Costochondritis -- has anyone had it?

[mom@shiloh]

Costochondritis is an  inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone.  

 

Has anyone else ever had this and can tell me how long it took for it to go away?  

[Spryte]

Yes. I can't remember how long it took to go away, though. If I remember, it was a few weeks.

 

It's uncomfortable though, I'm sorry!

[zoobie]

I had it while pregnant. Hurt like a mother-father. I don't remember how long it took. That pregnancy was a blur of misery. I hope you feel better soon!

[Hypatia.]

I had it, it flared up for a few months (several episodes a day, with increasing intensity) then seemed to stop. That was a year ago, now it only happens about once a month. I was initially diagnosed with it in the ER, I went in to make sure it wasn't another pulmonary embolism.

[Nan in Mass]

Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone.

 

Has anyone else ever had this and can tell me how long it took for it to go away?

I struggle with this every winter. I control it with yoga. If you squish and stretch the area by putting your arms over your head, keeping your waist stiff, and bending your upper body back and forth as far as it will go and side to side, it makes it go away faster. Do it a bunch, every hour. The muscles get sore but the problem clears up. Otherwise, it can linger for weeks. Try to keep your shoulders back, watch your posture, and breathe deeply (hard to do without coughing). Don,t hunch. Ibuprophen supposedly helps. It upsets my stomach so I squish and stretch instead. This makes it much better in a few days, for me. I HAVE to do yoga twice a week, some squishing every morning, and watch my posture or by Thanksgiving it is dragging me down and with the first cold, I come down with it hard and then am extra susceptable the whole rest of the winter.

 

I,ve never run across anyone else with it! I had to sound out carefully the word in your post to be sure it really was the rib thing I get lol.

 

Nan

[HSmomof2]

I have fibromyalgia and get flare ups of costochondritis usual a few times/year. It's very painful. I can't take ibuprofen, but find that heat seems to help the most. When I get costochondritis, it lasts anywhere from 1-3 weeks.

[mom@shiloh]

Thanks for your replies.  So far, both ibuprofen and heat seem to help, but it seems so sporadic that I feel like I'm using it as a "convenience" pain.  My diagloue goes like this,  "I feel great.  It must be going away."  "No wait, I'm in pain.  I can't possibly carry the groceries in."  (sigh)

 

Does activity seem to make it worse for any of you?  I'm vacillating between taking it easy and just doing my regular stuff.  I can't tell if it makes any difference.  

[Nan in Mass]

I have fibromyalgia and get flare ups of costochondritis usual a few times/year. It's very painful. I can't take ibuprofen, but find that heat seems to help the most. When I get costochondritis, it lasts anywhere from 1-3 weeks.

I forgot! Yes, heat helps. The absolute best is a cat on your chest, right under your chin. Next best is a hot water bottle. The heat combined with weight is very helpful.

 

Nan

[gardenmom5]

I had it as a teen.  didn't know that's what it was called.  once I started  the antibiotic I think it got better in a timely manner.   it was a long time ago.

[Nan in Mass]

Thanks for your replies. So far, both ibuprofen and heat seem to help, but it seems so sporadic that I feel like I'm using it as a "convenience" pain. My diagloue goes like this, "I feel great. It must be going away." "No wait, I'm in pain. I can't possibly carry the groceries in." (sigh)

 

Does activity seem to make it worse for any of you? I'm vacillating between taking it easy and just doing my regular stuff. I can't tell if it makes any difference.

For me, unless I can spend a day in bed with the cat on my chest, I am better off moving. I think the cat works because he is heavy and I,m not really resting that area if I have to lift something heavy to breath in and out.

 

I totally understand the problem of it being a mythical illness. My other problems are seasickness, carsickness, morning sickness, SAD, and headaches lol. Same problem with them all. Grrr... And then I remember what a struggle the people with "real" problems have and count my blessings. : )

 

Nan

[lailasmum]

Yeah, I've had it but can't now remember the specifics of the first time though I think I'd been doing some heavy lifting or heavy garden work or something. I think it just went with time and being gentle with myself. It sometimes reappears though and then goes quickly and I'm never too sure why. Not frequently though. My brother gets it occasionally too. We are both hypermobile though and I've wondered if that has something to do with it. 

