Do any of you ever experience pain in your sternum? Fingers, wrists, elbows and toes have had burning pain recently, but today I started having the same sort of pain in my breast bone. There's no joints in my breast bone for it to be OA. I'm puzzled.I personally have not, but we had a thread here about a month ago on it and on one of the sites that I was just reading today it talks about it. I will see if I can find a link for you....
Yes, it is probably costrochronditis. The prednisone and RA can make the bones in the sternum and rib cage detoriate. It can hurt really bad. It can hurt bad enough to make it feel like you are having a heart attack.
My RD can hit the place exactly with his fingers every time. As long as you're not have any other symptoms that might be heart-related, you should be ok.
My doctor told me that I can strengthen the muscles around the rib cage by lifting a broom over my head. I usually do this lying on the floor.
My chest bones hurt so bad that when I got bronchitis, that they got inflamed.
Yeah, well the thing is, according to the tests I don't have RA - just severe OA. I don't take prednisone, just an NSAID.Yup...got it right now actuallyOkay, thanks ladies. I'll just add to the list of things to discuss with my doctor when I go back in September.
Your test can be negative and you can still have RA. One of the main criteria of determining RA is the number of joints that are hot and swollen. My don't swell so much, but burning is a very good description.
OA, at least mine, seems to be right at a particular joint. I have it in my knees and one of the discs in my back. It is a very centered pain. When the RA hits one of my joints, it aches, burns, swells, can be warm to the touch and it seems much weaker than before.
I'd certainly bring it up to your doctor next time you go in.
If the chest pain worsens or continues, then you need to make that trip to Urgent Care or the ER. Women don't have the same symptoms of a heart attack that men do.
But what you describe sounds like one of my flares. I feel individual toes, fingers, my elbow, shoulder, my hip. Or one day, I don't feel any of them. Then they like to dance around and hurt at different times.
It's interesting that you are not on prednisone. Maybe look up costochronditis on the Internet and see if that is what you are feeling.
If you don't go back until September, then I would go in earlier. If it is RA that is starting, September is too long to wait. Even a few months with this disease untreated can cause you damage that can't be fixed. I learned that the hard way. Please don't wait until then.
I don't want you to RA. OA is plenty. But I should have gone in earlier of a couple of things and now I have irreversible damage. And, it all happened within a short amount of time, in between doctor's visits.
Thanks Deanna. I did look up costochondritis and I'm not sure. The info I read said the pain can be severe and radiate throughout the chest and arm. My pain is not severe, just attention getting. When I rub my breast bone, I can find one spot that is very tender to my touch. I know it's not heart related because of that. I have some aches in my back and shoulders, but that could just be from OA in my spine, which has been confirmed by xray.
The burning pain I get in random joints that comes and goes again is not severe, but it makes me stop and I keep rubbing it, hoping it will go away. The OA pain in my hip comes with movement mostly, and it is a more sharp, severe pain. My lower back hurts all the time, and gets worse with standing and walking. I know that is from OA and degenerative disk.
My sed rate and RF were normal and so was my c-reactive protein. I guess I will just wait and see what else evolves. I read a suggestion about keeping a pain journal, I think I might try that.
Thanks for the advice everyone - you guys are terrific!