Pain in sternum?

[kah]

Hi guys,
This is my first post so please bear with me.

A couple of weeks ago I woke up with a really dry mouth and a horrible acid taste in my mouth, I also kept burping a lot! 2 weeks later I woke up with awful rib pain, like someone had kicked me in the ribs! I went to my GP and explained that as well as the rib pain I'd also been getting pain under the ribs (both sides) and in lower abdomen. He put it all down to IBS.
Earlier this week I went back to see him as I've been getting very very full after eating only a little, again he put it down to IBS and made a point of saying I'm becoming a bit of a nuisance (which I already know!!).
During the night I kept waking up with really intense pain in my sternum, literally like someones kicked me and I'm (I@m) all bruised in that area, it's painful to touch this morning too. Since Tuesday I've also felt like I have something in my throat, I keep coughing to clear it but a few seconds later it's back again.
I'm really worried that something is wrong, I should also menton that since early in December I've felt tired ALL the time, even just after getting up in the morning.
I feel like my GP isn't taking me seriously and he may be missing something that is wrong.
Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks
K xx
P.S. I've googled (I know, I know!!) and am worried because I have pretty much every symptom of stomach cancer.

[Greenman50]

Sounds exactly like acid reflux/ hyperacidity to be .

The pain in the sturnum is excess acid that has inflamed it , the acid taste in the mouth also confirms it , so does the fullness feeling and throat clearing . The throat clearing is the body produceing mucous to protect it from the acid .
Thats what i,ve read , been told by my gp .

I,m not a doctor , but have had all these symptyms and i,ve been put on meds from the docs for it and its slowly clearing up .

You could try over the counter zantac 75 , which is an antacid to settle it down .
Personally i,d get back to the docs as the prescription stuff is stronger , don,t feel a nuisance , thats what they are there for . If i can be of further help just ask :yesyes:

[Greenman50]

If you don,t want to go back the docs and you try the zantac 75 (morrisons , tesco etc do it ) you can double the dose as the prescription one is 150 , but try it as per instructions first .

Follow the instructions on the packet , but i would take an extra one at bedtime so the acid doesn,t come up in the night .

Don,t eat 3 hours before bedtime , eat bland foods , several small meals instead of larger ones . no alcohol , no spicy foods etc

[kah]

Hi Mel,

Thanks for your reply. I thought about acid-reflux but I don't get indigestion/heartburn, I've never had it. Also the acid taste has eased off over the last week or so, just leaving me with a very dry mouth.

All of the symptoms I wrote about in my first post are new to me, I've never been bloated, had pain in ribs/sternum, burped so much etc etc and I'm thinking is it just a coincidence that they've all started now or is it my body trying to tell me something????

So worried
K xxx

[Horse]

I am plagued by this problem.

The 'sternum' discomfort (rather than pain) started about just over 2 years ago. I was told I would have to have my Gallbladder removed because very small crystals were evindent on the scan. The Gallbladder showed signs of acute inflammation once removed and the crystals were consequently left behind to disappear on their own accord. However, the discomfort continued, and still does to this day to the point that they are now doing tests for Pancreatitis.

My point is that in my opinion, the whole episode was and still is, more than likely caused by excess acid owing to Anxiety causing inflammation in the first place (perhaps a qualified Doctor would be willing to comment on my theory should one be reading this).

Considering all previous tests and exploratory procedures have proven negative in the past 2 years (apart from recent pending blood results), my only diagnosis as a layman, is that excess acid is probably accountable for more abdominal pain and discomfort (with the exception of wind) in the Anxiety sufferer rather than serious organ malfunction or disease which we all presume is the cause of our pain.

As most of us on here are terrible worriers, we therefore will produce more acid than our stomachs can normally handle. If you combine this with our record of eating difficulties such as, lack of appetite or feeling nauseas as a classic reason, the acid has nothing to work on and therefore will do a fair job of gladly munching away at our stomach and other places to let us know it's not happy.

Obviously, the answers are to eat more regularly, slowly etc. But most importantly to stay away from sub-conscious stress, ie., stress that is always at the back of our minds constantly.

