Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
breathing pain at night
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis
breathing pain at night
by baloo19, Mar 03, 2007 12:00AM
Years ago I began having pain in my shoulder blade at night if I slept on my back or left side for too long. It would be extremely sharp and painful if I took a deep breath and it would shoot from the shoulder blade out through my left breast. Initially this was infrequent and would go away when I changed position. Over the years it became more frequent until it was occurring every night. Once it started I cold not lay on my back or left side the rest of the night. I went to a chiropractor and slowly that particular pain went away. Unfortunately it seems to have moved down to my lower ribs. It now shoots across my back, from my lower left ribs around to the right, all the way to my upper right abdomen, just under my ribs, like a fish hook. It's at it's worst when I breathe deeply, but will ache even if I try to breathe shallow. My chiropractor did try a couple of things, mostly focusing on the vagus (sp?) nerve. Anyway, I have this pain every night. I can only lay on my right side, and a couple of times even this hasn't helped, which has never been a problem before and has me worried. The pain does usually subside once I am awake. It will also come to a lesser degree if I sit for long periods against my left side or back. I have not seen a dr yet about this problem. I've been looking for possible answers on the web and am coming up with zero. Can you give me any suggestions for causes/problems or what to do now? I would appreciate anything. Thanks!
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Mar 06, 2007 12:00AM
, Mar 06, 2007 12:00AM
Pain in this area can be from several different organs. It can come from the lung, the lining of the lung, the heart, the muscles in the chest and the nerves to these muscles and the ribs. Any of these could be the cause of the pain. I would suggest evaluating each of these organs independently to find the cause.
