Aa
Please help someone :(
Hi so 6 months ago i have chronic pain under sternum like a thumping pain right under the bone there, i couldnt hardly do anything, i couldnt move as it got worse, i couldnt bend or reach or even going over a speed hump caused a jabbing (i can no longer wear a bra). I then started getting a pressure under right rib too like a swelling to me but no one else could really feel it. I get bloating and had constipation too which im sure ive cleared by now (daily laxatives) ive had a colonoscopy done (which couldnt be completed due to pain) but classed as clear. I had loads of xrays and abdomen scans, a ct scan, a endoscopy (found a small hiatel hernia) and a small bowel mri. The doctors say im a medical mystery as they cant find what it is. I lost 2 stone in weight too rapidly. I also had a small bowel intususseption gangreous and perforated as a baby (36 years ago) i have really loud bowel sounds, and have to watch what i eat (fatty foods i have pain after) they then diagnosed me with depression due to pain and ive been taking the antidepressents (12 weeks now) its a pain thats always there and when i press under my sternum when that severe pain comes i hear alot of gurgling. What could it be. Its affecting my life so bad im having to have a care team put in place :(
Hello~I am so sorry you are in such pain and are not able to find any relief.
What you are describing sounds like Costochondritis.
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone, or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown, but may happen from increased activity involving the arms.
•Costochondritis is also considered as a possible diagnosis for adults who have chest pain. Chest pain in adults is considered a potentially serious sign of a heart problem by most doctors until proven otherwise. Chest pain in adults usually leads to a battery of tests to rule out heart attack and heart disease. If those tests are normal and your physical exam is consistent with costochondritis, your doctor will diagnose costochondritis as the cause of your chest pain. It is important, however, for adults with chest pain to be examined and tested for heart disease before being diagnosed with costochondritis. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two without further testing. The condition affects females more than males (70% versus 30%). Costochondritis may also occur as the result of an infection or as a complication of surgery on your sternum.
Tietze syndrome is often referred to as costochondritis, but the two are distinct conditions. You can tell the difference by noting the following:
◦It usually comes on abruptly, with chest pain radiating to your arms or shoulder and lasting several weeks.
◦Tietze syndrome is accompanied by a localized swelling at the painful area (the junction of the ribs and breastbone).
Costochondritis Causes
Costochondritis is an inflammatory process but usually has no definite cause. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall, overuse of the arms, or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. Occasionally, costochondritis as a result of bacterial infections can occur in people who use IV drugs or who have had surgery to their upper chest. After surgery, the cartilage can become more prone to infection, because of reduced blood flow in the region that has been operated on.
Different types of infectious diseases can cause costochondritis.
•Viral: Costochondritis commonly occurs with viral respiratory infections because of the inflammation of the area from the viral infection itself, or from straining from coughing.
•Bacterial: Costochondritis may occur after surgery and be caused by bacterial infections.
•Fungal: Fungal infections are rare causes of costochondritis.
Costochondritis Symptoms
Chest pain associated with costochondritis is usually preceded by exercise, minor trauma, or an upper respiratory infection.
•The pain, which may be dull, usually will be sharp and located on your front chest wall. It may radiate to your back or abdomen and is more common on your left side.
•There can be pain with a deep breath or cough.
•The most common sites of pain are your fourth, fifth, and sixth ribs. This pain increases as you move your trunk or take deep breaths. Conversely, it decreases as your movement stops or with quiet breathing.
•The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis. Without this tenderness, a diagnosis of costochondritis is unlikely.
◦Tietze syndrome, on the other hand, exhibits swellings at the rib-cartilage junction. Costochondritis has no noticeable swelling. Neither condition involves pus or abscess formation.
◦Tietze syndrome usually affects the junctions at the second and third ribs. The swelling may last for several months. The syndrome can develop as a complication of surgery on your sternum months to years after the operation.
