Could this be Costochondritis pain?

[MrsSuzuki]

Hi there again 😊.

Some of you may remember that last Monday I posted a query whilst I was in A &E with chest pains which felt like I was having another heart attack.

I have come across some posts about people with the same chest pains being diagnosed with costochondritis. I am still having short, sharp chest pains in my chest at the top of my breast bone and pains under my armpit and across my left breast. My chest feels quite hot at the top of my breast bone and the symptoms seem to be very much like costochondritis. Has anyone else had this problem at all?

Lily

[Blondie12345]

Yes i do have this.I use ibuprofen gel on the areas when its hurting and avoid lifting anything heavy.

[MrsSuzuki in reply to Blondie12345]

Thanks so much for your quick reply ☺️. It came on so suddenly for no reason, waking me up last Monday. Didn't do anything the day before to bring the pain on, that's why I thought it was a heart attack.

[Blondie12345 in reply to MrsSuzuki]

Sometimes it can be from lying on your bones at a strange angle and pressure in the wrong places.I have had it for quite some time, its on and off really. It can occur the next day after doing anything like hoovering etc day before

[gilreid1 in reply to MrsSuzuki]

Please be very careful as depending on what heart medication you are on you should NOT use anything with ibuprofen based without speaking to your GP. Deal medical advice always

[Ruthwuth]

I had something similar which turned out to be silent acid reflux. But everyone is different so I’d ask your doctor (and steer clear of PPIs as they are for short term use and can be damaging if used long term).

[Mentdent]

I have costochondritis. Can hurt with deep breaths. Responds well to the forbidden NSAIDs. Symptoms sound pretty typical

[Hidden]

I have an angiogram impending to determine whether my chest pains are caused by angina or costochondritis. What's causing confusion is that walking often initiates the pain (typical of angina) , but very often pressing on the area causes pain (typical of costachondritis).

I was told that the angiogram was the only definitive way to determine whether the pain is cardiac or costochondritis. In your case, I would ask what your troponin level was when you went to A and E (this is routinely tested for). An elevated troponin level suggests a cardiac cause but is not definitive, I was told. If the pain worsens on inhaling deeply, that is suggestive of costachondritis. If the pain responds to ordinary painkillers (don't take Ibuprofen) that would also tip the scales in favour of a non-cardiac cause like costochondritis.

[MrsSuzuki in reply to Hidden]

My troponin levels were only 6 and 7 so it was decided that it wasn't a HA

[Hidden in reply to MrsSuzuki]

That's a good sign. This article discusses costochondritis and related conditions: patient.info/signs-symptoms...

[marypw]

I have costochondritis - I think the key sign for it is that your ribs and/or sternum are tender when you press on them.

[Qualipop]

I get costochondritis fairly often. It's inflammation where your ribs attach toy your breastbone. The simplest and most helpful comment I ever got from a rheumatologist was "Press on it. If it hurts, it's cost , not heart. I use an anti inflammatory gel, Feldene from my GP. My pain doesn't spread. It's quite localised over my breastbone.

[Westie2012]

I’ve had costochondritis for over a year now , my pain is below left breast and by left ribs . It can be very sharp at times , I had pericarditis before having costochondritis and sometimes the pain i have with costo is similar to what it felt like when I had pericarditis . As qualipop says if you press in your ribs and it’s painful then it’s pointing more towards costochondritis . I feel it’s always best to get new ,unusual or worsening chest pain checked out just to be on the safe side and be sent home if all is ok .

[loirelover]

yes I have had this twice and each time ended up at A&E due to the really bad pain the 2nd time I did tell the paramedics about my 1st episode , that it felt just the same as before and I doubted very much if I needed to go to hospital, however they insisted i go, and yes same diagnosis as before, however my latest episode of chest pain was very different and my gp told me to go to A & E which I did, but this time was diagnosed with Angina, waiting for Angiogram now, on aspirin and Bisoprolol, but I have to say the pain from costocondritis can be quite extreme and make you think you were having a heart attack.

[RailRover]

The problem is that there is so much going on in the chest area, embracing coronary, respiratory, digestive, nervous and musculoskeletal systems that it's tough to diagnose.

[Ballroomdiva]

I don’t have heart problems,I have Fybromyalgia and Hypothyroidism … but I am having almost exactly the same pain as you mentioned.. it started a couple of weeks ago with pain under armpit across into my right breast (less common I know ) and felt like a pulled muscle .. I have a bit of breathlessness, but I woke up in the night thinking I was been stabbed in the back around my ribs,, Really painful , but I’m convinced it’s Costo ..

I hope we both get some relief ..sending gentle hugs ( VERY gentle ) 🥴🤣