Costochondritis

[bthack]

Good afternoon everyone. I was wondering if anyone else has been diagnosed with this? I have a pain in my rib area directly under my left breast. sometimes it is so bad that I can't breathe, move, or anything! I went to urgent care and he said it was Costco and could be related to celiac. I do notice flare ups when I drink beer. Does anyone have insight on this? Thank you for your help.

[Skysmom03]

The doctor told me that if my son is going to have issues/pains from his celiac it would be in the area up and around where your rib cage ends and your stomach area begins. That high part.....

[Skysmom03]

Beer is made from wheat.... I hope it is gluten free beer you are drinking.

[bthack]

No it wasn't gluten free beer

[Skysmom03]

That probably explains the possible pains then if you have/suspect celiac. They make some gluten free beer. My husband (also a celiac) say it taste just like regular beer. I can't think of the name right now, but I know Kroger sells it( it is in bottles).

[Pegleg84]

Hey!

I had costochondritis about 3 years ago. I'd never heard of it before. I started having this weird pain around my ribs on my left side, just under my breast. I thought, that's strange, and figured it would go away until one morning I'm sitting drinking my coffee and STAB! Ooh, it was bad. I managed to get myself to emerg and actually got bumped up the priority list because the pain was right over my heard. Many hours and tests later, the doctor announced it was probably this costochondritis thing, which is an inflamation of the cartiledge between your ribs, and all you can really do is take lots of anti-inflamatories and wait for it to go away.

I've never heard that it could be associated with Celiac. I, of course, always consider that, but I'd just had a mild cold and aparently it can be caused by a virus, though there's no clear-cut explanation for it. Just a weird thing that happens. It's never come back.

That said, bthack, if you have Celiac or are on the gluten-free diet, then eating (or drinking) gluten can increase your chances of getting weird things like this because your immune system is affected.

I miss beer too, but yes, there are several decent gluten-free beers out there, and they're getting better. It's not quite the same, but better than nothing.

Hope you get better soon!

Peg

[gatita]

Yep, I had this for a few years and always thought it was my duodenal ulcer... then it got really bad this year while they were trying to figure out my GI diagnosis!

It has completely gone away since going gluten-free (unlike my other symptoms ).

[LJR]

OMG costochondritis is horrible, for the last year I have had a rib that keeped poping out from inflamation, it was the one pain that put me over the edge. I have spent last few years in pain managment for multipul protruding discs, leg and SI joint pain, when the costochondritis came into the picture I couldn't take it, that's when I realy started searching for answers. I stumbled onto Gluten and casein intolerance back in July, within a week of going gluten casein free the rib pain along with everything else was gone. Also if I happen to accidentally eat gluten that rib pain is the first thing to come back. It's like a warning system. Good luck

[bthack]

Wow thanks so much you guys for all the responses!!

[LJR]

Just curious do you have other symptems? Migraines, eye lid twitching?

[bthack]

Yes I have eye lid twitching, joint pain, constipation, lots of other issues but the worse of all is the costochondritis.

[LJR]

Wow, it funny how a lot of us have similar symptems, yet my doctor still insists that I don't have a gluten problem because my test was negative, and he stoped there. As in your original coment about beer! I miss good German wheat beer, I can't even tolerate alcohol these days, my eye starts twitching and the rib pain starts. Hopefuly you can try some of the gluten-free beers or Woodchuck hard cider is a good replacment. It's not wheat beer but better than pain.

[pricklypear1971]

Oh yowza! I had something like this...but I was in a car wreck while I had the flu. The combo of the impact of the wreck+coughing for weeks with flu=ripped cartilage on my ribs.

That was some of the worst, annoying, troubling pains out there since it "travels" across the area looking for nerve endings.

I'd never heard it was related to gluten (perhaps mine wasn't). It did go on for YEARS...and once it popped loose and sounded like a freakin' gun shot. Knocked me over like one, too.

I can honestly say if I'd have known it was triggered by gluten I'd have stopped gluten immediately.

It hurts THAT BAD.