I have had pain right under my breastbone for a while and was having heartburn a couple of times a week. After a series of test to check things out. ,, Echo Stress Test to rule out heart problems, Ultrasound of all the organs and finally a Upper GI series to look at my stomach and esophagus. All test are NORMAL...I still have some pain and hearburn once in a while. Dr. said the endoscope would be the next test if i don't feel better. If all test have been normal so far why have the scope done? what would that show??I am feeling frustrated (and happy) that all tests are coming back fine.
I am 56 yearold women who is very healthy . I work out and have tons of energy and basically feel fine except when this pains hits...I did get some helpful comments from the Refulx board but wanted to put this out there for other comments. thanks bride527
The endoscopy test would be useful as it would indicate, among other things, if you have a motility problem. I had similar symptoms to what you describe and it was the endoscopy, followed by a motility test, that zeroed in on the problem, which turned out to be minor, in my case, because everything returned to normal shortly after completing the tests. But as long as you're having the symptoms I would want to know the cause.
Costochondritis is inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. It's fairly common, can be caused by relatively minor injuries and can become a chronic problem. But I suspect you would have noticed the pain getting worse with movement.
There's nothing like actually seeing what's going on to help your docs figure out a dx. I've had endoscopes and they're quick and easy (believe it or not!), the last one I woke up fast and wasn't even groggy afterwards. It's definitely worth it if you have unexplained symptoms.