◦When costochondritis occurs as a result of infection after surgery, you will see redness, swelling, or pus discharge at the site of the surgery.
I have a suggestion that just may be of some help. I see a chiropractor for my costochondritis, he helps immensely, I feel that seeing one would be of benefit to you as well. After a few treatments, your symptoms should start to subside and you will gradually get better. I am suggesting this as you have already seen you PCP and other specialists and they have apparently not found anything sinister, so, now is the time to follow a different path.
Also, maybe seeing a Naturopathic physician may help. That was my main doctor back home in the states. They go deeper into the matter and often times have ideas that conventional does not know of.
I hope you feel better soon. God bless you.
What you are describing sounds like Costochondritis.
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone, or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown, but may happen from increased activity involving the arms.
•Costochondritis is also considered as a possible diagnosis for adults who have chest pain. Chest pain in adults is considered a potentially serious sign of a heart problem by most doctors until proven otherwise. Chest pain in adults usually leads to a battery of tests to rule out heart attack and heart disease. If those tests are normal and your physical exam is consistent with costochondritis, your doctor will diagnose costochondritis as the cause of your chest pain. It is important, however, for adults with chest pain to be examined and tested for heart disease before being diagnosed with costochondritis. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two without further testing. The condition affects females more than males (70% versus 30%). Costochondritis may also occur as the result of an infection or as a complication of surgery on your sternum.
Tietze syndrome is often referred to as costochondritis, but the two are distinct conditions. You can tell the difference by noting the following:
◦It usually comes on abruptly, with chest pain radiating to your arms or shoulder and lasting several weeks.
◦Tietze syndrome is accompanied by a localized swelling at the painful area (the junction of the ribs and breastbone).
Costochondritis Causes
Costochondritis is an inflammatory process but usually has no definite cause. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall, overuse of the arms, or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. Occasionally, costochondritis as a result of bacterial infections can occur in people who use IV drugs or who have had surgery to their upper chest. After surgery, the cartilage can become more prone to infection, because of reduced blood flow in the region that has been operated on.
Different types of infectious diseases can cause costochondritis.
•Viral: Costochondritis commonly occurs with viral respiratory infections because of the inflammation of the area from the viral infection itself, or from straining from coughing.
•Bacterial: Costochondritis may occur after surgery and be caused by bacterial infections.
•Fungal: Fungal infections are rare causes of costochondritis.
Costochondritis Symptoms
Chest pain associated with costochondritis is usually preceded by exercise, minor trauma, or an upper respiratory infection.
•The pain, which may be dull, usually will be sharp and located on your front chest wall. It may radiate to your back or abdomen and is more common on your left side.
•There can be pain with a deep breath or cough.
•The most common sites of pain are your fourth, fifth, and sixth ribs. This pain increases as you move your trunk or take deep breaths. Conversely, it decreases as your movement stops or with quiet breathing.
•The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis. Without this tenderness, a diagnosis of costochondritis is unlikely.
◦Tietze syndrome, on the other hand, exhibits swellings at the rib-cartilage junction. Costochondritis has no noticeable swelling. Neither condition involves pus or abscess formation.
◦Tietze syndrome usually affects the junctions at the second and third ribs. The swelling may last for several months. The syndrome can develop as a complication of surgery on your sternum months to years after the operation.
◦When costochondritis occurs as a result of infection after surgery, you will see redness, swelling, or pus discharge at the site of the surgery.
I have a suggestion that just may be of some help. I see a chiropractor for my costochondritis, he helps immensely, I feel that seeing one would be of benefit to you as well. After a few treatments, your symptoms should start to subside and you will gradually get better. I am suggesting this as you have already seen you PCP and other specialists and they have apparently not found anything sinister, so, now is the time to follow a different path.
Also, maybe seeing a Naturopathic physician may help. That was my main doctor back home in the states. They go deeper into the matter and often times have ideas that conventional does not know of.
I hope you feel better soon. God bless you.
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