I know this topic has been flogged, but I wanted to ask something else about costochondritis. I get it all the time around my sternum, but I am having severe rib pain from midline on the side to my spine. Has anyone had costochondritis this far around back?
This along with the AC problem in my shoulder and I am miserable.
I can get lots of costochondritis but never in my sternum so Iām firmly of the view the notion that the sternum has to be involved is just totally wrong for PsA sufferers. I can get it all over my rib cage including my back but always excluding my sternum. On other forums sadly this is a very common complaint too. And yes I agree it makes one very very miserable.
@tamac it sounds like your meds arenāt doing what you need. Have you asked your rheumatologist about a JAK inhibitor? Rinvoq has been a success for me without side effects except for a slight dry cough. Itās crazy expensive and I certainly canāt afford it but Abvie Care is generously giving it to me as they want Rinvoq to be a big success. Being in what they deem a low income, I donāt pay anything for it. It is slow acting but after over a year, I am still improving. Annoying flares still happen but not debilitating. I was on the edge of needing a cane but now I just get up from sitting almost normally. I sleep better and I found out last week that it was constant pain that elevated my blood pressure. It is now at 110/70. For now, Rinvoq has put up an effective road block slowing the PsA advancement. I am hoping that you get a much needed break from all your issues.
I have my four month rheumie appointment tomorrow and this issue is at the top of my list !
For the last two months my back has been killing me. Low back/SI joint/hip flexor on my right side is nothing new but mid back spreading out the sides and not going away is.
Movement helps, as does stretchingā¦and sometimes aggravates it (careful stretching!). I go to bed with a heating pad and even then some nights I have to turn my legs a bit to one side to decrease pressure on my backā¦some nights I end up in a recliner. Some mornings I canāt stay in bed itās so painful.
I was supposed to take my Cosentyx shot last weekend but held off in case she changes my medsā¦it seems to be not working for my other joints/fatigue anyway anymore (been on it since March, moved to every 3 weeks in August).
Iāll let you know what I find out ! Definitely feel your pain - worried about axial issues or is it costochondritis ???
Hello fellow Canadian @Northernelf! By your photo, you look quite young, sorry to hear of your persistent painā¦no fun especially while being a mom! If you havenāt had one, maybe you could push your rheumy to get an MRI of your lower back. I was having such pressure type pain around and above the Si joint. Not only was it PsA issues but the MRI showed a substantially herniated disc. Over the years, age tends to cause our discs to get more leather like causing them to shrink and it has rescinded off the nerve and my lower back pain has since been very low. Walking on snowy paths and trails seems to aggravate the Si joint. I too love my heating pad at night. I think I might get someone to sew a bunch of them together to make a heated sleeping bag for me! The neighbours might complain when their lights dim every time I turn it on! Let us know how your appointment went, take care!
LOL, my son who is in that picture is now an adult and 6ā3"ā¦old photo. That is a testament to how long it took for me to get diagnosed I guess as Iāve only been diagnosed for about three years.
My rheumie said I ādefinitely had costochondritisā and I am now on Taltz. My whole body is pretty much lit up with pain - amazing that when they poke around you realize just how many painful areas you have, on top of the ones that are obvious to you ! Iāve very symmetrical peripherally, itās the axial stuff that seems to be getting worse.
They donāt do scans here unless there are mobility changes or significant issues.
I reread your post Amos and you mentioned pain āaround and above the SI jointā - I have that a lot too. The nurse explained that what I was calling my SI joint is actually the pelvic something or other and the SI joint is the tender point below it. I think she called it the pelvic crest and when I read online I think itās the iliac crest ??? Whatever it is, itās darn painful!
Maybe itās a good reminder for all of us to update our photoā¦Itās amazing how much better we look every five years!
Yes, I get it in my sternum when my Mtx isnāt working and I take a round of Prednisone to knock it back.
Iāve had PsA since about 2006, diagnosed (accurately) finally in 2009, started Methotrexate 5 yrs ago. It all comes and goes. Ask your doctor about taking a short course of prednisone maybe like mine prescribes.
In short, the answer to your question is yes. I have had what you are experiencing. It started out as cervical pain and spread to my shoulder first. Then I started to have rib pain wrapping from my middle back all the way around my rib cage. it was so bad I had to take muscle relaxers in order to be able to breathe normally.
Just started methotrexate and Cosentyx so the jury is out on if this is going to work. Hang in there.
Cosentyx is my med too. I do hope theyāve started you on 300mg and not 150mg. Be aware Cosentyx is a very slow burner as is mxt. For Cosentyx the first review date for the smallest of improvements is 16 weeks - yes that is 4 months. It also tends to allow you react well in the loading doses and then dips for a while until it finally picks up again. It picked up for me in calendar month eight (not dose eight) and three years plus on it is still working marvelously for my PsA.
Patience is key with both mxt and Cosentyx in fact none of our meds work fast actually. And remember no biologic like Cosentyx reaches full efficacy for a year. So it a realy case of just plodding on. Hereās to it working as well for you as it has done for me.
My Cosentyx experience was a little difference. I was on it for 8 months and at just over 2 months in (surprisingly) it was great. I had a very active summer, some bike trips, and water sports and so forth. After about 5 months it started to taper so we upped it to every 3 weeks and then at about 7 my pain, swelling, and small patch of psoriasis came back - and this costochondritis was worse than ever, hence the change to Taltz. Things are still pretty miserable right now as I wait for this one to kick in,ā¦hate this process.
Poo - Iām glad itās still working for you and I hope it continues to. We are all different, I was so hoping Cosentyx was āthe oneā that would work for awhile as Iāve read of people who have used it for years.
YESā¦and it makes it hard to breathe!Currently taking Skyrizie after failing humria nd Enbrel.Please note its because I was on both for some time.The spasms from this are intermittent.IT PEAKSā¦and then moves on to another body part.This happens to be my worse symltom long with vrious skin issues.Also my area below ribcage gets very tight.
Please excuse my typos!
Oh yes I get the āreally hope this is my oneā thing. I nearly didnāt take Cosentyx because I was so fed up trying and failing. Here to Talz finally being your one too. All the waiting to see is phenomenally tedious too. Cyber hugs.
I am finding out the rib pain is very related to stress! My life is very stressful right now. My brother is beginning to go downhill with his cancer. I had to drive 30 miles to help him Thursday when he ended up in the ER. Sitting all day in an ER room is hard on anyone. I got him out of the ER late, but had to go back Friday and take him to the doctor.
By the time I got home Friday, I was nearly doubled over in pain from my ribs and was having trouble breathing deeply. That stayed with me all weekend. I wanted to sit at my radio and work a contest all weekend, but I couldnāt sit for more than about an hour and that was it.
I have had to take more pain meds than usual just to get to sleep. Itās Sunday night and I am not looking forward to working next week. Even from home.
Even though I am having shoulder surgery on the 10th of Jan. My rheumy called in a dos-pack of prednisone because my ribs and back hurt so much. He said it would be okay with the pending surgery. I am on the third day of it and the pain is only letting up a little.
The stress I am under has made the pain in my ribs and back so bad I caught myself swallow breathing because of the pain. He was concerned with that and said they would never let me have surgery if that didnāt get better.
So for Christmas today, I am finishing off the steroids and hoping the pain lets up soon.
I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas!