costochondritis?

[trc1962]

I woke up the other day with a profound soreness in my rib cage on the right side. It hurts worse when I breathe in and inflate or cough, but feels better when I lay on it at night. It isn't in the middle but on the side and kind of wraps around my back a bit. It seems like Winter sometimes brings a pain or irritation in my rib cage area, usually one side or the other. Sometimes when I breathe in there is a weird popping/clicking sensation that I can feel with my fingers, but in time it goes away and I don't do anything for it. I am just curious if anyone has experienced this?

[gmpurple]

I have been experiencing the exact same thing on my left side for 6 months. It comes and goes, some days better than others. I have to lay on that side at night. I've gone to several doctors and PT for this but haven't been able to figure out exactly what's going on. The best they can figure is that that side is irritated from carrying my kids along with some arthritis in my thoracic spine and some floating ribs. On top of that Sjogrens tends to make us hurt more where we are weakest so I'm sure it's making inflammation worse in that area. Do you carry anything on that side of your body or have you injured that area at all? It's so frustrating to have all these weird symptoms pop up. I hope you find some answers and relief!

[cccourt1942]

TRC wins the quiz for a positive dx!!  It is costochondritis.   In fact, if you google, even Wikipedia describes it almost exactly as she did.  I know, because after two visits to the ER year before last, I carry a description of the condition.  In an ER, if you say "sternum" they hear "chest".  The second time in the ER they put me in the ER "room" where it has the crash cart in an anteroom!!  Now I can hand an explanation of what I have.

I want to say this, once I knew what it was, I began thinking back of similar instances (over two decades) where I had this kind of pain, and once I cornered a dr. who would listen, I gave him the previous dxes from all the years. He agreed they could VERY WELL have been the same.  The first time I was dxed as pleurisy.  Even the dr. who dxed it commented a couple of years later that a one time occurrence was unusual.  Indeed, I've never had "pleurisy" again. 

It took me well over 20 years to have such pain to go to the ER.  Everything both of you described, "not in middle but side and wraps around...", "when...breathe in and inflate...", "better when I lay on it at night", "goes away...don't do anything."  For over 20 years I did all those things.  One of the things I did was do more upper body Pilates exercising with twisting my torso...thinking I had "strained" muscles.   I wasn't dxed with SjS yet and I tht it hurt so much as I couldn't breathe properly due to the oral dryness. 

Do not worry about landing in the ER.  It will take years for this condition to progress.  My MAIN interventions included heating pad (as TRC says...laying "on that side"), taking 1 mg. Xanax (tht I could sleep the soreness off), and of course, Tylenol.

As both of you said, it comes on rather quickly (unless you have those pangs---which are minor---and the inflammation never goes down) and disappears almost as quickly as it came on. 

I have been told it is the inflammation of the joints of the sternum.  The description by TRC about breathing in and inflating, etc is EXACTLY on target.  Each time you inhale you expand your sternum...thus "spreading it".  Hurts like the dickens.   Each time I was in the ER I whispered.  They tht something was wrong with my throat.  I told them I didn't want to breathe. 

Last summer I was on vacation and had another attack in another state.  I was so happy to go to an ER where they knew what costochondritis was.  I am so old now my blood pressure shoots up (due to the pain) so they have to do the heart stuff before they give me the pain injection.  The pain injection lasts almost 24 hours.  Carry a megadose (well..a 4 or 6 mg Medrol pack will do it too) of prednisone with you to fill when you have an attack.

I too think it has something to do with lifting..or carrying something.  I can't go back and build what caused it until year before last.  One time it was brought on by baking pies, pie crust, stirring homemade crème pies, etc.  Two days of it.  Aggravated the area---not to mention on my feet for nearly two days.  So..not always lifting. 

btw: the rheumy says it "accompanies" SjS but not exclusive to SjS.  She estimates about 1/2 SjS have it.  As I said, I am old.  If should like you all are really young.

Good luck.  Find a doctor who will give you the emergency prednisone RX (or Medrol).  That is the only way to decrease the inflammation. 

c3

[trc1962]

I saw the rheumy and he said it wasn't pleurisy (and I knew that) as it wasn't deep but probably a muscle pull. As a p.e. teacher I move things daily and know I didn't pull something, so I am just chalking it up to another little bout of costochondritis. Laying on it feels good and heat and it will go away in time - it always has in the past. Just another weird symptoms that comes and goes and I can live with that. Wishing everyone well.

[Pete0211]

Strange coincidence, but I have had a similar feeling for the past month or so on the lower right side of my rib cage, except I don't have a problem when breathing.  I Do feel the popping feeling when I move certain ways once in a while. I was chalking it up to strained muscles, and still think it may be that since it doesn't involve the sternum at all.

I'll try a heat pad to see if that helps reduce the pain, and will bring it up with my rheumy at our next appointment.

[trc1962]

When I feel that strange crackling feeling I just think it is inflammation in the area and perhaps a little fluid in the membrane that surrounds the chest - rib cage. Mine is not better, it is worse the past couple of days. Sneezing or coughing is just terrible and it truly is uncomfortable in a big way. I have had the cracking, popping and a little discomfort but this hurts a lot! I guess I shouldn't complain. We have a measles outbreak in the local schools and those who have gotten it had the vaccination and 2 teachers had the mumps as children...scary and I don't want it so washing like crazy. Now the mumps would be something to complain about, so I just will stick with my heating pad in the evening!