[Artichoke]

Yes, I had it this past winter.  It was not a fun experience.  My chiro did a lot of small manipulations on my spine which relieved the pain tremendously.  I thought he would have done the adjustments close to my sternum, but he just felt there and then moved to my back.  

[Guest]

It hurts like crazy! I've had a flare of it before.

[kiana]

Yeah, I had it last winter (ended up at the ER, was kinda embarrassed about it) and it did take several weeks to go away. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

It's real inflammation.  And real pain.  It took me about 3 weeks.  I took the maximum dosage of Aleve (as recommended by my doctor). 

[Nan in Mass]

It's real inflammation. And real pain. It took me about 3 weeks. I took the maximum dosage of Aleve (as recommended by my doctor).

Yes. As real as migraines and just as hard to admit to. My body fights the inflammation and it saps all my energy. I am grateful that yoga works to control it. Most of the time, anyway.

 

Nan

[Um_2_4]

We have this in my father's family. So far only my oldest also has it. For us it is just quick flares that last 2-5 minutes then go away. During those flares, we can not move or talk or even breathe really. I have had them all my life and I can not discern a pattern to them, nor can my DS. Once that flare passes we are fine.

 

I read an article once that people who have genetic factor for this are more likely to have some sort of arthritis or other joint issues, but I can not find it again. I have always had issues with my hands gripping things. Like a sponge for example. We have a large butcher block kitchen table (about 8 feet long) and I can only clean about 1/3 of it before my hand "cramps" (I don't know what word to use here, tenses maybe?) and I have to take a break and "shake" it out. Scrubbing tile? Smh....forget it. I still remember crying in 2nd grade when we started cursive because I couldn't get the grip right. Anyone else have something similar or read a similar article???

[luuknam]

Does activity seem to make it worse for any of you?  I'm vacillating between taking it easy and just doing my regular stuff.  I can't tell if it makes any difference.  

 

My doctor just labeled it "chest wall pain" when I was 17, which *probably* means costochondritis (for a few years I thought my doctor just made "chest wall pain" up, since it sounded like nonsense to get me off her back). It started one day when I was bicycling home from my summer job (21 mile round trip). Very sharp pain, anything but the shallowest breaths hurt like mad. It took a couple of days to go away, iirc, but has occasionally recurred, though usually much, much more briefly.

 

So, yeah, anything that requires more than shallow breathing (i.e. any intense activity) makes it worse.

 

And now that I'm not 17 anymore, and have gained a bunch of weight (and have had high cholesterol for several years), I'd really like to know how to tell the difference between another episode of chest wall pain and a heart attack (my chest wall pain is practically always on the left side too, grrr).

[HSmomof2]

Yeah, I've had it but can't now remember the specifics of the first time though I think I'd been doing some heavy lifting or heavy garden work or something. I think it just went with time and being gentle with myself. It sometimes reappears though and then goes quickly and I'm never too sure why. Not frequently though. My brother gets it occasionally too. We are both hypermobile though and I've wondered if that has something to do with it.

I'm hypermobile, too. My rheumatologist did say that my hypermobility was likely the cause of the flare ups and my fibromyalgia in general. Apparently there are little "joints" that connect the ribs to the sternum. If you're hypermobile, this area is likely hypermobile as well.

 

I find gentle movement is fine, but nothing heavy or any type of repetitive motion.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've had both costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage that connects the sternum) and pericarditis (inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart).  Both are inflammatory.  and both cause chest pains.  Both are treated with anti-inflammatories or steroids.  Both can become chronic or can be a one time thing.  I'm on regular meds that help me to not keep the cycle going. 

[Nan in Mass]

I can feel mine begin to flare up. First I spend a day ot two hunching and being disinclined to move. Then it feels tingly when I breathe. Then the tingle turns into pain and the uge to cough. Thank goodness for yoga.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

I've had both costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage that connects the sternum) and pericarditis (inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart). Both are inflammatory. and both cause chest pains. Both are treated with anti-inflammatories or steroids. Both can become chronic or can be a one time thing. I'm on regular meds that help me to not keep the cycle going.

Yikes! The heart thing sound really scary!

[Katy]

I get it almost every year, usually after a bout of bronchitis or pneumonia, but sometimes just after a cold.  How long it lasts varies.

 

That combined with a malar rash and a few other symptoms and a history of heart and kidney problems were enough to get a probable Lupus diagnosis (blood work wasn't definitive though), so you might be on guard for autoimmune conditions.