It's the middle of the night and I'm having a quiet fret about rib pain.I woke up from my BMX & recon (27/4/18) with a sore lower left rib. I queried it with my PS when he deigned to speak to me but he dismissed it with a 'we did a lot of pulling and stretching in the area'.It's never gone away, coming and going at various times. However the last few weeks the pain has got stronger and more frequent and I've started to have a worry.I know it can't be bone mets but there's this little niggle in my mind, those stories you hear about people thinking they had a gym injury or something like that, only to discover months later that it's not that at all.I don't want this worry to eat me up so I went to my GP this morning, confessed to being a cliche and explained. She was totally understanding and very sympathetic, examined me (I am very sore on the left) thoroughly and suggested that I have an xray of the area to start to find out what's going on.She also said I had "quite prominent ribs". What does that mean?!But now it's the middle of the night, my rib hurts, and every tiny throb of pain in my body is magnified a thousandfold.Fret fret fret...

Morning @kmakm,Good to see you finally got to sleep. It is somewhat elusive that thing called a good nights sleep. The gremlins sneak in and play with your mind. Could you ask for a bone scan? Less radiation and you would get the full body all clear. I needed these the second year just to put my mind at ease. As soon as everything started to ache my brain went where it shouldn't. Even now it has been 9 months since my last bone scan and as more things start to hurt, click and crunch some days it takes a bit to push that to the side. I am getting better at it though :)xoxoxo

Hi K, I love how the dr dismisses us when we have pains. My rib cage hurt as well and the response was, “of course it does”. Six months later my osteo checked me out and said my whole rib cage had been pulled out of alignment. She started it healing and then with stretches, breathing techniques and light exercises it finished healing itself. If you get no joy from your tests, try my osteo at Chirnside Park. She is brilliant. Love M

The GP rang, no bone abnormalities. Hooray! The mystery continues however now I know it's nothing sinister. Scanxiety over. Phew!

That's all good news, @kmakm. I think the best bit was that you felt "heard". I still find it the hardest thing in all this, and often feel that my surgeon is the one person who truly 'hears" me.Having said that, my Med onc sent me for a brain CT very quickly this year, too, so really can't complain. He's great too

I wasn't here in the middle of the night @kmakm - I hope you managed to get some sleep. I'm sure it's nothing but you're doing the right thing to get it checked out. If it helps at all, I have a vague memory of crying in the recovery room from the agonising pain along my rib bone near where the drain was. While it settled down it has never gone away and there are times when it's quite sore. I do wonder if there has been some collateral damage to that area - nerves, muscle..?Everything is worse in the middle of the night.Take care

Fretting | BCNA Online Network

49 Replies

Sister
Member
6 years ago
Glad to hear it @kmakm.
lrb_03
Member
6 years ago
That's all good news, @kmakm. I think the best bit was that you felt "heard". I still find it the hardest thing in all this, and often feel that my surgeon is the one person who truly 'hears" me.

Having said that, my Med onc sent me for a brain CT very quickly this year, too, so really can't complain. He's great too
kmakm
Member
6 years ago
I saw my BS yesterday for my six monthly check up. All good I'm happy to say. I wasn't worried but it's such a relief to hear those words. I get so anxious sitting in that waiting room. My stomach plummets when I his voice and the voice of my breast care nurse. It's ridiculous! The moment I go in I'm fine. It's the wretched bloody waiting...

Anyway I mentioned my nagging rib pain, and blow me down but he offered me a CT and bone scan! You could have pushed me off the chair with a feather. He's very conservative with doling out these things. He said he realised the stakes were high and that my peace of mind was worth a tiny bit of radiation. He also said once you have cancer you'll never not worry. I felt very 'heard' for the first time in a long while. After a bit of hesitation I agreed and so next Tuesday I'll have my first ever CT and bone scan.

Neither of us think it will be anything sinister, but it will be good to have it officially ruled out. I would like to find out what the pain is so I can make it stop...
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
Bon appetit!
Flaneuse
Member
7 years ago
@kmakm Just marking time until the op on 8 Aug. Trying to finish my Paris memoir and organise family history files before then - just in case I get clots again and pop my clogs. Going for a French lunch with a francophile friend today and she's a good cook - so off now to buy some bubbles to go avec. xx
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
@Flaneuse The body is such a peculiar, curious thing.

Not distressed, just a little worried, and increasing, so wanted to nip it in the bud before I worked myself up into a state! Hope you're well. K xox
Flaneuse
Member
7 years ago
@kmakm Just picked up on this, Kate. It must have been so distressing for you. Hope it doesn't recur. Osteopath treatment sounds great.

I did myself a rib injury a few months ago when I was starting to feel energetic and motivated after the effects of Letrozole were fading. I dragged six huge potplants into new positions, rearranging my back garden. Next day, excruciating rib pain. GP said I had crushed my rib cartilage. Frustrating, because I was always able to do that sort of thing with ease, before. It's continued to be sore, though not as bad as before. GP sent me for chest & lower rib x-ray a couple of weeks ago and there seems to be nothing. Maybe scar tissue as well. I hope when I have my "get rid of reconstruction" surgery in August, the surgeon will have a good look at the ribs at the same time. My ribs on the left (operated side) are harder and more "pronounced" than on the right.

xxF
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
Really well thank you @Blossom1961. It was amazing what she did, I was very impressed. What she did to my feet, neck and shoulders in particular. Back next Monday. K xox
Blossom1961
Member
7 years ago
How did the Osteopath appointment go?
Shellshocked201
Member
7 years ago
I know about those bloody niggles...and yes this is our life now.. and we are here to enjoy it.
Stay positive hun, sending hugs your way xoxo

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