What it's like to go through a costochondritis flare-up
What it's like to go through a costochondritis flare-up
So as some of you know, as well as having an anxiety disorder and depression, I have a multitude of physical health issues, including costochondritis.
The NHS website gives good information about costochondritis along with another similar condition called tieze's syndrome, which doctors still can't decide if I have or not instead of costochondritis...
For the past 3 years, I have been dealing with the pain that comes with the inflammation of the cartilage in my ribs and sternum (aka breast bone), with the pain being at a constant 2-3/10 at all times. And let me tell you that constant chest pain and a family history of heart issues doesn't really help my anxiety, especially when the pain was just starting and we had no blooming idea what was going on.
The reason I say doctors cannot decide which of the two conditions I have is because while I am under the age of 40, and my pain has lasted many years which are symptoms of tieze's syndrome, the swelling in my chest is apparently "not swollen enough" for that diagnosis. If my doctors ever come to a final agreement, I'll let you know, but for now, my current diagnosis is chronic costochondritis.
But when going through a flare-up of pain, you find yourself not really caring about the name of whatever is going on in there, you just want the flare-up to stop.
I'm lucky that I seem to have found a way to control them now and help stop the pain sooner, and by that, I mean that I still get intense pain and other symptoms, but it doesn't last as long, but in the world of chronic illness you have to get any win you can.
Not many people know about costochondritis, and if I had a pound for every time I've been asked "what's that?" when it's been mentioned in passing, I would be able to pay off my student debts.
Because of this lack of costochondritis knowledge in the world, I thought that the best way to introduce you to it was to give you a play-by-play of a flare-up for me (but it is important to remember that everyone experiences flare-ups in different ways).
Throwing you all right in at the deep end.
Now I'm obviously not writing this as I go through a flare-up for reasons that will soon become apparent as you read on, so I may forget a detail here and there. But enough talking (reading?...), let's start this journey through a costochondritis flare-up.
The hours before the flare-up starts
The flare-up begins
The first thing that happens isn't a sudden, continuous surge in pain, but it's throwing up. Lovely, right? Unfortunately, once my stomach is completely empty, my body is now starting to experience very high pain levels, this pain causes a neurotransmitter called Acetylcholine, which causes nausea is released into the body and transmits information to the brain telling it to stimulate and activate the vomiting reflexes in the body.
Isn't science and bodily chemicals in general lovely? In case you're interested in reading more about it, here is where I got my information from.
Absolutely nothing wants to stay in my system, not even water so I'm also always aware of the risk of dehydration, but we preserver with trying to get water in my system, and we also have an agreement in the house that if I end up going longer than 4 days without water we get to the hospital, but luckily we haven't had to do that yet (she says as she knocks on wood).
(also, don't worry, we've also discussed this with doctors and taking the situation into consideration we decided that 4 days would be the magic number)
This is when a vicious cycle begins: pain causes me to throw up, throwing up causes extra pressure to the chest and rib cage, extra pressure means more pain and aggravation of the inflammation, more pain equals more Acetylcholine production causing more throwing up, throwing up causes extra pressure to the chest and rib cage, extra pressure means more pain and aggravation...
Well, you get the point.
It's around this time I reside myself to the fact that the next few days are going to be rough.
The flare-up itself (days 1-3/4)
The majority of a flare-up is spent attempting to get into any comfortable position where I can get just a moment of relief, be it in bed, on a sofa, in a chair or even on the floor. Alas, that relief never reveals itself and I end up moving around so much I find myself wishing I could find a way to levitate because at least then that would give me another option to be uncomfortable and in pain.
What I'm trying to say is that no matter where or how I sit and lie, the pain in my chest is at an all-time high, causing not only the aforementioned throwing up but also my body becoming so exhausted from trying to fight the pain and inflammation that the movement ends up becoming just small attempts at movement.
I usually get help to get back into my bed if I'm not already there because even though I'm not able to get to sleep myself because of the pain, eventually my body is just going to give out and the exhaustion will take over, forcing me to sleep and rest.
