logan_ryan
New member
It has been 3 months since my problems began. At first I had intense pain in my groin and a band of what could best be described as pressure around my ribs. After a week of it only getting worse and worse (with me breaking down a few times) I went to the emergency room. They did some tests and diagnosed me with a UTI. I got 5 days of antibiotics and was sent home. After 24 hours, I began feeling a bit better and for the next few days, my symptoms remained minor (but not completely gone). But after a week, things began ramping up again. My groin pain was gone, but the pain and pressure in my ribs grew. Another two weeks or so went by and I tried a different set of anitbiotics, but they didn't help either. And within a few days, my ribs began hurting more. Slowly, over time, the feeling in my ribs has gone from pressure to pain. 3 weeks ago, I went to the ER again and this time the Dr. said it was Costochondritis and sent me home saying there was nothing they could do and it would go away in time. The next day, the pain was excruciating. I felt as if someone was driving a knife through my chest. Often enough, the pain was so great that it actually took my breath away. During this time my sternum would also feel as if someone had thrown it into a fireplace for a few minutes and thrown it back in my chest. This lasted for 3 days. Finally, that intense pain subsided. My sternum still hurts quite a lot, even though before my last ER visit, it never hurt at all. Not only does my whole sternum hurt, but the pain spreads right under each of my breasts. My sides hurt too and feel overly sensitive to the touch (but does not hurt to touch). That pain will also wrap around to my back and I also have some pain around where I would guess my floating ribs at the bottom are. (Sometimes the pain feels like pinching, and if has also felt a bit like tugging when it is toward my back/sides.)Luckily I don't leave the house much, since I've mainly been stuck in bed because the pain is so bad. The only time it feels better is when I'm asleep. When I wake up, it usually doesn't hurt much at all, but once I'm awake and the day begins, the pain gets worse. A lot of the time I find myself holding my ribs, as if to keep them from falling out. I can't wear a bra, especially with underwire and bending to shave my legs is pretty painful. Even riding in the car is hard to do. I don't really have any spots that feel tender to the touch. But I do often feel like something is sitting on my chest and deep breathing can be uncomfortable. Nothing really seems to get rid of the pain. I've tried over the counter painkillers, but the only thing they do it bother my stomach. Ice and heat doesn't seem to help either. And I have this strange repulsion to ribs, which makes everything worse. It is just so frustrating and debilitating. I want my life back. I have no insurance or money, which makes my options for receiving help slim to none. If it is Costochondritis, will it ever go away?