Latest test results, anybody have any suggestions?
I got the results of the CT scan of the ribs yesterday, it's not showing anything either. I see the Dr. again on Monday to see where we go from here. I'm thinking of bringing up the idea that I suspect it might be myofascial, but am not sure I should. I'd almost be starting to think I'm nuts, but two Dr.'s, the PT, and the massage therapist have all noticed the swelling and muscle knots. Sometimes the muscles feel sort of "tight", I don't really know how else to explain it, sort of like they are contstricted somehow. I'm going to tell her that part for sure. If anybody has any suggestions I'd appreciate it.
Re: Latest test results, anybody have any suggestions?
Hi Sky,
We tried trigger points with cortisone back in August. They resulted in about a six week pain flare in the area, the only good thing about it was that it helped a bad case of poision ivy I had at the time. I'm not considering more injections right now. If we find something very specific that might benefit I'll think about it, but I don't react very well to cortisone and I've had way too much in the past couple of years.
Niecsey, mine are areas where the muscles are in knots. If the massage therapist goes very slowly, starting very lightly and then going deeper she can work them out temporarily. I'm on a muscle relaxer now, but without it the muscles in the area are in constant spasm. When that happens you can see (and feel) the muscles moving, it looks a little like something out of Alien. If you have muscle spasms etc. a massage therapist might be helpful, and a muscle relaxer could help too. Joking about aliens aside, the muscle relaxer really makes a big difference for me. Before my PCP put me on it I could hardly walk thru the grocery to get bread and salad stuff without being in severe pain. It's really allowed me to move around better. The massage therapist is a big help too.
Re: Latest test results, anybody have any suggestions?
tig, I answered your other post. I feel pressure in that area & its just sore. I am not sure if you feel the same. I have no clue whether mine is from the back or what but I can tell you this many of days I thought I was nuts to but look how long it took for something to show on an MRI for me. So what was minor on the tests years ago ended up being the cause of all of this pain.
Mind you nothing showed to point to this on all the other tests, remember that. If this progresses with you just keep that in mind. I ask on the other post but will ask here to did you have an MRI? Are you being treated by you PCP or a PM? I know how you feel, believe me. god bless, Sammy
Re: Latest test results, anybody have any suggestions?
Sammy,
I've had both a cervical and thorasic MRI since this started in about February. We already knew there are some minor problems at C5-6, but nothing lower in the cervical, and nothing at all in the thorasic and when they did the thorasic they caught the upper part of the lumbar and there haven't been any changes there. I do have some degenerative disk disease and bulging disks in my lumbar spine, but the problems are at L5-S1. Unless I do something dumb the lumbar is down to a minor annoyance.
My PCP is managing things right now. Around here it seems that PM doc's deal mostly with doing procedures, and my PCP is OK with managing my meds. She left me on the oxycodone as break thru with one added dose a day so I can try getting some more exercise. Treadmill/walking or recumbant exercycle for now, and we'll see about something else once I've gotten used to doing that again.
I wish I'd seen my PCP for this when the rib pain started. Because I was already seeing a PM doc for the neck/shoulder, and already had an appt with the PM doc a couple of days after it started I skipped seeing my PCP for it. The good thing about seeing an internist is that they look at everything, the PM doc wanted everything to be nerve pain and it wasn't. If anything changes I'll have it checked.
I see the Dr. again on Monday to see where we go from here. I'm thinking of bringing up the idea that I suspect it might be myofascial, but am not sure I should. I'd almost be starting to think I'm nuts, but two Dr.'s, the PT, and the massage therapist have all noticed the swelling and muscle knots. Sometimes the muscles feel sort of "tight", I don't really know how else to explain it, sort of like they are contstricted somehow. I'm going to tell her that part for sure. If anybody has any suggestions I'd appreciate it.
