Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Left Ribcage Problems


alevoy18

Recommended Posts

alevoy18 Explorer

Hi,

For the last few weeks I've been having strange feelings in my left rib cage. When I walked, I would get a stabbing pain. I went to my doctor because it was really bugging me, but the chest X-Ray was normal. Since then the walking discomfort is gone, but my ribcage still looks strange. My fiance pointed out when I was lying down yesterday that my top couple ribs on my left side and really sticking out compared to my left side and that she never has noticed that before. I doubt it is possible for your ribs to move, but I have never noticed it either and I'm a fairly small guy, so I its not the first time I've looked at my ribs in the mirror. The bulge is where the 2nd/3rd ribs from the top connect in the middle of my chest. It is not tender, but just weird looking. I had an ultrasound done a few weeks ago for an unrelated cause and my spleen, liver, etc. were all of normal size. I just don't know why I had that pain for a few weeks and now notice a change in my ribs. Anyways, anybody with any related info is appreciated!!

FYI - I do have Celiac Disease and according to my GI doc, I had it likely most of my life undiagnosed. (24 years old) It still is not in control as I have antibody levels, but it is getting there. I just had a chest X-ray which was good, but I've never had a bone density scan. Didn't know if this could have anything to do with it. Thanks!

Thanks.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cassP Contributor

you're doing the right thing by having your doc check everything (your chest, your organs inc. spleen)..... im not your doc, nor do i have answers- HOWEVER, i can relate to pain the ribs and abdomen, etc.... im a massage therapist (for the time being)-> and not only do i have a ton of pain (muscular & fascia) thruough my trunk from work & postural tension- but i also know that all the ab muscles, and diaphragm & intercostal muscles & fascia- including migrating to the back can cause A TON of pain & discomfort... when i lay down and stretch my back- i TOO think my top ribs are sticking out abnormally- i dont know if i have a rib head out- or if its all the intercostal muscles all jacked up- but yes- i can relate to rib pain

im not sure how much celiac or digestion is linked to these issues- tho, it could be. a lot of people on here including me have had Shortness of Breath, and tightness in the chest related to gluten & other food intolerances- and that may have an effect on the tightness of the diaphragm and other muscles.

as long as everything checks out with your doc, then you probably only have muscular or chiropractic issues left-

quincy Contributor

you're doing the right thing by having your doc check everything (your chest, your organs inc. spleen)..... im not your doc, nor do i have answers- HOWEVER, i can relate to pain the ribs and abdomen, etc.... im a massage therapist (for the time being)-> and not only do i have a ton of pain (muscular & fascia) thruough my trunk from work & postural tension- but i also know that all the ab muscles, and diaphragm & intercostal muscles & fascia- including migrating to the back can cause A TON of pain & discomfort... when i lay down and stretch my back- i TOO think my top ribs are sticking out abnormally- i dont know if i have a rib head out- or if its all the intercostal muscles all jacked up- but yes- i can relate to rib pain

im not sure how much celiac or digestion is linked to these issues- tho, it could be. a lot of people on here including me have had Shortness of Breath, and tightness in the chest related to gluten & other food intolerances- and that may have an effect on the tightness of the diaphragm and other muscles.

as long as everything checks out with your doc, then you probably only have muscular or chiropractic issues left-

This is odd to read this post because I have had rib cage soreness leading up to and after my dx in April. It turns out that I have osteopenia and I kept wondering why the tips of my ribs (lower right side in the back) were tender and sore. Then I find out I had osteopenia. All of my lumbar area was out of whack and sore probably due to the weakness that emerged from the bone loss.

anyway, I am going to my celiac doctor at Columbia today and am going to ask what the deal is with the sore ribs...

cassP Contributor

why is it odd??? is my "thinking outloud" not coherent???

quincy Contributor

why is it odd??? is my "thinking outloud" not coherent???

not odd at all, just poor choice of words on my part. By odd I meant coincidence. I was just having pain in rib cage and was going to post and saw your post. sorry for the confusion... don't think you are incoherent at all!

MelindaLee Contributor

Hi,

For the last few weeks I've been having strange feelings in my left rib cage. When I walked, I would get a stabbing pain. I went to my doctor because it was really bugging me, but the chest X-Ray was normal. Since then the walking discomfort is gone, but my ribcage still looks strange. My fiance pointed out when I was lying down yesterday that my top couple ribs on my left side and really sticking out compared to my left side and that she never has noticed that before. I doubt it is possible for your ribs to move, but I have never noticed it either and I'm a fairly small guy, so I its not the first time I've looked at my ribs in the mirror. The bulge is where the 2nd/3rd ribs from the top connect in the middle of my chest. It is not tender, but just weird looking. I had an ultrasound done a few weeks ago for an unrelated cause and my spleen, liver, etc. were all of normal size. I just don't know why I had that pain for a few weeks and now notice a change in my ribs. Anyways, anybody with any related info is appreciated!!

