Monday, January 3, 2011

1.5 years later

It has now been about 1 and 1/2 years after my initial experience with Costochondritis. At this point I consider myself fully healed. I still have occasional discomfort in my sternum area mostly at night when I arch my back or stretch in certain ways. But in general the Costo no longer affects my life like it did a year ago. In some ways I'm grateful for the experience because it taught me some things about the healthcare system and when to trust (or not trust) doctors and other healthcare providers, and how important it is to do some of your own research about health problems affecting you or people close to you.


What would I recommend to people experiencing Costochondritis?


(1) Be Patient - In my opinion, this is the most important part of the healing process. It can take a year or more to heal, so be prepared to deal with the pain and discomfort for a long time while still trying to enjoy life. Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life as much as possible, and do something like yoga or Tai chi which will provide some movement to the area (ribs and sternum) without further damaging it.


(2) Don't be afraid of the pain - During normal day to day life, I think we become accustomed to living in comfort and many of us have forgotten that pain is a natural response to various conditions in the body. Doctors tend to reinforce this belief that any amount of pain or discomfort needs to be eliminated, but I think this can be counter-productive. A certain amount of pain is normal to the healing process. The fact that you feel can still feel pain means your body and nerves are working correctly. Your body is changing and adapting all the time and even healthy kids feel "growing pains" which are completely normal.


(3) Enjoy the good things in life - When I had a significant amount of pain in the first few months, it was sometimes hard to keep a positive attitude. You can be glad that costochondritis is not a life threatening condition. If you need/want support from other people suffering in the same way there are a lot of resources on the web, including a costochondritis yahoo group.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Paul,

    I had a horrible experience with Costochondritis about a year ago and was admitted to the ER under the belief that I was experiencing a heart attack. I was also experiencing a pinched nerve in my spine which seemed to be more of a concern to the doctors than the Costochondritis, so I took it lightly. Eventually the pain went away for almost 8 months with just light pains in between. Last night the pain came back, however. I was starting to panic this morning and began doing research again today, which is when I found your blog. Your words are extremely encouraging and I'm surprised to find that our experiences with doctors and this condition are quite similar. I will be using your blog as a guide to heal myself. I'm so grateful that you've documented this and also that I happened to come across your blog. This is extremely helpful and encouraging.

    Thank you,
    Jane

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  2. I had experience with Costoochronditis and it was similar to yours. I think my bout was due to stress and posture. Rest, reducing stress and advil and it cleared up in about 8 months. Have faith and be well.

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  3. Hi..im eden i tell you my story and if you can think my pain as yours i will be haveing hope..i was budy builder i do extreme whights take my self over the limit..i was in gym 10 years before and when i go to gym i do all mistake no rest no warm up every day chest muscle high whights then 1.4 years ago i leave gym no pain... after 2 months out of gym sudden in night i got extreme sternum pain like axe cutting my sternum..by this year the pain was in start like knife cutting my chest every day..then it got to sternum and clavicle hard pain but every day i got pain sternum ribs shoulder and back..is there is hope it will ever go away?? I got tired of pain and tenderness and sore cartilage in chest...is this looks like costo? I must say i never had pains in body until i leave gym...tnx eden..

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  4. Certain types of Costochondritis natural Treatment with herbs may help bring down cartilage inflammation. These natural herbs include: Noni Fruit, Arnica, Ginseng, Serrapeptase, etc.

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  5. Natural Herbs for Costochondritis may help reduce your costochondritis-related pain and inflammation. Talk about the efficacy and safety of herbs with your doctor before using these substances.

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