Abdominal/rib pain with fibro

Diagnosed in 2000 with fibro and chronic fatigue, I find the past 2 years when I have flares I have excruciating pain in my ribcage, both sides, and my abdominal wall. Has anyone experienced this?

Hi spelcheq, and if I haven't said it already, welcome to healingwell.com! Sorry, but I don't think I can be much help to you regarding the pain you are speaking of. My pain is related to a specific injury and is primarily in neck, head, shoulders and back. I was thinking you might have better luck with finding out information on the fibro forum or the chronic pain forum. I know several people with costochondritis have posted there, and might know more about pain in that area. good luck and keep posting!

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pasara
co-moderator CFS forum

Squelched, I have had severe rib pain and chest wall pain and have learned that mine is caused by costochondritis. I think a lot of people with fibro have costochondritis. Here's a brief explanation I found of costochondritis:

"Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown."

You can do an internet search and find out more about it. I don't know if this is what you have, but it would be worth talking to your doctor about and seeing if he/she has any suggestions for the pain for you. If your patch and the oxycodone don't help, I'm not sure what else might help. I don't know if you could throw an anti inflammatory into the mix or not (I'm not sure if it would interact with your other meds).

It's terrible to have that kind of pain and not have anything to relieve it. Hang in there and keep us updated.

Take care

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It sounds similar to the pains I get with my ribs, I don't think I have full blown costochronditis, but it certainly looks on paper like i've suffered from it numerous times in the past.

Hi I hove thot some problem.....mine wos o hernioted disk in my spine ot the T7-8 level

I've never been officially diagnosed as having chosto but i believe that i do suffer from it.
occasionaly i get flares so bad in my ribs that it hurts to breath
haven't found anything that helps for it yet i try to stay away from pills
I have fibro and cfs as well

Welcome to HW by the way :)
Take Care..
Mel

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Moderator for FMS, CFS, Lupus, and Anxiety Disorder.

do others with fibro and cfs find they alternate between days when it can't get any worse and days when it's so much better you can't believe it? The very fact that I have days without severe pain and profound symptoms is what gets me through the days when I feel like I'm going to check out it's so bad.......in a one month period I might have 4-5 "good" days...........can't run a marathon but I'm so thankful for the relief I could (and do) cry........

I have had lower abdominal /rib pain on both sides for a number of months, sometimes the ribs are extremely painfully to the touch higher up on certain spots. I have had some many tests done from CT scans to Bone scans to ultrasounds and a huge amount of blood tests any nobody seems to know what it is, I eventually had my gallbladder removed due to so much discomfort and the gallbladder tested at 14% so it was assumed this was the problem. My back ribs also ache, the Rheumatologists believes its regional pain syndrome, not sure about that but living with constant discomfort is extremely difficult, I am trying Yoga and various other exercises, they have me taking Savella and a small dose of Klonopin, these don’t seem to do much but the klonopin helps to calm me down. It’s amazing how technology has advanced that we can perform miraculous transplants including people faces and do amazing surgeries but cannot diagnose the seemingly simply pain problems not caused by trauma. Every doctor tells you the test show nothing wrong which is great because you don’t have something serious like cancer but you have to live with some unknown pain for who knows how long.

I feel for your pain. I don't have it in my ribs but have abdominal pain due to recent surgeries. I've found nothing to help my fibro pain. Tried all 3 of the "so called' firbro pain/antidepressants but they have helped many and might work for you.

I take hydrocodone/tylenol for my abdominal pain but it only helps for the surgical pain and does nothing for my fibro pain or foot pain.

Have you ever consulted with a pain management doctor? You are taking a lot of medication and not getting enough relief, if any at all. Please ask your doctor for a referral as you clearly need pain relief.

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Hysterectomy 1996, UC diagnosed 1997 - 1st surgery 11/2/10 colonectomy, 2nd J-Pouch take down 12/29/10, incisional hernia surgery 7/5/11, Restless Legs syndrome, Sleep Apnea,
Fibromyalgia diagnosed 1998, GERD diagnosed 2005, Morton's Neuroma diagnosed in both feet 2011 (symptoms 8 yrs)

Hey Spelcheq, I hear you! I get this weird deep, twisting pressure type ache in my entire chest/ribcage/abdoment that sometimes feels like its radiating down my arms and legs when it gets really bad. It is very painful to move. My body couldn't handle any of the pain medications doctors have prescribed, so I can't really give you any advice in that respect.

The one thing that has helped me a bit though is mindfulness meditation, which is a psychiatric technique used to treat pain. It focuses on being aware of your body and accepting any physical feelings, positive or negative, that you might be feeling.

Take care

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*Fibromayalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, restless leg syndrome, GERD