Question:
hi..i am a 55 yo male who has had off and on pain along the right lower rib for almost 9 months now...my primary care sent me to an orthopedic who also sent me to a thoracic surgeon...so far I have had xrays and a full body bone scan...both showed nothing...my orthopedic dr thinks it might be costochondritis (although he says unusual in the lower ribs so he sent me to the thoracic dr)...the thoracic surgeon suggested it might be due to high levels of iron (never showed on previous blood tests) and suggested blood letting...i don't think so....the pain (not sharp but dull) appears to be more postional (when i move certain ways)..no more or less standing up/sitting/lying etc..eating has no effect...ibuprophen does not seem to help...feels almost like when i've had muscles pulls before in that area...does not hurt when you poke and prod around the area (my pc did that)..but sometimes i can hit a tender spot on the rib itself...my father who is 82 says he has had that problem ocassionally but has never lasted as long as this...any ideas or suggestions?..thanks for your help..
Answer:
I have the same problem. Have you had gallbladder surgery in the past few months? Mine started after my gallbladder surgery in 2001 as a dull pain. It just kind of bothered me and I talked to my surgeon about it and he decided it was my acid reflux going into the area that my gallbladder was in. What a crock! I am now seeing a PM doctor after three years and have just ended my last thoracic steroid epideral injection. They did seem to work, except this last one which was yesterday. My doctor says sometimes it takes a few days for the epideral to sink in. My main problem has been my depression and feeling like people think I am a druggie, but I do swell up on my right side and the pain is unbelievable when it hits me full on. I have talked to others in the same situation...and many have recently had gallbladder surgery and the doctors think it could be nerve damage. Good luck!
Answer:
I had a a lower rib out of place once and it HURT for a long time like that too. The doctors didn't see it in my first 2 xrays but caught it on the 3rd try with a CT scan. They showed me all the scans too and the way it was pulled out of place was hard to see on the scans.
I think my moving around a lot despite the pain caused it to stay out of place longer than it should have which delayed my healing.
When you breathe, do you feel any pain in that area or feel like one of your lungs is not filling with air like it should? The pains were very sharp like a terrible pulled muscle (which is what I thought it was for a long time). Also, does it hurt when you move or lay certain ways? If so, it could just be a rib out of place but for sure keep having doctors check you out till you find out what it is....
Take care,
T.
Answer:
T and Shannon...thanks for your replies...I've never had gallbladder problems...and the pain isn't sharp, but dull...is worse sometimes more than others and occurs when i move certain ways...doesn't really hurt to breath..mostly bending, twisting and sitting certain ways...as I said in my original post I have had xrays and a bone scan (with that radiation injection) that showed nothing...guess they've ruled out the really bad stuff but the pain has been there now for over 8 months...I'm seeing my orthopedic doctor this week and I will mention that rib out of place thing to him...thanks T...I've seen that online as "slipping rib syndrome"...I'll see what he says next...Vin
Answer:
Hey Badlands, I had basically the same problem. Lasted from mid February till just a couple of weeks ago. Had x-rays, MRI, blood test, etc. Finally I suggested physical therapy to my doctor. After a month of P.T. I was feeling better. I do lots of stretching and try to be more aware of my posture. The drs. never figured out the problem, but the P.T.'s found a rotation in my spine, causing the ribs to be mis-aligned.
This never showed on the xray, etc. Still working it out, but 99% better.