Daily struggle

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Dec 10, 2022
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DX FIBRO
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02/2020
Hi. It's been a while since I posted. I did get a tens unit. It helps a lot. The burning, tingling, stabbing pain in my back is chronic. I wish I knew what it was but believe it's nerve related. Then I have chronic what I think may be costochondritis (sp?). It hurts at base of sternum and around lower ribs where they attach to my sternum. Can nerve pain go straight through? Seems the locations of the pain line up from front to back. Feel like I am being run through. All this pain triggers constant anxiety symptoms. I suffer so much. It all seems so hopeless. Thanks for reading.
 
It hurts at base of sternum and around lower ribs where they attach to my sternum. Can nerve pain go straight through? Seems the locations of the pain line up from front to back. Feel like I am being run through
I was experimenting with "trigger" points and sensed that one point I was pressing was sending a ?nerve signal from my wrist to my elbow, but pain was only at the end points. And this it seems to me is usually the case. So for your costochondritis I'd think it's not running thru, it's running around your ribcage, which is giving an impression of running thru.
If you'd say you also have pain in your inner organs at the same time, then I'd say the overstrained muscles are putting pressure on those organs, so causing a slightly different kind of pain inside.

Whatever: it does sound like costochondritis, you might want to explore that on youtube and try appropriate exercises to decrease the pain and for self-empowerment to decrease the anxiety.
I've always had to do back exercises every day for my whole spine, including my rib muscles.
 
Thank you! I will look that up on YT, but if you have any vids that help you, I'd be interested in looking at them too. Also, is the pain sensations in my back called paresthesia?
 
if you have any vids that help you, I'd be interested in looking at them too.
Well, vids that have helped me are too many to mention, more helpful will be how I look:
I change the "filter" to videos, to get more/better hits.
I add the word exercise, then stretches, then acupressure to a specific symptom.
I take note of which physios there help me (personally) best, that may be individual.
Personally, I often prefer DoctorJo for physio and Alan Mandell for acupressure, but more often people aside from the 'mainstream'.
Similar to a backpod for costochondritis I regularly lie on a hard small grain cushion.
Generally I try about 10 videos for one symptom, and then filter out the best exercise, which may change if the symptom changes.
Also, is the pain sensations in my back called paresthesia?
Might sort of be, but that'd usually be without pain and also depends a bit on a doc not finding something wrong. If caused by costochondritis, I wouldn't call it paresthesia....
 
10 videos for one symptom
I may start with vids that explain a bit of theory, to get a feel for what may be going on, then a vid or two showing a 'test', e.g. "How To Test For Costochondritis Vs. Slipped Rib", then a variety showing things that let me physically "sense" what is going on, once a 'test' has pointed me in one direction, all the time I'm checking whether I'm on the right track, or something is going wrong - when it feels right I get more confident about trying a suggested treatment, going low and slow, when it feels wrong I can try and start to see why, what similarities there are, why something that may seem to be something may actually be something else. And what then finally is the precisely right exercise may be shown by someone who I don't even personally like, but who shows something perfect for me in my situation. Also I hardly come across "really bad" videos - they are just different, like we and our symptoms are - a weird and wonderful spectrum... 👐, we just need to take care how close we let them get to us.

A few weeks ago I showed my wife my favourite plantar fasciitis exercise, but she had no feeling for her symptom, not being used to pains, did it too long, and it got worse, which made her not do anything like that for a few weeks, which was probably just as 'wrong'.
It wasn't the fault of the video, nor was it the fault of my wife, it just takes some testing, practice and realizing what does and what doesn't work for me. And generally if we're not used to something, it's good to heed the rule "low & slow" (like me highly reacting to 3% of a T4 pill). But if we realize it's not doing anything at all, it might be interesting & helpful to try to increase till we hyperdose it (like me with several supps)....
 
Have you had an x Ray lately on your back.you could have disk problems or trapped nerves .x
 
I now believe I know what it is. Intercostal neuralgia. I am using Capsaicin and it helps a lot. Going to also try special stretches too. I guess people with Fibromyalgia often have these pains. It sucks.
 
Intercostal neuralgia
Ooh, that's interesting. Immediately made me wonder about the difference.
Found someone on the web having tried to find it out saying "from what I gathered the only difference between the two is that you get a pressure/squeezing sensation in your chest with IN". Someone else answered a sharp sternal pain was first seen by docs as being "costo", but as it continued and no tests found anything (but I doubt they would...) they were recommended to see a neurosurgeon for IN. Someone else said they assume costo is less long lasting, so it's easier to get meds with the diagnosis IN. However also mentions Tietze syndrome and calls all 3 blanket terms for rib/chest pain, cos it's hard even for docs to see the difference. With nerve component pregabalin/Lyrica might help.
painscale has a summary of all three. But tbh comparing I can only see that Tietze means there's a sternum swelling, whilst I can't see any diagnostic difference between costo and IN.
What is described on painscale if it hurts when you move and they press they can diagnose IN. Wow. epainassist says 1) general blood tests for inflammation, 2) eye tests if eye, 3) lumbar puncture for meningitis and encephalitis. 4) EMG, nerve conduction, 5) nerve biopsy, 6) scans.
My rheums did #1, my sleep lab psychiatrist 3, my neurologists 4 and 6, but found nothing.
And somehow I very much doubt they're gonna be doing anything specific for ribs/chest.

So I spose if we think there is nerve involvement trying a supp like capsaicin is a good test.

For me personally, treating a nerve is not going deep enough to the cause. Many of my more extreme and long term local pains seemed as if nerves were involved, and some people I know are very quick to recommend cortisone for everything. Again, my experience is that with the right bodywork, the muscles and nerves recover and don't need (much) substances. You gotta be up to bodywork tho.
 
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