Looking for answers

[sdoss]

Good afternoon all! I pray all of you are feeling well today. I have a question that some of you may be able to help me with. I have lived with Fibro for many years now, I am 53 years old and I'm in pretty good shape, I teach high school so I guess I better be lol. I posted in another forum that I have rib pain quite often. Pretty much everyday. Its not in my sternum or chest its around my sides close to the floating ribs I guess you would say and around to my back. The other day my husband fell off a ladder and broke his wrist and he had to have surgery this past Tuesday. We live in the Southeastern mountains and he is a truck driver so he is very hard to drive around. By the time I got him to the hospital for surgery my back on the left side was hurting so badly and also around my sides. I wasn't allowed to stay in with him for the surgery and I had to wait in the car for 3 plus hours waiting on him. Bringing him home was a nightmare, he was so sick at his stomach and his pain was high. Since then I have been trying to take care of him and teach my high school classes online from home. Does anyone know if I have just flared this fibro so much? It seems I feel better when I walk. However, I have to sit and teach all day long. I have IBS, GERD and also anxiety. My doctor told me that he felt I had a lot of chondritis to go along with the fibro. I just wanted to get your opinions. Thank you so much for listening to me. It means so much to just be able to talk to someone who knows maybe what I am feeling. Love and hugs to all!

 

[Affinity]

With all that stress and extra responsibility it is no wonder you are having a flare! Be gentle as you can with yourself and this too shall pass.

 

[sdoss]

Thank you, Affinity! I appreciate you so much. I do think it is a flare. I feel like my whole rib cage hurts, if you know what I mean,

 

[Tamsin]

You are describing chostochondrites... caused by Fibro flair... Is it so painful! Sending some air hugs.

 

[sdoss]

Tamsin,
Is there anything I can do to help this?

 

[Cramirez12]

Good evening! I have sometimes this kind of pain. Is so bad, is like I can not get enough air. First time I thought that can be my liver, spleen, etc... I am using arnica oil and heating pad. Hard to use when you need to teach! Maybe if you tied the heating pad around with a cord. Hot shower and if not muscle relaxer Cyclobenzaprine? Hope this will help and be better! Take care!

 

[JayCS]

Hi there... ;-) My short-term ideas would be: trying teaching standing, at least partly; that's what I do - use a rotating and adjustable bar stool, which you can stand, half-stand and sit at. (My table is a stand/bar table.) Lie down or walk around in each break. Add short breaks in between? Do you really have to sit close to the monitor all the time or could you move around a bit like you would in the classroom? Massaging with - I agree - arnica oil or cream and a heating pad. What about stretching? E.g. turning your torso from side to side, hands up, yoga type exercises. And deep breathing or other breathing exercises? Medium term my main idea would be things like osteopathy or acupressure...

 

[sdoss]

Thank you so very much for all the suggestions, I will surely be looking into them!

 

[Rhyl]

I also have rib pain, although mine is on both sides (left is worse) and I also have sternal pain.

I was diagnosed with costochondritis a few years ago, which accounts for that pain. I take OTC anti-inflammatories and use cold packs, which seems to help. I am also super careful about my activity, because a lot of things makes it worse.

 

[Tamsin]

Tamsin,
Is there anything I can do to help this?

I took some anti-in flamitories for a week... used a lot of painrelief ointment daily...used my heatpack constantly... and eventually it eased up and just went a way... but it took a long time...