costochondritis

[spidy]

I am 29 and currently diagnosed with Costochondritis & take celebrex.  Is it normal to get short of breath at different points during the day.  I sometimes will get short of breath during the day, but usually become more short of breath when driving or going to sleep (sometimes catch my breath).  Also, is there any rhyme or reason to when the pain will come and go.  I could think of a couple days when i may have lifted something that aggravated it, but yesterday, i just walked around the carnival (having a bad pain night).  I alternate heating and ice packs.  I have a stong family history of heart disease and keep questioning if something else is going on that the doctors are not seeing. (I don't understand how my bone scan would say "no evidence of costochondritis" and still have the diagnosis from my doctor & how i have a mobile interatrial septum and that doesn't affect this).  I can't get into a cardiologist for a couple of weeks and my rheumatologist appointment is not until the end of the month.  Do you have any suggestions or can you shed some light on my symptoms.

[National Jewish]

The type of shortness of breath you describe could be due to pain, anxiety, an abnormal heart rhythm or a lung disease, such as asthma.  The pain of costochondritis is notoriously unpredictable.  A bone scan is not a good test to establish the diagnosis.  If the chest pain is also associated with tenderness of the sternum and/or the rib attachments, then the diagnosis of costochondritis is likely to be correct.

With a "strong family history of heart disease" your concern about the interatrial septum motion abnormality is warranted.  You should definitely see both the cardiologist and the rheumatologist.

[midsummer]

I was wondering if I had this problem. I have no diagnosis but for 56 months I have been unable to touch my rib cage area due to tenderness. Bending over hurts as it puts pressure on the area.
These muscles really ache by the end of the day, speaking makes it worse. I gave up work so do not use my voice anyone during the day but its not got any better.
I have to psychically force these muscles to work quite a lot as my breathing gets very shallow, bit like trying to lift an elephant with your little finger, soo tight muscles.
I sleep proped up against the wall now as as soon as I lie down I cannot breathe properly. Lying on either side hurts also and keeps me awake.
I did have a chest x-ray but that did not shed any light on the problem.