My 19 year old daughter has had a lot of pain in her right rib area and around to the upper back when taking deep breaths. There is no pain when you touch the area. We went to her doctor and she thought pleurisy, so we went to a pulmonologist who did more x-rays and a ct scan with contrast, as well as a breathing test/lung function test. All came back normal, yet she has had the pain consistently for over a month. The pulmonologist thought it might be neuromuscular, and simply said take Advil and let me know how it goes.
My daughter is a dance major in college, and when they did they blood test they said that her potassium was very low. I know that she does not drink very much water during the day, she eats almost no fruits or vegetables and drinks a lot of tea, not herbal. Could low potassium cause these kinds of pain? She also gets weak for no reason, and gets headaches and some stomach upsets. We don't know where to go next, since none of her doctors have been very helpful.
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
If your daughter has low potassium, this should be investigated. Persistent low potassium can be due to a kidney disorder, IBS, any other inflammatory bowel disorder, leukemia or due to side effect of certain medications. All these conditions need to be ruled out one by one.
If your daughter has GI issues, then IBS can cause pain under ribs and at the back. Other than that it can be costochondritis.
Since I cannot examine her and know other related conditions she may be having, nor is a detailed history possible on net, I have listed the various possibilities that should be looked into. Please consult your PCP for primary examination followed by proper referral. Take care!