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!

[mzmdavis]

My daughter is 17 and has been diagnosed with a Tilted Sternum and Costochondritis a little more than a year ago.  The doctors said she must have grown so fast that her sternum didn't have time to form correctly.  She grew 8.5 inches in 4 years.  She had a lump come up that was very painful.  She's had x-rays, CT Scans and an MRI.  They can't seem to give us a reason for the lump other than "inflamation".  They said that she had muscle atrophy in an area where she had surgery at 3 weeks old.  The pain is constant, dull most days but at least once a week she has the stabbing pain that causes her to double over.  We've tried physical therapy, but it was too painful.  She was taking hydrocodone daily but the Pain Management team at Childrens is trying to ween her off so that she only uses it for the painful spasms she has.  They've given her Celebrex but it does not stop the spasms.  She's most recently had the steroid injections.  If I had known then the pain those would cause her I would have suggested she not do them.  I left that choice up to her at the time snce she would have to endure that pain.  That was one of the worst things I'd ever had to do as a mother - watch my child cry in pain while they injected the steroids into her chest.  She has seen little or no relief since those injections and was in pain for almost a week after having them.  

I don't want my daughter to have to take narcotics for the rest of her life just to try and live normally.  Any help or advise anyone can provide would be appreciated.  You can email me at ***@****.

Thank you.

[HANNAH_53]

Im a 17 year old girl and for the past year my family and i have been searching for the same answers. On my left rib cage between my third and fourth rib there is a lump and it gets bigger at different times. Sometimes my whole chest will swell up and be sore under my breasts. The doctors have told me that they could not see anything and some say that there is a hernia in my large intestines which is causing a blockage, so gases can not pass through and makes my intestines protrude through my ribs. This does not occure all the time but my rib does stay swollen and the pain comes back every couple of days sometimes weeks. I've also been struggling to go to the bathroom with out getting light headed and dizzy. If you have any suggestions please inform me.

[charliexx]

I am a 23 year old female and have similar problems to you all. Protruding rib in centre on left side. I have a pain and tightness in my chest. The protruding has spread to next rib down now and pain is getting worse. I have had MRI, CT and bloods. all fine but my origional xray showed irregular sternum??  I have also had doctors say it is chostocondritis or irregularity that has always been there but i have felt it get bigger and progress to lower rib.
I am at the end of my patience now as  work long hours, I also have a 2 year old and am finding life increasingly difficult! It is really reassuring to hear there are other people out there who have something similar as i was beginning to think it really was all in my head and i was going mad!

[Lisakay1010]

I am a 35 year old female, thin, and in good health.  I have had this issue for the last 3 years.  Started as one large lump on left lower rib cage near sturnum.  The the lumps started showing up in other areas, left side of ribcage only, along with severe pain.  Sharp pain and dull aching pain.  I have been to Mayo's Clinic, and several other Thoracic specialists...its a mystery!  Yes, some have diagnosed as Costochondritis, some have said its just a deformity that I may have had for years and just now noticed it. (not so sure about that one) I was a dancer at the time and a choreographer, so due to the amount of movement I was doing...it was causing tons of pain!  I have had "trigger injections" to help with the pain and swelling, but that ended up doing more damage to the good tissue and muscle around those inflammed ares...DO NO RECOMMEND the injections...you are just masking the issue, not fixing it!  I was put on Neurontin for pain and several other kinds of pain and nerve meds. But in the end I gave up dance, gave up the meds (I HATE taking drugs, I have a tendency to have bad reactions) and started doing Yoga and Pilates.  I deal with the pain when it flares up which isnt as often as it used to be.  At times it flares up from lifting things, heavy things...but then there are times it flares up for no reason at all.  I can now fell the swelling starting before the pain kicks in.    I tend to use the "Mind over Matter" approach to get through it.  Not having answers is very frustrating, but I think its something I will have to live with and I have come to terms with that.  After 2 years of Dr appointments, test after test...I just can waste my time and energy on it anymore.  Life is short, I want to be out enjoying it.  Not sure this will help anyone, but it is nice to know, we arent alone!  We just have to find a way to deal with the pain!

[Angie722]

I am 25 years old & have the same thing. I discovered it first when I was about 21. Went to the doctor & they did chest x-rays & an ultra sound & everything came back fine. They summed it up to be a bone contusion. I felt like that was weird seeing that I had not hurt myself at all. But what I read from all of you is a bit more severe than myself. I have had this now for 4 years & have a bit of discomfort but not the horrible pain that some others discribe. It is in the same location on the rib next to the middle. Rock hard!
I know we are not crazy!!!! Hopefully one of us find out exactly what this is! Good luck!

[miniminiman]

I'm a 22 year old male, who have had a swollen thing on my left chest for something like 8 months. I had an MRI on it and it showed nothing. I was told it could be a severe strain..but I don't buy that..it would have gotten away by now then. Sometimes, especially in the evening, it can be sore. It feels like it's my rib, because it's rock hard, but it's way too think to be a rib. So I guess it might be a mucle, cause it keeps getting bigger.. After all I work out a lot.