Hello.
I'm a 52 year old woman and have suffered with costochondritis for 3 years. It came on suddenly and life as I knew it stopped that day.
I won't go into the whole thing but lets just say, I wished I was dead because the pain was so severe I really thought that alone would kill me. I am serious.
If you have insurance, go see an internist. Someone that will run every test to rule out heart and lung problems. This thing is viral and needs to be treated with antibiotics. I was in the hospital for 2 days being attended to by a cardiologist, an internist, a kidney specialist. Once my heart and lungs were declared disease free, my kidneys clear, an antibiotic drip was given. It did not make the pain go away right then and there but it did help give me some relief.
If you cannot afford this, here are some tips that may help.
Do not take pain medication. All it does is give you a brief 4 hours of pain free life but it covers up what's happening. You'll get up, go about
your business like you're okay then BAM, the pain comes back 3 times as bad as it was before you took the pill and for two days you will cry because you hurt like hell. It is not worth that hurt nor is it worth the monkey on your back. You will never have enough pain medication anyway. That stuff only covers up what's happening. Treatment is better and won't get you addicted.
Walk slowly. If you feel it coming on, stop, let it settle down, then slow your pace. You know when your breathing gets heavy the pain is coming, adjust your speed. Or just stop. Complete stop. It can't be helped. You have to do what you can to stop the pain.
Ibuprofen, naproxen, analgesics do not work. If you've had this more than 6 weeks, it's viral. I don't care what any doctor says, they are not treating this properly. They don't know how. They read in the medical book it lasts 6 weeks, give you analgesics and send you home where you suffer like no human should suffer. It does not work. Believe it or not, during the early time, I found 3 things that helped me by accident. Mucinex, benadryl and icy hot applied directly to my right breast bone area.
Don't let any doctor treat you like you are an addict. And they will. You tell them you want this treated, not covered up, treated. I only wanted this to go away. I did not want pain medication, AT ALL. This thing nearly ruined my life. I'm grateful I have a good husband, no little kids and no job because no way I could survive that in the pain I was in. When I say severe pain, I mean severe. This hateful thing crawled up into my jaw like fire. Hurt from my chest to my back, under my arms, down my arms. I slept sitting up, head in my lap with a pillow for 2 years. I know pain.
I could write a book on this.
I hope this helps someone.
On a side note here, on March 20th of this year, nearly 3 years to the day I not only got this, was treated a year ago for this, I woke up pain free and have been since that day.
It went away as mysteriously as it came on. I'm still in shock over that.
Oh, a few more tips
No bra. I wore what the kids call beaters. Couldn't stand anything squeezing my chest or back.
No chocolate, liquor/wine, coffee, cokes with caffeine, no HYDROCODONE, no medication with codeine in it. I found these things aggravate costo and cause the pain to reach severe levels.
I mention hydrocodone and it's other pain medication cousins because while I was suffering this hateful infection, I had kidney stones. It made me want to die. I don't say that without shame either. When you say to yourself, can I die from pain ? Or life is not worth living in this pain, you know it's bad. I was there. Severe pain can kill you. It makes your blood pressure go through the roof. It's why this needs to be treated properly.
Today I only take my vitamins. I still cannot believe I am pain free. I also have no more kidney stones. 3 glasses of lemonade a day put my ph balance back and I no longer make stones. Happy dance times 2 !
I can answer any questions anyone has. I hope this helps.
Post Edited (Busta) : 3/29/2012 11:50:10 AM (GMT-6)