New symptoms...is it EDS related?

[liveformygirls]

I have been sick since September 10th.  It started off with a sinus flu type sickness which eventually turned respiratory.  About 3 weeks after symptoms began, I finally went to the doctor and was treated with a Z-pack for pneumonia.  I completed the 5 days of medication and my flu like symptoms had resolved.  However, I continue to have terrible chest and rib pain.  It is on the left side and center of my chest.  It feels incredibly heavy, as if someone is sitting on my chest.  I have shortness of breath and tend to run out of breath while speaking.  I get extremely dizzy, particularly upon standing.  I even have trouble driving a car because I just feel so unsteady and foggy.  With my EDS, I struggle with fatigue daily as it is, but this has made it much worse to the point where I am unable to function.  I am the type of person who just keeps on going despite the pain and problems that I have every day as a result of the EDS and the many complications from it.  I rarely let it get me down nor do I like to slow down.  However, the last 5/6 weeks, I have been nearly bedridden.  So, to recap, my main (new) concerns are the extreme chest pressure/heaviness/discomfort, extreme fatigue, dizzines/unsteadiness, and shortness of breath.  My chest x-ray came back completely fine which says the pneumonia is completely resolved.  I wonder if this could be symptomatic of POTS or something else related to the EDS that could possibly have been triggered by the pneumonia or just coincidentally occurred at the same time?  

[suzsibs]

Hi

I get the same rib pains and have done on and off for years. I feel like I have an elephant sat on my chest and it hurts to take a breath so I have to shallow breathe. I have had a flare recently and had this awful pain in my chest and took to my bed with 4mg of diazepam. I slept for a few hours and it was less painful when I woke up. I sympathise with you, I have been told that your ribs can sublux and I wonder if this is the cause.
Sometimes my ribs move and dig into my innards too which feels gross!
I hope you find out the cause of this and feel better soon.

Take care
Suz

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the EDS group.

The fact u were on an antibiotic can offer the possibility that u have GERD /acid reflux as a result....many do have this issue after a being on a strong course of them.

Antibiotics kill all bacteria, the good with the bad....and u need the good bacteria in order to break down the foods u eat...so the pain u r having could be from that.

I do find that I have flare ups of overall pain from EDS that could have resulted as well...but do get checked to make sure it was not from the antibiotics...ask ur dr about trying a probiotic to re balance ur digestive track.

  The other possibility could be Costochondritis....ask ur dr.Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your rib cage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown.
Chest pain associated with costochondritis can be preceded by exercise, minor trauma, or an upper respiratory infection.


The pain usually will be sharp and located on your front chest wall. It may radiate to the back or abdomen.


The most common sites of pain are the fourth, fifth, and sixth ribs. This pain increases as you move your trunk or take deep breaths. Conversely, it decreases as your movement stops or with quiet breathing.


The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a characteristic feature of costochondritis. Without tenderness, a diagnosis of costochondritis is unlikely.


When costochondritis occurs as a result of infection after an operation, there can be inflammation with redness, swelling, or pus discharge at the site of the procedure.