5 years with PMR, now at 11mg but unable to taper further; lumber spine degeneration and pain, osteoporosis, inflammation, fatigue crippling me every day.
Has any one experienced 'rolling' spasms in the area to the left of the stomach under the left ribs?
My Gp sent me to A&E in case I was passing a stone, there is something called renal colic that can present as spasms. But after 5.5 hours at A&E inc CT scan, my kidney and everything else on that side looked fine and I was discharged.
Still in misery.
Thank you for any comments that might point to something....
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Bennijax
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I apologise for not responding until this evening.
Thank you PMRPro, how interesting - I had the first Shringrix vaccine back in mid July this year. But the problem has been with me for over a year, just getting worse.
The background to this (I posted about it a year ago in these feeds) - is the appearance of an unsettling 'rolling', 'scrolling' spasm of what feels like a muscle just under the lowest left rib at the front of the body. The left rib cage appears to be swollen and pushed out. I saw the GP practice nurse who noticed this odd asymmetry of the ribs but she didn't think it was costochondritis however, due to the spasms which she said was due to GERD and gave me a PX for Omeprazole. I refused the PPI and said I have no acid reflex. So I left it there. The spasms have been on and off most of the year but worsened to chronic every day in early September and it was then that the rib pain became very much worse.
I don't have worse pain on taking a deep breath. Pain is not radiating to the arms and shoulders (yet!). However the pain is sharp as well as aching, becomes much demanding when I lie on my back or left side, and calms down if I lie on my right side.
I don't have a fever. Or nausea, or vomiting. Taking paracetamol regularly doesn't relieve the pain, and Lidocaine patches may help, but if so, not by much.
Last week my GP told me to get myself to A&E as it could be a kidney stone forming. After tests for blood, urine and CT scan of the area of left kidney taken, nothing was found to implicate the kidney or a stone forming in it. Nothing mentioned about Spleen or Stomach, or issue with the pancreas. But the pain is steadily getting worse. So I read your post about Shingles presenting internally. It could be...... but how to get a diagnosis; if Shingles, would the rib pain have calmed down by now?
Symptoms of Costochondritis:The pain associated with costochondritis usually: Occurs on the left side of your breastbone. Is sharp, aching or pressure-like. Affects more than one rib. Can radiate to arms and shoulders.Worsens when taking a deep breath, coughing, sneezing or with any chest wall movement.
I posted in PMRGCA HealthUNlocked to ask the question here in case others have experienced the symtoms and if anything has helped the condition.
In shingles the lasting nerve pain is the worst aspect of it - the rash almost always resolves with a few weeks but the nerve pain can last for months. I have no idea how to get a diagnosis but I think your GP should be doing a bit more than sending you to the ED! They aren't the place for a diagnosis - they keep you alive until the experts can take over!
To to what PMRPro said, I had pain in the torso area that started off with what felt like muscular spasms. It was in the area of the ribs on one side and started at the back more to the spine but progressed round to the front. It was jolly painful and took my breath away. No rash. It then turned into hyper sensitive skin round the front that both itched and hurt at the same time. It went on for a few weeks. The GP thought after the event that it was shingles.
A month ago I developed a pain in my left mid back which I assumed was muscular. 3 weeks ago it then made it's way around the left flank. In around 20 mins I was absolutely floored with pain and was unable to breathe in without a lot of pain. I was carted off to A&E to be told they thought it was a stone and renal colic...still awaiting an outpatients CT. I was left with fairly sharp left flank pain which has only lessened in the last week.
This is what my Gp thought too, but bloods, urine tests and the CT Scan showed it was nothing to do with the Kidney, or stones forming, or anything that showed up on the CT scan done by A&E. I'm puzzled.
I forgot to reply to PMRPro and all of you that I am currently on 11mg preds; and I do have digestive issues on and off. But currently no acid reflux. If I do it is temporary and affects only the stomach with little sharp pains. I h=do take one 200mg Ibruprofen at light before sleep. Tha's all. Then only Paracetamol by mouth, and 1 Lidocaine patch per day, for the rather nasty lumber spine degeneration pain.
Hi...I have a lot of lumbar spine degeneration as well as thoracic due to severe osteo, PMR and fibro. Currently have 10 vertebral fractures. 2 have been vertebroplastied. Yes...I have pain under my left front rib for a long time now. Feels like a muscle is pulling or an adhesion to the rib, which was fractured many years ago. Also I have debilitating muscle spasms from my spine right round to my diaphragm, making it difficult to take a deep breath or even eat much by times. Is it shingles? Don't think. Just a combo of all the diseases, and muscles pulling for so long. Also have a bad gall bladder which inflicts pain occasionally. I used to not be able to sleep on my left side, but am now able to lie on my back. Usually sleep on my right side. No pain when lying down. Right now it feels like my rib cage is sitting on my hip bones. I've lost about 3 inches since the fractures began in May 2023. This is fyi. I don't have answers as to what your pain could be. All the best with whatever consults might come up with. Try having a look at the Bone Health forum. May be some answers there.
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