Sadly, easier to say than it is to do.

Horse.

[kah]

Hey Horse,
Thanks so much for your reply and yes it really is easier said than done!!

I'm my own worst enemy because I'm constantly googling my symptoms and coming up with all sorts of wierd & wonderful diseases. My problem is that my doctor hasn't done any tests at all so it's in the back of my mind that there's something seriously wrong that's undetected.

K xx

[Horse]

Sadly, we all suffer from the 'What if' syndrome.

Rule 1 is NEVER Google.

If you Googled 'split ends' it would probably say cancer!!!!!!

[kah]

I know, only yesterday I decided enoughs enough I'm going to be this Health Anxiety for good and I printed off an excellent article about googling which showed how inaccurate and improbable the search results can be. THEN, I wake up with this sternum pain and I'm on the merry go round once again. I sound like I'm joking but it's actually ruining my life, every waking moment is full of horrendous thoughts, I don't enjoy anything, even playing with my 2 girls - it's heartbreaking.

K xx

[Horse]

Kah.

Perhaps if you were to read some of my past posts, they will give you an idea (as well as a little chuckle) as to how dibilitating this illness can be if you let it take over!

[kah]

I'm new on here, how do I look at past posts?

[Horse]

If you left click on my name Horse (next to the wolf picture) you will see a drop down menu appear.
Go down to find all posts by Horse, and click.
Do it when you have a spare couple of hours!

[Greenman50]

Hi Mel,

Thanks for your reply. I thought about acid-reflux but I don't get indigestion/heartburn, I've never had it. Also the acid taste has eased off over the last week or so, just leaving me with a very dry mouth.

All of the symptoms I wrote about in my first post are new to me, I've never been bloated, had pain in ribs/sternum, burped so much etc etc and I'm thinking is it just a coincidence that they've all started now or is it my body trying to tell me something????

So worried
K xxx

Hi
I never had indestion or heartburn (to start with) either. i started off with a chronic sore throat which lasted for months and loads of burping , unfortuneately i never mentioned the burping to the doc at the time so my condition got over looked and went worse.

You can get "silent" reflux where not a lot of acid actually burns yours insides (no heartburn)except your throat , which is more sensitive .
Been takeing the meds for months now and things are getting better but not perfect . I still burp a lot and get the fullness feeling and my stomach still burns now and again but on the whole its much better . The thing is your sternum will be inflamed like mine and sore to the touch , if you take the zantac it has time to heal by cutting down the amount of acid on an already inflamed area . I could feel my sternum through my stomach it was that inflamed and never had any heartburn in the chest area . Theres a valve for the want of a better word that shuts off the stomach acid from getting further up , so it sounds like the extra acid you have is staying around the sternum area and causeing the pain .
I read up loads on it on google (big mistake) and also asked the doc about it at length .
Trust me , the zantac taken for a week should settle it down , the quicker you nip it in the bud the quicker it will heal .

[Poppy Lee]

I don't claim to be a doctor or a chiropractor or anyone with medical knowledge from training or studies.
I write this post due to the experience that I have found by living and that my ex-wife was treated for her acidreflux successfully by our board certified chiropractic kinesiologist. It was told to us both that group of nerves in the sternum can be impacted by injuries sustained just from everyday living.
These nerves control body functions/switches including the one that activates the secretions released to digest our food or the taking in if necessary by products to create said secretions.
My point is ... Maybe a Chiropractor can help relieve and reset your switches as well!

Blessings, Poppy Lee

[PASchoolSyndrome]

Take some Zantac, make sure the correct dose per the OTC.instructions. It'll take a couple of weeks to come into full effect. In the meantime watch you you eat and drink, try to avoid alcohol, greasy, and fried foods! If it persists call your doctor because he can 1) properly diagnos you and 2) give you stronger reflux medication. It's the same as over the counter but a higher dose in one pill.

But keep in mind if you start Zantac it will take a bit to work!

[Fishmanpa]

This is a very old thread (2011). The OP hasn't been on since 2012.

Positive thoughts