Ok need some thoughts

[dhutcheson]

Now 15 days post op and am having a bit of pain in my left side just below the rib cage. It gives me the impression, it is gas pains, but has lasted for two days now is causing a problem when I try to take a deep breath. What kind of muscle pain generally comes from the area? Any Thoughts?

 

[Ross]

If it's hurting more on inhalation, you probably have an effusion going. Get thee to the Doc and get an xray and echo to find out. They may be able to stop it with steroids or diuretics. Worse case, they'll drain it if it gets too big.

 

[Susan BAV]

This is probably another one for the professionals; call your doctor.

If it isn't effusion, as Ross suggested, maybe research costochondritis, inflammation of cartilage?

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Might be a touch of pleurisy. Quite common post OHS.

Pain of pleurisy is caused by the lung ?rubbing? against the outer chest wall. In normal breathing, the lung glides in the chest, like a swimmer in water. Brushing against a rough surface (broken ribs) produces knife-like pain.
To and fro motion of the lung is produced by the bellows-like motion of the outer chest wall. Holding the breath, stops the pain, shallow breathing produces only slight pain; deep breathing causes terrific pain.

 

[tobagotwo]

Another possibility is that you may be suffering from pain from the intercostals, an internal and external group of small muscles attached to the ribs.

These tiny muscles can cramp after surgery and cause pain like you imagine a heart attack to be, and even hurt so sharply that you physically can't take a full breath because it hurts so much to expand your rib cage. Intensely painful, but not harmful.

This is added to the fact that your ribs are laced with nerves (that's why it's a favorite tickle spot). Get cranky muscles and nerves together, and you have pain soup. It's possible pain from it can linger, if the muscles are unhappy.

However, an attack of that that should normally be temporary (minutes, not days), and you should be able to breathe normally before and after. Your inability to take a full breath may well be attributable to liquid building up in the pericardium around the heart. That would at least require steroids, if not actual removal.

Plainly, with that kind of pain, you want to see a physician to be sure it's not anything that needs professional attention.

Best wishes,

 

[davidpa28140]

I had a similar pain at about 15 days to.. It felt like someone would stick a sharp object under my ribs on the left side when I took anything more than a shallow breath, but it only happened to me at night. Mine would ease with some walking around (like 30 minutes of moving) I dread seeing doctors, but if that pain were constant I would at least call my cardio. By the way it went away for me after I starting being able to move around more consistantly through the day.