The best way for me to describe my personal experience of this pain is that I feel I am constantly being stabbed and punched simultaneously from the inside of my rib cage and on the outside I'm being not only stabbed and punched but also sat on.
So...not fun...
Also the throwing up is still present, but I have to try and get some water in me, so we end up with yet another visions cycle.
I've had enough of these cycles now...
During this time, pain killers are still being taken despite not doing much, mainly for the reason that once when at the doctors I was explaining the severity of these flare-ups, they asked me about the painkillers I was taking for them. I went on to explain that while I have taken them, they don't really do anything so I didn't have them during the actual flare-up itself; only during the initial onset of pain.
I was properly told that if I was to just keep taking them then eventually they would work. So now I take them purely for the fact that when I next discuss it with a doctor I can explain that I take the painkillers and they still do nothing so maybe, just maybe, it could do with a little more investigation and other treatment options...just an idea...
Anyway, back to the main reason for this post, explaining what going through a costochondritis flare-up is like, and by the time I get to day 3/4 I have only one thought going through my head; "when is this going to end?"
My anxiety and depression are also not doing to great during this time.
Because of the pain and the inability of being able to do anything, my anxiety makes me worried that this pain is just going to keep getting worse and worse and that this is just going to be my life now. No matter how many of these flare-ups I have and having had each one of them end, my anxiety convinces me every single time that this is going to be the one that never goes away and it's well known that anxiety can cause muscle tension and pain so that never really helps me get better.
When it comes to my depression, because my anxiety has managed to convince my brain that this is the one that will never end and the inability to move around myself or even at all, my mood gets so low thinking about what my life would be like if I were to not have these flare-ups, about how many days I have lost to flare-ups, what I could have already achieved if I didn't have them and what I may not achieve in the future because of them.
Just as I'm starting to lose hope and reside myself to my "new life", the flare-up finally enters its final stage.
Recovery
The pain starts to reduce back down to its normal levels, the levels of Acetylcholine, reduces and eventually goes away completely, and I find myself being able to keep water down.
I'm finally in the recovery stage of my flare-up.
It's at this time I start to focus on getting my body moving again and filling myself with plenty of vitamin and mineral filled foods to allow my body to recover as fast and as well as it possibly can.
Mobility is a little harder than normal after a flare-up as my body is using all its energy to recover so I find myself using my walking stick pretty much all the time for a few days rather than as and when I need it but honestly, if it helps me, I'm willing to use it. I also try to get myself out of the house for a very short walk, as into the end of the road and back.
But given where I was only a day or so before this, a short, rather slow walk to the end of the road and back with a walking stick is the equivalent of a marathon to me.
Thank goodness food isn't as much of an issue for me. It turns out that having a BSc in a food topic is handy for knowing the best foods that your body needs to recover from different situations.
In this instance, I like to make sure I have plenty of potassium from foods like bananas and cucumber to avoid my body cramping up when it goes from little movement to gradual movement, foods with plenty of fibre such as carrots and apples to help my digestive system as food gets reintroduced to my body after nothing for 3/4 days and foods high in vitamin C such as berries and citrus fruits as vitamin C helps largely in the growth and repair of tissues in the body, and while cartilage is the only tissue that the body cannot repair, the muscles around it certainly need the help to get strong and ready for the next flare-up.
Now about those supposed "lost days" that my depression made me think about. As soon as I'm on the other side of the flare-up and over the past 3 years, I have come to realise and accept that I am going to lose a few days a month but it's what I do on the days where I am well enough that matters and that I also make sure to catch up in my own time and not overwork myself which could make not only my costochondritis but also my fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression worse.
I always like to say that in life I have to take the scenic route rather than the direct route, meaning that it may take me a little longer but in the end, I'm going to make it to the same destination. If it takes me a week to do something that may take others a few days to do, then that's just the way it is.
But it's allowing myself that extra time, forward planning and understanding which is going to help me achieve everything I want to in life.
And that's it for my experiences of What it's like to go through a costochondritis flare-up. If you have any experiences with costochondritis yourself or have any questions about the condition, feel free to write in the comments and let me know what else you would like me to write about in the future.
Be happy, be healthy, from Abbie x
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