to ...Re: NEW MEMBER/FIBRO/COSTOCHONDRITIS

[Guest guest]

Hey , nice to meet you. Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about

costochondritis. It was one of the first clues to my having fibro

(but I hadn't been diagnosed yet at the time). I had this awful chest

wall pain & it ached clear through to my back. It also seemed to

affect my shoulders & arms, just making them feel heavy, achy &

sometimes I had tingling & numbness. I actually went to the ER 3

separate times & nobody could figure out exactly what it was. My

chiropractor ended up diagnosing it. He explained it to me that it is

inflammation of the tendons & muscles in your chest & around your ribs

& breast bone. I totally understand how you feel because it was

really scary to me...not knowing exactly what is was or why it

happened. You tend to think the worst in those situations. I was

really a nervous wreck for a long time...thinking I had some fatal

disease or a tumor or something! Once you put it into the context of

fibro though, it makes sense. My bout of costo lasted around 2

months, then gradually went away. My chiropractor at the time said

that was usually how it worked. He also told me that he's seen people

that will have it on & off for 6 months or more. Anyway, I still have

problems with my left shoulder & upper left chest area...which is also

a common area for trigger points. I have to see my chiro every couple

of weeks to get it massaged out & that helps a lot. My advice is, try

to get some pain meds so you can function until it subsides. As far

as it maybe not being fibro since you don't have pain in your lower

body...well, I would of course hope it wasn't, but mine started & is

still mostly in my upper body. I have since developed some on & off

problems with my hips, knees & feet. Everyone's symptoms are

different & with a lot of people, the aches & pains tend to move

around. I joke about it sometimes...it's like they're running from

me, saying " you can't catch me! " Oh, that's kinda twisted I know, but

you have to try to keep a sense of humor. Hope my input helps, if

just a little. Also, very sorry to hear about your children. Did

your " fibro " pains begin after they passed? As you may know, or will

hear often on here, the fibro can kick in after periods of extreme

stress. Just a thought. Hope you get to feeling better soon...

~Kandi

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> My name is .. I have not been officially been told I have

fibro, but my doctor suggested it and is sending me to a

rheumatologist on may 6th...... They have told me I have

costochondritis several times,,,, is anyone familiar with it... I

know what it is.., but, can it cause daily stiffness, pressure feeling

and soreness.... My ribs hurt when i touch them, when i lie down i

feel pressure and costantly have to reposition... etc etc... my arms

are also sore at times.... My lower body does not really bother me

thats why i am questioning whether or not I have fibro..all i know is

that i vacuumed my car yesterday and did some cleaning and my upper

chest , back and shoulders reallybother me.. I have also been driving

two hours a day at one time.......

> anyone have any info they could give me or just opinions..... this

all started when i started working out at the gym...

> Also, I have two kids who both passed away to rare muscle disease(i

do not have it).. i was constantly lifting my 60 pound son everyday

and his wheelchair and equipment....... I wonder if i possibley could

have done some permanent damage to my upper body..

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