Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group costochondritis?

Hi everyone....sorry I have had a broken computer but now that it's fixed, this is one of the first sites I had to go to. I have to ask who out there has had or has costochondritis (I don't think I'm spelling right)? What does it feel like? I have begun to have pain under my boob area.....sternum and front part of ribs. It is not excrutiating like my spine is....just uncomfortable, unless I press on it ....that hurts. Also, the left side is worse than right and sometimes I get a muscle cramp there. This may help me figure out if I have fibromyalgia or AS. The docs are still confused. From what I have read, fibromyalgia does not affect this area.

Anyone's help is greatly appreciated!!!!
Maureen

Edited by emmaandjacksmom on 11/20/04 09:39 PM (server time).

Hi Maureen,
Sorry I dont really know what you have, but I do know that when my ribs where fusing I had the same type of pain, but its hard to tell yours..I hope all is well and continues to go well,, Chad

Hi Maureen

Gald that you have your computer fixed.
I don't know what you have but I get a pain that I say is in my lower rib on the left side. When I was going to the rhemy I mentioned it to him and he just shrugged it off. I figure that it must have someting to do with the AS but who knows.
When you find out what yours is let us know.

Take care
Valerie

Hiya,

I found somethng called the MASES and MEI these are indexs used in Europe for the assessment of AS, it's a number but not all the sites for AS specific enthesitis the inflammation of insertion points.

Check out the ribs and sternum, go proding carefully you get the right bit you make it worse, in about an hour so.....LOL

I've attatched a file,

David

I

Woops did n;t attach

Hi, Maureen:

Costochondritis is ribcage pain and very common in AS. I had it to the max until about a year on NSD and antibiotics. It usually has a bias to one side; most AS pains are asymmetrical, unlike RA and FM.

This pain can be miserable, and I remember just a slight touch on my sternum caused very shap pain, eventually just breathing hurt.

Good luck with it,
John

"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?"
Charles Babbage

Hi all,
Thank you for the all the responses and the attachment!!!! My little ones found the two skeletons most fascinating!!! From what I can feel, I have AS pain - s/i joints, ribs, spine and most of all, sit bone pain. Of course, most of the doctors I have seen shrug it off because xrays don't show fusing. I did have a positive bone scan of the s/i joints and catscan showed mild erosion. One dr at Univ. of S. florida says definitely - spondylarthropothy...but he's 2 hrs drive away. Nobody in Orlando can tell me what it is, except some say fibromyalgia. The latest dr I have been seeing actually told me that bone scans can be too sensitive. It's been a horribly frustrating and painful 3 yrs, to say the least.

thanks again!!!
maureen

Maureen,

did you do the click and it blows up, I've got a full document on these points if you want but it's an email job.....

I'm not fused, but had some temp things and both rheummy GI and accident are all caling in AS now....gone beyond SpA.

I went 20 odd years, the last 3 prior to diagnosis were hell, so all I can say to youis try and keep going, but do n;t over do it, It's better to not push hard and leave it til later. you get more done on the long term.

Good Luck

David

Hi David,

I tried to click in the upper corner to make it bigger. I also clicked on the pts of the skeleton. Neither worked. What am I doing wrong?

Maureen

PM you email address I'll send the whole paper if you want!

David