Rib pain, stomach pain?

[.Poppy.]

I've had some bloating/stomach pain this week - it was a certain time of the month + I had consumed a fair amount of dairy so it wasn't unusual.

Then, I started to get some pain in my rib cage, near my sternum, on the right side of my body. It almost felt like it could be gas pain, but I've also had a history of costochondritis (though usually on the left side) so I figured it could potentially be that. Cue a lot of pressing on my ribs to see if they hurt - and they do.

But of course, in true HA fashion, I started googling "gas pains in chest" last night in the hopes I'd see posts about that and be reassured, but of course nearly every link was heart attacks and how to tell gas pain from a heart attack (spoiler alert, most of the symptoms they list are the same for both).

And, naturally, right after reading those my left arm started hurting. Not too bad and I'm sure that it's anxiety related (and my right arm hurts sometimes too, and my back, you know, all of it), but good lord can't I get a break?

I just....don't know what to do. Our local hospital is currently a covid hotspot so I don't want to just arrive there for no reason. I also considered making a doctor's appointment, but what do I say? That I think my costo is acting up?

I'm 29 and healthy other than migraines and anxiety, but of course I'm paranoid. Because of course I'm paranoid.

[Kuraimoar]

Have you had any test on your heart? That's always to first step to reassurance. It definitely just sounds like good old HA taking normal symptoms and turning them sinister. I would call your doctor just for peace of mind but I dont think you need to be too worried :)

[.Poppy.]

Have you had any test on your heart? That's always to first step to reassurance. It definitely just sounds like good old HA taking normal symptoms and turning them sinister. I would call your doctor just for peace of mind but I dont think you need to be too worried :)

I have, several years ago. I went to my old doctor (who is now retired) a few times, where I was diagnosed with the costo and then was told "it's just your ribs" a few times after. So I feel silly going to my new doctor for them to just say "Yes, it's costo, take Aleve" or alternatively to call them and tell them I'm having chest pain and for them to say "ER! NOW!"

So yeah, I'm just concerned but feel overly concerned, etc. I took some Aleve to see if it would help the pain go away. I'm definitely having a costo flare up because I can press on my ribs and it definitely hurts, I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm not also having a heart attack (which I'm sure I'm not!). If I'm still having trouble tomorrow I may call in and just see about an appointment for advice on how to help with the soreness - I may feel totally crazy for going in but I guess that's fine.

[Kuraimoar]

No need to feel crazy. I had pain due to a strained muscle and spent 6 months convinced I was going to have a heart attack so I can totally relate. I hope the aleve helps and you feel better!

[pulisa]

Topical anti inflammatories and lots of time, I'm afraid. Costo flares are really painful but the clue is that there is pain when you press on your ribs.

You're not having a heart attack and you really don't want to go anywhere near a doctor's surgery for something you can treat at home. Ice can help as well in the first few days..I hope things are easier soon but costo can really hurt for a prolonged period before the pain eases.

[melie1818]

I agree with pulisa. I had a conversation over the phone with my doctor a couple of weeks ago as my top rib and side of ribs have been hurting for a couple of months now. He said that if it hurts when you press on it then it is muscular and nothing going on internally. He advised I use an ibuprofen gel to rub on and ibuprofen tablets for the pain. I've also tried not to lift anything heavy and I feel a lot better now. I found that constantly pressing on my ribs to check if it was still really hurting or not obviously made it much worse.

[.Poppy.]

Thank you all! I feel a lot better today - I took some Aleve PM the past couple of nights and slept with a warm bag of rice on my chest, which I think helped. It's so odd for me because I know what it is and yet that thought of "this time it may be bad" goes through my head.