to our fibro family, I just wanted to say that it could be pleurasy. You can get that after having pneumonia I have had it and it is not fun. My doctor told me to take advil or ibuprofen for it. And that helped me immensely at the time. You could try the ibuprofen and see if it helps.

Gentle Hugs
Shirley

I was going to suggest pleurisy, also. I don't have any chest heaviness/pressure when the costo hits, but it hurts between my breasts and my ribs/chest hurt in various places especially if pressure is put on the tender spots. I actually think I had costochondritis far before my fibro was diagnosed. I had gone to the doctor and ER many times because of sharp and radiating chest pain and had had every cardiac test the docs thought was needed. They always shrugged their shoulders and said to live with it because it apparently wasn't cardiac-related. After three years some bright ER intern finally called it "chest wall pain" and prescribed Tylenol 3. It worked, by golly, and now the tramadol I take for fibro helps it also.