Here's my current question & concern:

MONTHS ago - my C-Reactive Protein was up (can't remember how high - can't find med records - too tired to look....)

Anyway - doc said: "That just means you're body is full of inflammation..."

If that were all - perhaps I'd just cheerfully say, "Okee-dokee" and leave it at that.

BUT I've also been tacycardic & have had chest pains that have been attributed to either costochondritis or anxiety attacks.

I'm just concerned that my docs could be missing something.

I'd like feedback from others who've had experience with high CRP levels - even if it's not good news. I need SOMEONE to give me the straight skinny, please!

I see my LLMD tomorrow & I'm not wanting to be overly dramatic - but I'm wondering at this point if I need to demand to be referred to a cardiologist.

(FYI - I also have another recent post entitled "costochondritis? dancing ribs?" if any of you highly-educated lymies are interested in reading all that crap, too.)

Thanks for any feedback.

1. Block copy your 1st post and ALL REPLIES about the chest pains here on THIS post.

Then go back to original chest pains post, EDIT, and use the DELETE box right above your name. Yes, you are the originator and can delete the entire post.

This way all responses are in the same spot to same space & time searching for the other...ok.

2. I forgot to say that I was concerned about my chest pain too.

I couldn't do the normal stress test so they gave me meds to make my heart go like crazy. They came up with ONE blockage.

So I went to Des Moines and han an ANGIOGRAM done. Found NO blockage so no balloon needed to be done! Whew, what a relief.

Here's hoping I can figure those simple directions out!

@#$%! I don't think I did it right. I just copy/pasted.

For those of you computer literate people - I apologize for my apparent stupidity - but at this point - I'm happy to be able to blame it on Lyme fog or something similar.

Hey - I'm doing good to learn one new concept a day...and I've exceeded my allotment of information for the day. I tried.

Thanks again, Bettyg. I'll try to do better next time...

DonnaReagan
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Author Topic: Costochondritis? Dancing ribs?
DonnaReagan
Flash Member
Posts: 5
From: N. Richland Hills, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2005
posted 03 January 2005 12:35
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Just wondering -
Does anyone have experience with costochondritis (it's inflammation with ribs & cartilage) and/or ribs that just like to pop out of place....all the @#$% time?

My ribs have been adding to my misery almost daily. I'm thinking about asking my chiropractor to move in with us.

If the pain is lower than my chest - I'm confident that it's a rib & I just endure the pain & cuss a lot.

If, however, the pain is at my chest - I sometimes wonder if I'm having a heart attack because that's what I think a heart attack would feel like...and then I usually have a subsequent anxiety attack to make things more interesting because after all, I'm worried I might be having a heart attack!

My question is this: Since I've been tachycardic for WELL OVER A YEAR, and since my blood pressure has be slightly elevated for ALMOST A YEAR...and since my LD doc tells me that I most certainly have Bb in my brain & heart....shouldn't I be concerned?

I had a bicycle stress test a few weeks ago & some things were: "indeterminate".

One thing - which I'll ask my doc about again said:
"Diffusing capacity is reduced and does not correct for alveolar volume suggesting an alveolocapillary membrane defect."

I understood the words "reduced" and "defect". Other than that, it's like "duh..."

My doc said the report also indicated that my mitochondria is basically not producing enough energy for me to sit & breathe...which is curious to me because I'm doing much more than that at this very moment. I'm typing, too!

Report says I have "severe impairment of the whole person...poor prognosis, blah blah blah"
AND
"Cannot rule out a cardiovascular limitation due to O2/pulse (reduced & drops); suggesting a stroke volume abnormality."

Now I understand the word "stroke" and that sort of freaks me out a bit. Wondering if I need to run screaming to my nearest cardiologist or if that is a statement because the test wasn't done well or I didn't breathe hard enough on the test.

Anyone with similar experience or worthwhile feedback?

Don't really want anything else to whine about - but I'm thinking regular chest pains deserve a little attention.

Thanks in advance.

DonnaReagan

IP: Logged

Becka
Flash Member
Posts: 4
From: Perryville,MD USA
Registered: Jan 2005
posted 03 January 2005 13:05
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This is so weird! I am a newbie, too-just diagnosed last week, however, I have been having what I thought was pleurisy for about 5 years now. It happens a couple of times a year and the pain is so severe that without narcotics i would have to go to the ER. My lungs are always clear so it is something in the muscle or bone.
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Laurie
Frequent Contributor
Posts: 202
From: Connecticut - just across the river from the Lymes (Old Lyme, Hadlyme, East Lyme, South Lyme & Lyme)
Registered: Oct 2000
posted 03 January 2005 15:56
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Neither one is rare. I've had costochondritis quite a lot, even pre-Lyme. First time I was stepping out of the shower and boom, chest pain that made me gasp. Went immediately to the doctor and this is when I was first diagnosed. He said not uncommon in young women. My older brother sometimes gets it, too, though, and so has our mom. I was rx'd Motrin since this was before ibuprofen was OTC. I've learned that if the chest pain's worse when you press on it, it's inflammation. If not, get to a doctor.
The pleurisy pain came after Lyme. It's considered "dry pleurisy," that is, the painful kind where the lining of the lungs is rubbing together, as opposed to wet pleurisy, which may not be painful because there's fluid in there, but which would cause shortness of breath. Because of the pleurisy, I was misdiagnosed for a long time with Lupus. I treat mine with a hot water bottle and again, the ibuprofen. This pain is just awful.

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bettyg
Frequent Contributor
Posts: 402
From: Central Iowa, USA
Registered: Aug 2004
posted 03 January 2005 17:06
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Welcome Donna & Becka to this 24/7 support group board!
If others haven't given you the newbie links, look for TREEPATROL & TINCUP's names in post. Sorry, but my time is about up today so don't have time to do search. Treepatrol's should be on 1 or 2nd screen of medical!

Print it off & check off the links you have read...will take months to read it all!

Yes, I do have this chest pain you are referring to. It's very painful; still can NOT touch my chest area at all...even worse after my breast reduction surgery.

It is also the area of TENDER POINTS for our fibromyalgia pain! That's why many of us do not wear a bra due to it being right on those trigger point areas!

I just take my extra strength tylenol for my pain & use cold packs to numb all my painful body areas due to my lyme herxing!
Betty G., Iowa

if you are "full of inflammation" and autoimmune diagnosis is ruled out then the inflammation could very well be from borrelia infection due increase in cytokines and damaged antibodies.

i can't comment any other further because i tested negative for CRP and never looked any further.

I also have had tachycardia, arrythmias and shortness of breath. After a full cardiac workup, they said the Lyme was causing everything. I have been off all meds for 6 months now.....and CRP and sed rate continue to increase.

Last year they did a stress EKG, this year a holter monitor and an echocardiogram. Everything was normal.

Except for the racing heart waking me at night, and the knife-like pain in the ribs.

Here are my doctor's candidates for some of the cause for me, all basically relating back to Lyme and coinfections.

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction causing elevated heart rate.

Chemical exposure causing elevated heart rate and shortness of breath.

Spinal misalignment causing chest pain, shortness of breath, and elevated heart rate.

Blood sugar irregularity (usually low) spiking adrenals and elevating heart rate.

Inflammation causing chest pain, anxiety.

Since treating all of these issues helps, I'm guessing he's right. They are all involved in producing symptoms.

I think it is always important to be sure there is nothing wrong with the heart itself, but after that there are quite a few issues that can cause these kinds of symptoms.

Hope you can find the triggers for you, and get them under control.

I don't know if it would have been characterized as costochondritis. All my cardiac test were normal except for a slightly enlarged right ventricle and tacchycardia (rapid beat).

I've been on abx for 2 years 3 months. So, it stands to reason that my chest pain was related to the Lyme.

I was told that although the CRP is now being used to help predict heart problems (inflammation of blood vessels), it can also be a result of inflammation (yes, in my case, autoimmune, with elevated ANA) anywhere in the body. The "cardio part of CRP" is misleading.

The CRP goes up and down much more quickly that the sed rate, another marker for inflammation. Mine went back down to very normal, even low normal, within a month as I reme ber, once the flare was over.

It sounds like you have other cardiac stuff going on, so I can't speak for your case at al. But in general, you can have a high CRP with Lyme and no heart problems.

I have had it...mostly on one side. My LLMD explained that the nerves in that area are a favorite place for Bb to reside.

After much treatment it did go away. The same nerves are affected when you get shingles...which I did!

Took months to get the costo dx, because I was also having unrelated cardiac symptoms, and my chest pain was primarily left sided. Let's see, after a couple of electrocardiograms and echocardiograms I was referred to the Mayo Clinic, they actually recommended that I go see an Electrophysiologist (heart rythym specialist) first, because theirs was in Iraq. Did tilt table, month of holter monitor, etc etc, and told me that I was imagining the chest pain due to anxiety over my low bp and rapid pulse. (!)

Finally, my md dx'd costo, put me on Vioxx, before it was pulled- which my insurance wouldn't cover. They rec'd tylenol. Idiots.

He dx'd it by holding my arm up at an angle, then lightly pressing on the point where my ribs attach to the sternum. When he regained consciouness from my throwing him across the room, (yeah, it hurt pretty bad.)he said it was costo.

Anyway, some things that have helped me- if your chest pain is primarily one sided, it may help to wear your arm on that side in a sling for a week or so. This minimizes movement of the inflamed cartilage, allowing time to heal.

Everyone will ask what happened to your arm. I just explained that I had an inflamed muscle. (Close enough.)

If you are female and, erm, well endowed- going bra-less can be EXTREMELY painful. Find a decent boneless bra. They don't work as well, but they don't impale you, either. Or, what works wonderfully for me is the bioform bra by charnos- made in the uk, don't think they even sell it here, and it's pretty expensive. But, sometimes you can find them on ebay. Just bought 4, new with tags and in the box, for $15 each. Not as comfy as completely boneless, but looks a whole lot better. No, I don't own stock.
About bioform:
Bioform Charnos

Bioform Charnos link2

Sorry Betty, hope this works better.

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Vincit qui patitur: he conquers, who endures.
-- Percy Cerutty

Please edit your post to fix the WIDE web site you showed causing us all to toggle back and forth each line.

Looks like you have important info, but we lymies can't comprehend well toggling back and forth.

Thanks for your consideration in the future and now. Betty G., Iowa

I used to take atenolol for this, but was recently switched to Betapace since my BP was dropping too low on the atenolol. So far, so good.

As for the costro........prolotherapy could help you ALOT. [or other rib pain] Check out these links and especially consider getting a copy of the book by Dr Hauser.
http://www.prolodoc.com/faber4.htm http://www.prolodoc.com/zale.htm http://www.prolotherapy.com/ http://www.prolodoc.com/
Hear success stories: http://www.prolotherapy.com/proloaudio.htm

Rate prolotherapy: http://www.remedyfind.com/rm-715-Prolotherapy.asp

How do other treatments rate? http://www.remedyfind.com/hc-Osteoarthritis.asp

Articles on prolotherapy:
http://www.prolotherapy.com/documents.htm
http://www.prolotherapy.com/articles/banks.htm http://www.getprolo.com/
http://www.docbridges.com/prolo.htm

A great book on the topic:
Prolo Your Pain Away, by Dr. Ross Hauser