I need alternative pain management help

[Grace and Granola]

I was in the ER on Sunday with chest pains. I was mostly scared that it was my heart, even though I was pretty sure it wasn't. I had all the tests run to make sure it wasn't my heart. Since the doc couldn't find anything, she said it's probably muscular. But now that I've had time to calm down and relax, I have figured out exactly where and what the pain is. I have pain below my left breast that is sharp when I take a deep breath, bend over or twist my body. I have done a little online research I feel that it is something called costochondritis: an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions.

Ok, so there it is. I was sent home with Darvocet for pain. They gave me 12 pills which I am almost out of. I have to say that with them, I am a functional human being that only has to be moderately careful of my movements. Without them, I feel every twinge of pain and it makes me very cranky. I have tried to space out my pills now that I'm almost out and it is a huge difference when I'm not taking them. So, I basically have to wait this thing out and it will heal, but I need some pain relief. I don't want to be on narcotics if I can do something else. Any suggestions?

[balancedmama]

I'd probably lean towards seeing if a chiropractor can help. When I've had a rib 'out' before, it is really painful like you describe.

[happysmileylady]

Can you not call your regular pcp for some more pain pills? It has been my experience that the ER docs send you home with a minimum amount of a script with the intention that you follow up your ER visit with your regular provider who can then use what he or she knows about your health history to look at other things. Have you followed up with your regular HCP?

[Grace and Granola]

Originally Posted by happysmileylady

Can you not call your regular pcp for some more pain pills? It has been my experience that the ER docs send you home with a minimum amount of a script with the intention that you follow up your ER visit with your regular provider who can then use what he or she knows about your health history to look at other things. Have you followed up with your regular HCP?

I'm not interested in having more pain pills. As much as I love them, I do not want to be on narcotics for an extended period of time. I don't feel completely safe driving when taking them and I don't want to be trapped in my house!

I'd rather hear about what my natural minded friends have to say about pain management

[pianojazzgirl]

So what's the deal with costochondritis? Is it self-limiting - likely to clear up on it's own soon? And if so how long is the pain expected to last? Can it benefit from chiropractic care (if it were me I'd definitely book a trip to my chiro ASAP to see if there was anything he could do to help)? What about massage or yoga? Acupuncture?

I don't know anything about this condition (and I suppose it's even possible that this isn't what you have). Knowing more about it would help me decide how I would treat the pain. If it was likely to be only another short while of pain then I would probably get more of the prescription painkillers from my HCP. But before doing that I'd experiment with doses of Ibuprofen to see if I could take the edge off the pain enough the function. At the same time I'd be doing whatever I could to speed up healing. Be that chiropractic adjustment, applying cold or hot compresses, getting a massage or acupuncture treatment.

Good luck figuring this all out mama. No one should have to live with such pain.

ETA I did a quick Google search and found a little info:

Self-care tips
For many patients, it can be frustrating to know that there's little that doctor can do to treat their costochondritis associated pain. To help relieve the pain caused by costochondritis, patient should try to:

• Rest more and avoid activities that make pain worse.
• Exercise more. Although it may seem contradictory to rest it is proven that gentle exercises, such as walking or swimming, can improve your mood and keep your body healthy.
• Usage of a heating pad. A heating pad should be applied to the painful area several times a day.

I found more info that indicates that chiropractic care is the way to go. (Like I said if I had pain like that the first thing I'd think of doing is making an emerg appointment with my chiro).

http://www.chirojournal.com/newslett...l=12155&ar=374

[Grace and Granola]

Thank you pps for the chiro recommendations. I have never been to one, so I never think about it as an option, but it does make sense.

The pain is less today and is way less than Sunday. So, I'm hoping it is healing quickly. I think I am going to give it a few days to see if it continues to lessen and if it doesn't I will have to find a chiro.

I was taking anti-inflammatories but one of the treatment options I read about for costochondritis talks about encouraging the inflammation because it brings the blood to the site to heal the injury. That also made sense, so I stopped the anti-inflammatories. I hate being that person that self-diagnoses and self-treats. If it were more serious I wouldn't be fooling around with it. I guess I'm just trying to let my body heal if it can and get through it the best I can.

[pianojazzgirl]

I guess you need to weigh whether the pain is so bad that you can't function. If you really can't deal with it, then I think the benefit of taking NSAIDs outweighs the neg affect on the healing process. And don't forget that a heating pad will encourage blood flow to the area (which will aid with healing).

[Grace and Granola]

Originally Posted by pianojazzgirl

I guess you need to weigh whether the pain is so bad that you can't function. If you really can't deal with it, then I think the benefit of taking NSAIDs outweighs the neg affect on the healing process. And don't forget that a heating pad will encourage blood flow to the area (which will aid with healing).

Good points. I was in a ton of pain yesterday when I wrote the original post and today I'm only mildly uncomfortable so it's a completely different perspective! Thank you for all of your thoughts, I really appreciate it. For now, I'm going to go with a heating pad and OTC pain meds as needed.