pain again

[Junny123]

the awful pain has come back. it’s in my stomach both sides going round to the back worsening when breathing. constantly there so bad. feel fatigued now too. can poop so it’s that obviously. y has it come again 😔. the pain is just awful

[cyberbarn]

Have you ever been diagnosed with costochondritis or similar? It can be a symptom of inflammatory arthritises such as RA or PsA and some of the others too. It would be worth talking to your GP or consultant. The clue is that it is worse when breathing. Between the ribs lie many nerves and they can become irritated and cause pain when the ribs move, and the main time ribs move is when we breath.

[Junny123 in reply to cyberbarn]

i’ve never been diagnosed with anything like that no. yes near the ribs is where where the pain when i breathe. i can’t take a full breath so many times

[Junny123 in reply to cyberbarn]

been to the doctors again. this was a much more better and understanding one. heard all i had to say. said nothing is helping u so we need to rule out everything. rang the hospital afterwards so many attempts and finally managed to make an appointment at the surgical hot clinic tomorrow. i’ve no idea what to expect or what they even do there. anybody have any ideas?

[Sugaree]

I have this pain now and it is slowly getting better. At its worst I needed help getting out of bed. The first time I had it, my primary doctor said it must be pulled muscles irritated by bronchitis coughing. It came back and this time I saw arthritis doctor. She told me it was a pinched intercostal nerve. The source was arthritis in lower neck. I have several nerves that get pinched,like sciatic nerve. Intercostal nerve runs around upper body and can become a problem if not diagnosed by dr. There are other more serious causes. Hopefully you can get to your arthritis doctor to rule out any serious issues. Hope to hear from you again, with a proper diagnosis. I have a few things that I do to lessen the pain. Feel better.

[DumplingsLover in reply to Sugaree]

Hello there Sugaree. I have similiar problems to you. You say you do certain things to lessen the pain. Would you be willing to share them with me. I do need some help. Thanks so much. Lauree.

[Sugaree in reply to DumplingsLover]

sorry to hear you have that same awful pain. The hardest is getting out of bed,as soon as I stand my ribs feel so tight I can barely catch my breath. Sit first then slowly stand with deep breath. Sleeping is another challenge. I know mine is coming from left side so I can only sleep on right side. Knees bent,spine straight,tuck in tummy to support back. Soft heating pad wrapped around front to back helps upper back pain,and stomachache. This was at my worst and lasted a month. Physical therapy is mainly deep breathing to open up ribs and lungs. Rolling shoulders back to bring shoulder blades closer is great stretch. I can’t wear a bra because it presses into nerve and really worsens pain. I could go on as I had a flare up last week from being in dental chair and wearing a bra all day lol.Hope this helps and stay in touch.

[DumplingsLover in reply to Sugaree]

Thank you Sugaree for your reply. I haven't worn a bra for five years because like you it made my pain worse, so I now am an old "saggy Baggy" and I don't give a damn as it is so much more comfortable without one. I also use heat like you do but have not been able to find a Heat Pad anywhere so I use an old fashioned hot water bottle which helps a lot except I have to keep refilling it with almost boiling water. However it is worth it. I have a bad curve in my upper spine which presses on my lungs which makes my breathing very shallow. My ribs feel like rocks a lot of the time. Like you I do try deep breathing and also clenching my shoulder blades together. I have a puffer but I'm not sure if it is of much use.

It sounds like we have a lot in common and seem to be using the same ideas to try and help ourselves to get by from day to day. If you have any more thoughts please share them with me as I will with you.

I take Paracetomal with Codeine but really need something stronger but getting that from my Doctor is like trying to get through the jungle with a toothpick. What do you take?

Looking forward to hearing from you. God Bless. Lauree.

[Sugaree in reply to DumplingsLover]

We definitely have similar pain issues. Mine is from osteoarthritis in neck and spine. I get pinched nerves alot. My insurance won’t cover mri unless I need surgery. My doctor gives me tramadol and butalbital,not very strong and I am extremely limited. I also get a muscle relaxer which helps me sleep. But I have other health problems too. I became saggy,baggy gray granny over the last 10 years. I am 63 now and just had my first tooth pulled .

I also wear a soft cervical collar to lessen nerve pain. It supports my neck to prevent pain when I use computer or cook. My arthritis dr.recommended swimming in warm pool. We have a small pool with solar cover keeping water really warm most of the summer. I found out I cannot swim without the collar so I have a few. It’s 10 pm here so goodnight and hope you feel better, God Bless, Nancyann

[DumplingsLover in reply to Sugaree]

That's amazing that you have looked after your teeth for so long .Good on you. I got my portable choppers when I was 23. My own teeth were chalky and would just about fall to pierces when they were being drilled. I also wear a cervical collar when I am using my computer it does help to give me support also to make sure my posture is good as that can be a factor too. I

Hope you have a great sleep tonght and some sweet dreams wouldn't go amiss either. God Bless. Lauree

[Junny123 in reply to Sugaree]

i don’t think mine is to do with my arthritis. that problem has gone a long time ago and this pain is so different