Pain in upper left rib under armpit? Anxiety or lung problems?

[Jsp]

About 4 or 5 months ago I was turning around and I got an awful sharp shooting pain from my left armpit down my down. Ever since then, sometimes I experience pain around the area. It's like, around where my ribs are at the top and starts just where my armpit ends.

I worry that it's something to do with my lungs, like cancer or something, as whenever I google it that's all that comes up :( (I KNOW I SHOULDN'T GOOGLE! I'm trying to stop myself!)

Sometimes I feel like the pain gets worse at times when I exhale completely :S The pain is like an aching pain. I've also been getting pain down my arm and in my left shoulder blade the last week or so but I don't know if that's related.

Does anyone have symptoms like this with anxiety?

[Donny]

Sounds like you have torn a muscle?

Your anxiety will be magnifying it into other more nasty things which you wont have.

I have thought that I've had everything from a brain tumour to other exotic diseases. Don't panic...

[Jsp]

Yeah it does doesn't it, but can a torn muscle last that long?

I've been thinking of a pinched nerve more than anything due to me having problems with my back as it is, and how the pain initially started while I was twisting round in a strange position. I hope it dies down within the next few days :(

[Darwin73]

I don't know Jsp, but I am experiencing something very similar. I fell off a bus in May and twisted round trying to keep my balance. Since then I have had a pain (sometimes sharp, sometimes dull) that goes from my left armpit, down about 5 inches and then across my lower left ribs. Sometimes it's in my shoulder and back too. I keep worrying about the c word as well. Hope you feel better!

[Jsp]

That sounds exactly like mine! By the sounds of it we both started with it twisting ourselves. Hope you're okay :) have you seen a doc about it?

[Darwin73]

No, too scared:doh:. I posted on here about it a few weeks ago I think. Sometimes it lasts pretty much all day, with some stonger twinges at times, but it always goes away at night. Then a couple of weeks ago it went away for 5 days. I was just thinking "thank God", when it came back again last week. Are you going to see a doc at all? I haven't considered lung cancer, but cancer of just about every other anatomical structure in that region has been popping into my head. Even when I think it could be a nerve, I then think , what if it's a tumour pressing on a nerve?! Hate HA!

[Jsp]

Aww I'm sure it would be fine if you did. Mines all day and is worse at night! This has never been this bad before though, normally its just for a few hours but not constant :( the pain is around my shoulder, up into my neck, all the way down into my fingers and around my upper ribs. I want to see a doc but I'm sure they're fed up with me there haha.

[Darwin73]

Yours sounds like it could be related to discs in your back trapping a nerve. When I slipped a disc in my lower back, the pain went right down my leg and into my little toes as well as round my hip and I've read that slipping a disc in your upper back can give similar symptoms in the arm / shoulder, radiating to hand. I am hoping mine might be some kind of repetative strain injury because I am always lifting and twisting to lift one of my children who has mobility problems, so it never gets a chance to heal.

[Jsp]

I have the same from a disc at the bottom of my back too, except it's because it was due to my spine being curved. Suffered from sciatica for about six months from it now! The pain is kinda similar to that, hence me thinking of it being a nerve problem. And yes it could be if you are working your muscles quite a bit from it :)

[southey]

Sounds like a pinched nerve Jsp especially as you say the pain goes down your arm. It sounds like you may have twisted awkwardly and damaged your shoulder area?

A pulled muscle can last several weeks but the pain is local to the pulled area.

Rest is the best treatment.

Steve.

[hellopain]

okay so i didnt fall or anything i was simplly on the computer an finshed my studys an went to take a shower as i went to grab my towel from my closet there was a very sharp pain near my underarm very close to my rib cage an its been that way for 4 days an it hurts to breath,move,etc i cant do anything what do u think itmight be HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:weep: