left side of chest/ribs swelling (hard bumps) and painfull**no formal diagnosis

[micrazi]

(30 year old Female) I Noticed one paticular day last August as I was walking, that my chest area was hurting.  I placed my hand on the area and there was a noticible protrusion of what felt like my rib (hard not moving, close to sternum).  I asked my OB at my yearly and she suggested possible chostocondrtis, and told me to take some Ibprof 600mg.  That did nothing.  Then the beg. of Jan, I noticed I had another area that was protruding (lower than first).  This was most noticible at night when laying down and very tender with constant dull pain.  Went to my PCP and he said it probably was chostocondritis as well, though he thought it was strange that this was going on since Aug (5 mo), and there were multiple areas affected (3rd, 4th rib).  I got an x-ray.  Results=no abnormalities.  Went back to doc, asked for CT scan, results= tilting of sternum, not assoc with other osseous abnormalities of the sternum or adjacent soft tissue abnormalities, air in left sacroiliac joint, small amount od tissue density adjacent to ascending aortic arch in the anterior mediastinum (could represent residual thymus), mild prominence of spleen.  The pain is getting more noticible and I have another protrusion (below my left clavicle).  I have not gone back to PCP for fear of looking like a lunatic.

ANY IDEAS as to what this is?  Are there any other tests we should focus on to determine a correct diagnosis?  Is this a wierd form of chostocondritis that doesnt go away?  What does tilting of sternum mean in terms of my situation?  Thanks for the help, much appreciated!

[esmiko]

Hey there. I found a lump next to my left breast shaped like a rib about 2.5 inches long and a centimeter high and wide. Painful and immovable. So I started googling and found this:

http://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/tietze-syndrome/

Sounds like a lot of you are exhibiting symptoms and this page has a very helpful list of related disorders such as psoriatic arthritis and spinal root lesions.

I believe my condition was caused my a horrible cough I had for a month and will dissipate on its own but for those of you who are chronic sufferers, I would ask your doctors to check you for the abovementioned conditions or call the investigational treatment programs at the bottom of the webpage.

The difference between Tietze Syndrome and costochondritis is the occurrence of swelling. If you're feeling lumps, that's swelling.

[emey21]

I am 21 and female. Have had this problem for about 5 months now. They want to do CT scans and what not now but I think they will find nothing. I have a history of anxiety/ fibromyalgia related issues, without a diagnosis.
I also have this issue. They did a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and xray for this and found nothing. In the beginning there was pain in the locations that eventually started getting larger. First there was a large hard lump on my left ribcage above my spleen. It got big, painful, and noticeable. Then there was one under my breast on the right side. I started working as a temp at a factory full time and underwent a move. Now I have 5 extremely painful lumps, (right upper chest, sternum and below were the additional locations). Wearing tight clothing, laying on my side, or doing anything rough is impossible.  Guess I'm going to have skip my wedding next week if I can't put on the dress.

[lawcps]

I'm 25 and have had the same thing and it's agony..I've had every test and treatment you can think off etc possible. I've just been diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome which umbrellas things like fibromyalgia. I originally had Costochondritis but the time became to long.I've been told countless timed it's in my head o get pain from ankles to neck.I'm on morphine. But since yesterday my left rib same place as u guys that's swollen and stinging..will see what it's like tomorrow

[shiiie]

Hi,
I am 19, female and I too am experiencing the same trouble. I noticed it last January when I felt pain in my upper left chest and its hard like its really my rib protruding. I went to the doctor and she told me to have an x-ray, and I had both lateral and frontal and the result showed no abnormalities. I am really afraid, I did not go back to the doctor because I'm alone and I don't know what to do anymore, I am still a student and right now, I feel the pain that you guys feel. I am very curious about it that's why I tried it here in the internet. By the way, I am from the Philippines.

[KmJ00]

Please let me know what came of this! I am experiencing the exact same symptoms - 28 Female, went to my FP who did some xrays - clear - told me it was "probably a cyst and that if it grew larger that I needed to see a chest surgeon"... (moron) So I went to a different FP who was not convinced it was a cyst, said it could be a number of things and has scheduled me for a CT scan in a few days. I started with one lump and has now moved to two - it is not in my breast tissue - it is very hard and fixed on my upper ribs close to the sternum and both are on my left side as well. I've noticed that the pain/discomfort and enlargement comes after I have consumed caffeine and especially well after my work outs (which consist of push ups, planks...etc) and I think the works outs are definitely playing a factor in triggering these knots. Any help you could give would be great, thanks!

[daboo2bp]

what happened kerry? hope things went ok..did u get your CT results..what do they say?

Daboo

[nalikinz]

i really dont like the first line in this comment the girl was just trying to say something .........i do agree

[Ladysky]

I have the exact same thing with the bruising and fatigue. But I also have several autoimmune disorders so it is hard for me to separate some of the symptoms. This is frusterating because my pain is now in my neck and back on the left and I can't turn my head very well without pain. I am tired of the doctor not knowing what this is.

[candyb2383]

Hi, am i am 29 year old woman now, I have had the same problem and first notice when i was 15-16 years old, A lump on my lower left rib cage that swells up and becomes brused and painful at times. And it deff. made a diffrence when i was in PE class when we had to run the mile within a curtain time, it would swell up and become even more painfull and even harder to breath . My mother at the time said that its just my rib. And still to this day the mass is still there and still swells, with the brusing. This lump when I was pregnant with my second child, got even worse, when i was grocrey shopping and in a hurry, it would literly put me in alot more pain that it looked like i was going in labor! I still havent had it looked at, due to no insurence. But now  am able too. so when I finally go get this checked out, i will let yu know of the out come. But untill then if someone or a doc reads this and knows whats wrong with me please feel free to comment!

[froman321]

hello i am 23 year old male with same protrusion and blamed on chrocrotitus  any news on cure or help pain and bumps sternums pushing tilting left side pain is constant and dimmers when i take vitamins i dont know whats going on. blood ekg xray all ok what do i need to diagnose

[smileyggak]

I'm 17 years old and I also have these so called "bumps" either beside or on the ribs, it seems like it's spreading because it started with just the upper right side of my rib, and now I have it on the bottom left side of my right rib, and I now have problems with my left ribs as well, when I drive I feel discomfort; just sitting down I can feel discomfort. I also played sports over the years and softball is the main sport, so I'm guessing from continuing strenuous exercise I'm making my ribs worse, and now it seems like all of my ribs hurt and when I lay down and press down on certain areas I'm in so much pain and I can definitely feel those "bumps". I've been taking ibuprofen since last June 29th when I fractured/sprained my ankle and you would be thinking that the pain would of gone away a really long time ago, but taking Iburprofen isn't doing any good. I'm really concerned..any thoughts about what it could be? and this has been going on for at least a year or two now...

[robg780]

montrealmoon,

I agree completely, everytime i visit a GP I do not tell them what I have self diagnosed from web based research for fear of throwing them off. But when you attempt to give them deatiled symptoms they look at you like your a drama queen who's taking their health too seriously and the unkown to them becomes quickly the unimportant.

Recently I even had to interject and provide a diagnosis for my amateur investigations and the doctor ( altough miffed) agreed that it was infact surely the right cause, no excusing themselves fro not having thought of it previously at all.

It boils down to  your point exactly, they dont feel like they OWN your problem, thats a mind set - they have training and access to resources to investigate difficult presentations but they prefer to shrug and move on. I have no confidence at all in any doctors as a rule of thumb.

[robg780]

I love the internet.

i have been searching for a good match on my symptoms for over a month and this is it :)

Its not Costochondritis - It just didnt add up right that way.

I have a protrusion on the left side of my sternum at what seems like the joint of the 3rd rib. I have been able to 'pop' my checst since I was 18 ( 26 now) , I found it relaxing sometimes... perhaps this is evidence of some  underlying musculoskeletal issue i had? Anyhow a few months ago I recieved blunt trauma to the sternum sparring in karate and its been popping,sticking out and causing varying degrees of pain while sleeping or stretching or during odd movements.

So I have found no solution yet and doctors wave if away as minor nuisance with costochondritis references due to ignorance mainly.

I find rolling on my back followed by neck and chest streches helps loosen me up, I try not to sleep on my side either.

Recently the hard bump is more pronouced , i thought it must be a rib head untill I read the first entry on this page, sounds identical ( I suppose I will have to get a Cat scan to know for sure).

Anyhow I have bookmarked this thread and will update I find the cure :)

Dont worry if this has you down, there are many worse things than this out there!

Rob

[Zelapple]

I am a 41 almost 42 year old male.  Over this past summer I was throwing some fire logs a few feet on a camping trip.  Later on returning home I felt the bump on my left upper chest area towards the center of my upper chest.  I thought cyst since I am diabetic and prone to cysts.  It is hard and sticks out a bit.  It is not painful to touch just an odd sensation at first month or so getting use to the bump.  I saw two doctors (one at a urgent care facility that immediately said it is part of my rib cage that just popped out and unfortunately there is nothing that can be done for it.  My PCP said similar thing however recommended a Chiropractor if I wanted to try to get it adjusted.  I have not dome that.  About three months later I had a playful football game with some friends kids at a tailgate party.  The smallest kid fell on me an cracked (fractured) my lower left rib #7.  Related? not sure.  I will be seeing a chiropractor just as soon as this Holiday season passes.  The rib fracture was and still is painful.  the lump/bump seems to be stationary and not growing.  Some days it does seem larger or more sensitive on uncomfortable than other days.  The post about rotating ribs and Diabetes is interesting to me if anyone has related info that would help.  Thanks.

[MomsThoughtSheWasNuts]

See a sports-injury related chiropractor, folks!  Someone who knows what they're doing.  We experienced the same thing with two of our four children....were beginning to think we were losing our minds.  They had rotated ribs.  Happens due to athletic or other injuries, as well as growth spurts, etc.  I'm certain there's a genetic component to it, as well.  They're both doing fantastic now.  Med-free, pain-free and very active.  Best wishes to all of you!

[thyelia]

I haven't had this issue, from what I have read though I'm the lucky one. I'm truly VERY sorry everyone has had this pain for so long. I was looking into swelling in the chest because of my dad. They just took x-rays and we'll see what happens from here. I am curious though to know if anyone has sought the help from a natural or holistic doctor for their issues? My mother in law had cervical cancer and decided to do the "whole foods vegetable and fruit diet" and she no longer has it. My sister had a severe staph infection and has not had an outbreak on her skin since she started the diet. There are other things that you would need to do along with the diet portion of this approach but it has made me sleep better, my back hasn't hurt and I haven't had migraines in months. I watched the video "Forks Over Knives" and there's a lot of info in it. You can get it on Netflix. Just a thought to see if it helps anyone here. I will keep you all in my thoughts and pray that you all feel better.

[montrealmoon]

Doctors are crazy!  They dismiss just about everything as something benign and usually completely unrelated to the real problem. Granted, there are times when nothing is wrong, and we worry unduly, but usually if something is chronic and unrelenting, something is wrong.  

Have you ever watched Mystery Diagnosis?  Some of the cases seem so evident right at the beginning that it blows my mind-yet the patient sometimes goes through years of suffering and multiple specialists before they get any satisfaction.  I once saw a little girl on the show who was drinking excessive amounts of water-I mean gallons a day-and was also urinating multiple times daily, more than 20.  She was under 5 years of age!  I used to be a RN, and I knew right away that it was Diabetes Insipidus.  And I was just a nurse. This man had MD training, and further specialized training as a pediatrician.  Why could I remember this disease from my training and this doctor could not??

I agree with some of those here who say if you are young you are dismissed, or else labeled as a drug seeker.  I went through that, too.  Now as a woman who is aging, I get told that my symptoms are related to aging.  It is as if they do not listen to us at all, and there are times when they literally do not listen. They will spend a few minutes in the room, throw something at you as if they are throwing you a bone to chew on, and leave the room, nose in the air.

I say doctors are not being trained properly anymore, that they go to medical school with the goal of having a big house and nice vacations, not thinking about what they are actually learning.  They pass their exams because they cram, then promptly forget what they have learned because they have their eyes on some prize other than the betterment of the health care of humanity.  They have very little ethics, other than to avoid lawsuits, and get nothing but annoyed when presented with a challenge. There are some good doctors out there, but why is it so hard to find them?  I think they are usually specialists, and not at the level of PCPs.  

PCPs these days just hand you pieces of paper with referrals on them.  When was the last time your PCP actually did more than write a prescription for antibiotics?  That is all they do these days.  It must be the easiest of all MD jobs to be a PCP.  They don't have to be responsible for anything but writing referrals.    

What happened to the family doctor who would not rest until he got to the bottom of his patient's ailment?  He is a dead breed.  These days we have to advocate for ourselves, even if it means getting angry.

[Erin1983]

I have bee having leftsided paing for about a week now.  I can't cough laught pick up my sons or nothing.  The doctor said it wasen't anything to do with my heart or lungs.  They said my lungs are swollen and they are rubbing on my rib cage.  I can't get out of bed.  It's so painful to pick up my 19 month old or even to carry my 7 year old when he falls asleep and i have to carry him to bed.  All i know is that it feels like a knife in my lungs and it keeps getting worse.

[ricky77]

i also know what your going through, i have been to the doctors numerous times and they keep telling me its ok you have chostocondritus, but what is ok about it, its agony, agony to drive cough and live a normal life im totally fed up with it, nothing seems to ease it, totally fed up with it, my only hope is it goes as quick as it started all the best and hope you do feel better,.

[Krissy53]

I'm a 23-year old female, dealing with the same problem. 3 doctors already told me that I'm just experiencing costochondritis, but I'm already suffering for this pain for a year now, I even have to quit my job because of this. Also one of the doctor told me that my pain tolerance is not that good because it's just a costochondrities and I shouldn't feel that kind of pain. The pain is something like piercing in my chest specially on my left side and also my left chest is really swollen now, I've done ecg because the doctor requested that. then this past 3 month I'm also experiencing painful and sharp feeling on my fingers, wrist and ankle! I don't know what's going on. I'm starting to feel weaker everyday because of this. It's difficult for me to move and do some chores, I can no longer stroll at the mall like I used to be because after around 30mins I'm starting to feel the piercing pain in my chest area.

[Krissy53]

I'm a 23-year old female, dealing with the same problem. 3 doctors already told me that I'm just experiencing costochondritis, but I'm already suffering for this pain for a year now, I even have to quit my job because of this. Also one of the doctor told me that my pain tolerance is not that good because it's just a costochondrities and I shouldn't feel that kind of pain. The pain is something like piercing in my chest specially on my left side and also my left chest is really swollen now, I've done ecg because the doctor requested that. then this past 3 month I'm also experiencing painful and sharp feeling on my fingers, wrist and ankle! I don't know what's going on. I'm starting to feel weaker everyday because of this. It's difficult for me to move and do some chores, I can no longer stroll at the mall like I used to be because after around 30mins I'm starting to feel the piercing pain in my chest area.

[baileesmom24]

My daughter has a knot on her left upper rib cage... she is only 2 years old...i dont want my baby to live in pain

[ladycat2011]

I'm a 17 year old girl and I have been suffering from Costochondritis because of my tilted sternum for about 5 years now. The doctors started me off on pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications to see if that would help and it didn't. They sent me to physical therapy for about 3 months and nothing helped. I've been through numerous X-rays that show nothing, CT scans, and MRI's. They tell you that it's something you have to grow out of.. but people I know that have the condition say that you never grow out of it. I've had the injections of steriods and it did nothing. Heat and cold packs also do nothing.. and I think my next step is surgery. I don' t know if my parents will go on with it though, but I'd rather have the surgery then deal with this for the rest of my life. I would try the treatments I have first before just jumping into surgery. My doctor did say that the injections do help some for a few months. The injections are extremely painful but if it helps then it is worth it.

[Rotagirl]

Has anyone had Surgical Treatment for there Costochondritis?

Im from New Zealand and our information on Costoschondrities Treatment is:

Treatment

Often the symptoms of costochondritis resolve without treatment.  Where treatment is required, the aim is to reduce inflammation and control pain.  Treatment usually consists of:

Rest and avoiding activities that worsen the pain

Anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medications

Ice and/or heat packs applied to the area.

If the pain is extreme and/or prolonged, a steroid medication such as cortisone may be injected into the affected area to help reduce pain and inflammation.

In rare cases, where the condition does not respond to medical treatment, surgery to remove the inflamed cartilage may be required.