I mentioned awhile ago that my right side hurts. Pretty much the whole surgical site of last year has been sore...sore....sore. My rib hurts, my chest hurts and the pain even goes into my back.
All I have been doing to feel better is to take Advil and try to not use my right arm. Easier said than done...Most mornings I had been in quite a bit of pain. Who knows, maybe I had been rolling over on it in my sleep?
Anyway, finally on Tuesday I gave up and went into town to the walk-in clinic. By good fortune, my family doctor was there. Yippeee, as he knows me and my history and I didn't have to do a repeat of all that has been going on with me medically in the last year.
He listened, examined and told me he was quite sure I have Costochondritis. Ever heard of it? No, me neither. Here's what the Mayo Clinic has to say about it:
Costochondritis (kos-toe-KHON-dri-tis) is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions.
Your doctor might refer to costochondritis by other names, including chest wall pain, costosternal syndrome and costosternal chondrodynia. When the pain of costochondritis is accompanied by swelling, it's referred to as Tietze syndrome.
Most cases of costochondritis have no apparent cause. In these cases, treatment focuses on easing your pain while you wait for costochondritis to improve on its own.
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When I told the doc I had been working hard in the garden, harvesting everything and yanking out roots, he said "Well, that'll do it."
Yikes! Ah well....actually in the last couple of days I have been feeling better. This morning, for the first time in about 2 weeks, I was able to go down and take care of the laying hens. (Yes, I was that sore)
All I can do is keep taking the Advil for the anti-inflammatory, rest and try to not use my right side. Hopefully, it will go away soon and I'll be good as new!
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9 comments:
I have heard of it, but then again, I'm a nurse. Hubby has it as well. You could try chondroitin supplements to see if that would help.
Sounds nasty - hope it clears up soon.
Feel better
That's not good! This may not help at all but someone that had a cyst was referred to this list of ant-inflammatory foods and I thought I'd pass it along. I'm pretty sure though that you get a lot of good food where you are :)
Hope you get to feeling better!
http://www.metabolismadvice.com/anti_inflammatory_food/
take care of yourself Annie!
I've never heard if it by that name, but the rest I have heard of. Take it easy and let your body heal... hope it is feeling better really soon, doesn't sound like much fun!
I never heard of it either. Hope you get better soon! I am your newest follower coming from Homesteading Today.
I have heard of it... my mom had it last year. Very painful stuff! Sorry to hear you are down with it. Mu mom couldn't take any pain meds so she used a moist heat therapy pack. She said just the weight of it gave her comforting relief, but the moist heat helped, too. It took my mom an entire year to recover, but she also has two autoimmune disorders which slow down healing. Anyway, I wish you a speedy recovery!
Krystal
Thanks for all the tips and links!
I am feeling better day by day, back to being able to use my right arm somewhat...just nothing heavy!
Welcome Katlupe to the blog...
Hi Annie,
I got a little behind in my blog reading due to all of the walnut picking up...I hope your sternum and ribs are healing and that you are pain free soon.
I read how you prefer to do things in the rhythm of the seasons, so this is the perfect season to let your body rejuvenate. Here is wishing you warm cups of cocoa by your cozy crackling fire. Take care of you and if the pain persists, try a little Irish toast with your cocoa! I am thinking of you.
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