FYI - I do have Celiac Disease and according to my GI doc, I had it likely most of my life undiagnosed. (24 years old) It still is not in control as I have antibody levels, but it is getting there. I just had a chest X-ray which was good, but I've never had a bone density scan. Didn't know if this could have anything to do with it. Thanks!

Thanks.

I haven't read through the rest of the post, only you comment, so this might have been covered, but I am wondering you have ever condidered seeing a chiropractor. Ribs can get out of alignment, because they are attached to your vertebrae. Just a thought. I know people have very differing thoughts about chirpractors. I couldn't like without mine.

cassP Contributor

not odd at all, just poor choice of words on my part. By odd I meant coincidence. I was just having pain in rib cage and was going to post and saw your post. sorry for the confusion... don't think you are incoherent at all!

ahhhhh ok :D sorry, i can be oversensitive/paranoid sometimes... maybe too much brain damage from gluten :huh:


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

    2. - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    3. - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

    4. - SilkieFairy posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

    5. - catnapt posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      0

      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,321
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    James Minton
    Newest Member
    James Minton
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • catnapt
      oh that's interesting... it's hard to say for sure but it has *seemed* like oats might be causing me some vague issues in the past few months. It's odd that I never really connect specific symptoms to foods, it's more of an all over feeling of unwellness after  eating them.  If it happens a few times after eating the same foods- I cut back or avoid them. for this reason I avoid dairy and eggs.  So far this has worked well for me.  oh, I have some of Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot cereal and I love it! it's hard to find but I will be looking for more.  for the next few weeks I'm going to be concentrating on whole fresh fruits and veggies and beans and nuts and seeds. I'll have to find out if grains are truly necessary in our diet. I buy brown rice pasta but only eat that maybe once a month at most. Never liked quinoa. And all the other exotic sounding grains seem to be time consuming to prepare. Something to look at later. I love beans and to me they provide the heft and calories that make me feel full for a lot longer than a big bowl of broccoli or other veggies. I can't even tolerate the plant milks right now.  I have reached out to the endo for guidance regarding calcium intake - she wants me to consume 1000mgs from food daily and I'm not able to get to more than 600mgs right now.  not supposed to use a supplement until after my next round of testing for hyperparathyroidism.   thanks again- you seem to know quite a bit about celiac.  
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    • trents
      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in hospitals or institutional care and I'm guessing your physician would be willing to grant you a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (NCGS) even if your celiac testing comes up negative. Also, you need to be aware that oats (even gluten free oats) is a common cross reactor in the celiac community. Oat protein (avenin) is similar to gluten. You might want to look at some other gluten free hot  breakfast cereal alternatives.
    • SilkieFairy
      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash vegetables. I noticed my stools were suddenly formed, if a bit narrow. I knew then that the diarrhea was probably food related not medication related. I tried following the fodmap diet but honestly it was just too complicated, I just lived with pooping 8x a day and wondering how I'd ever get and keep a job once my children were in school.  This past December I got my yearly bloodwork and my triglycerides were high. I looked into Dr. William Davis (wheat belly author) and he recommended going off wheat and other grains. This is the first time in my life I was reading labels to make sure there was no wheat. Within 2 weeks, not only were my stools formed and firm but I was only pooping twice a day, beautiful formed Bristol #4.  Dr. Davis allows some legumes, so I went ahead and added red lentils and beans. Nervous that the diarrhea would come back if I had IBS-D. Not only did it not come back, it just made my stools even bigger and beautiful. Still formed just with a lot more width and bulk. I've also been eating a lot of plant food like tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers, hummus etc which I thought was the cause of my diarrhea before and still, my stools are formed. In January I ran a genetics test because I knew you had to have the genes for celiac. The report came back with  DQ 2.2 plus other markers that I guess are necessary in order for it to be possible to have celiac. Apparently DQ 2.2 is the "rarer" kind but based on my report it's genetically possible for me to have celiac.  I know the next step is to bring gluten back so I can get testing but I am just not wanting to do that. After suffering with diarrhea for years I can't bring myself to do it right now. So that is where I am!   
    • catnapt
      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D  got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH   I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.