***PLEASE HELP*** Is this really a rib out in my back?***

[mnkyluvr68]

40 year old woman in fair physical condition. I am at the end of my rope with this. I am a smoker (trying to quit with patch). I take the following meds...percocet, levoxyl, premarin (weaning off now), probiotics, xanax and diclofenac.I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and anxiety disorder. April this year I started having severe pain between my shoulder blades (upper) more towards the right side, this episode lasted for several days and could also be felt in my chest as if a knife was pushing through. In May I had the same thing only much worse, the pain was severe and I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. They did a chest x-ray, bloodwork and a CT scan of my lungs looking for a blood clot. All test came back normal. The next day I went to my Chiropractor who said it was probably a rib head out in my back so I started treatment with him. The pain has been relentless although some days are better than others. Finally my Chiro said to have my gallbladder checked and after many tests they did a hida scan which showed an ejection fraction of 18%, one week later I had my gallbladder removed and was told this was the cause of my back and chest pain. Unfortunately they were wrong. Does anyone know what this can be? Is it possible that I really do have a blood clot in my lung? Would the symptoms have stayed the same or gotten worse? Could a Cat scan with contrast not show a blood clot? Could a rib in your back go out daily even after chiro adjustments? I am really getting very scared with all of this, hence the xanax. I also have low body temp sometimes, lightheaded and headaches. Please can someone tell me what direction to look, I can't take this anymore and really don't want to live like this, always in pain and fear! I Thanks for any help you can offer.

[tschock]

I'm surprised that they didn't tell you that anxiety can cause those pains.Stress can play havoc with your entire body. I was on xanax and a few other choice pills a few years back...they told me that they suspected MS !! That was the scariest moment of my life.
I did test after test and was having panic/anxiety attacks almost every day for 2 years. I started getting back/chest pains...I went through all of the same things that you have described. After awhile I became suicidal...I just couldn't take it anymore. My chiropractor suggested that I talk to his partner...a massage therapist.
I was skeptical at first,but I thought that anything was better than what I was going through. I started going on a regular basis and within a month I was a totally different person.
Another lady in town was going through the same ordeal as me...she was told that she had MS too. She started going in for treatments and the "MS" vanished! Kinda strange don't you think? She went from being in a wheelchair because of the pain,to walking within a week! She found out that it was all due to stress...even though it never registered in her brain that she had anything to be stressed out about.
And yes...if you are very flexible, as I am...your bones can shift back out every single day.

[mnkyluvr68]

Thank you so much for your response. Can you tell me how often you had the massage therapy and was it a certain kind of massage? I really never even considered it could be my anxiety due to the back pain. I had the anxiety under control up until a few months ago, now I have attacks everyday. Thanks again.

[tschock]

I started off with 3 times a week for an hour each time. After the first week the panic attacks stopped. Then I started going twice a week for half hour at a time...the anxiety left. Started going once a week and I felt like a new person. After about 3 months I stopped going because life was wonderful.
I'm not sure of the exact name of the massage but I know that the guy would stick his fingers into the hollow area of my neck while I was on my back and he would tell me to just let my head fall onto his fingers. He did all sorts of weird stuff like that.lol
Knuckles in my ears,a finger on the roof of my mouth...really weird...but well worth it!
It could have been Craniosacral...yes,I'm pretty sure it was called that.
Good luck, and if you try it let me know how it goes.

[mnkyluvr68]

Thank you for the info! I am suppose to go back to work tomorrow, have been off for three weeks due to the surgery. I had to take it unpaid as I had no vacation left so as soon as I'm back on my feet I will try the massage therapy. It sounds promising. My anxiety has now come back 10 fold, which tells me you are correct in telling me this was anxiety. I too have recently thought about suicide, but I can't put my son through that. He is my life and I can't be that selfish. Honestly I think that is the only thing that stops me. I really just want to feel better but nothing seems to work. I try getting out of the house, only to have a panic attack. Eat better but have terrible diarrhea every time I eat (even with a low fat diet) since the gallbladder surgery. Thanks again for your suggestions, it's nice to know that I am not alone in all of this.