Hi everyone! First I'd like to wish all of you a nice weekend and as pain free as possible.
I'm pretty new here, so I don't really know anyone yet. I'm experiencing some new symptoms and wanted to see if anyone else has experienced the same, and if its something I might need to be concerned with.
For about a month now, it has been very painful in my collar bone area. Mostly when I go from sitting to standing, or laying down to sitting up. Also when I sneeze. I do have neck issues. I have a metal plate in my neck from a surgery I had about twelve years ago. I also have another herniated disk and what they call severe left spinal stenosis. But I recieved physical therapy for it and haven't really had much trouble with it since. And at the time ,I was having numbness, tingling, and pinched nerve pain. Not any of the same type of pain I am experiencing now. Just wondering if it might be a flare up of fibro. I've never had pain in my collarbone before. At first I was wondering if I had broken it somehow, but since it hurts on both sides, I don't think its broken.
Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has experienced the same.
Hi Vicky, not sure if yours is from the fibro, but what relieves my pain in my collar bone is to lay down with a super hot towel wrapped around my neck and another dry one on top to keep the heat in. My chiropractor showed me that and it also works on other parts of the body. At times it will take my pain from a 10 to a 7 and you know with fibro that's pretty good!! lol I am also new here and am thrilled to have found this site..It's a blessing!! I hope you also have a great weekend..gentle hugs Liz
I experience the same kind of pains, my pain is typically extremely bad in my neck, collarbone and upper back. It seems to radiate all along the upper body. I wish I could understand why the flare ups are here, but I honestly don’t know what causes this. Maybe you carry more stress in your neck and shoulders as well?
With all of that there is no way I could say for sure what it is. Fibro can be anyplace at anytime and at any level of pain with no reason what so ever... Then it can totally go away for a day, week, month and you think it was all in your head or you are cured!!! Then it comes back that evening.
All I would do if I was in your position would be to manage my pain medications and take an Ibuprofen to reduce any inflammation. I also would apply a topical like "Sore No More" or "Ben gay Zero" to see if that helped. For me, I know everything I have damaged, broken or cut off (thumb) and had sewn back on or together. If it is not one of those specific areas I just call it FMS, medicate and move on. The only time I worry is if I have an internal pain within my abdomen or my chest. Then I see a doctor.
With FMS you almost have to become your own doctor and try to determine if a specific pain is the result of a new or old injury, some type of phantom pain from hell for no reason or something new and serious which should be seen by your primary doctor or a specialist. I have great insurance with the same HMO I have had since birth. I keep in email contact with my primary doctor and various specialists. If I have a problem I am unsure of, I call or email depending upon how serious I believe it to be. Sometimes they will suggest medication dosage changes, other times for me to schedule a visit. They also know when I need to have someone pack my butt into a car and be taken directly to the emergency room.
As good as I think I am about knowing what is going on with my body, sometimes I do not even have a clue. I actually dropped by my primary to renew a prescription and she looked at me kinda funny and said sit down. She asked me a few questions, checked my pulse and BP and ordered the EKG cart stat!. In 30 seconds she had my shirt off and I was hooked up to a machine which was clearly showing that I was most likely having a small heart attack right in her office. in 10 minutes I was in an ambulance, baby aspirin under my tongue along with 5 nitro tabs one right after another. I casually called my wife on the cell phone and asked her if she was available to join me at the hospital. The EMT took my phone from me and let her know that they had me in the ambulance and which emergency room I was being taken to and that they were doing everything they can for me during my heart attack, and that she should come right away...
So, there is never a way for me to be 100% sure even about myself, nor I guess for anyone else. When you have doubts, call your Doctor or an advice nurse and get some professional opinions. For the rest of it, all we can do is ask each other which is the best voodoo medication of the month to try and see if it helps. But always remember, if you think that it just might be something potentially serious, always call for professional help. Medical or Psychiatric, there is always someone out there around the clock for us.
Here have some magic pixie dust and a hug from me...
Please get to your Doctor, ask for a current MRI, ask for a bone density scan. I have learned so much about all of this after my GP called me at home one night after 9 at night, telling me I needed surgery on central canal stenosis of the lumbar, right away, and later discovering the neck was becoming very unstable, stenosis in several places in the cervical area and collapsed discs on both sides of my neck.
My first question is will my bones hold the hardware? Found out they won't, so between my Rheumatologist, Chiropractor, and Internist, I am learning so much! I've had good info and advice here as well! Nothing beats the care of a good Doctor!
Please don't guess about this, your body is trying to tell you something!
BTW, thank you, I hope to have a great weekend, My son and his family are taking us out for Japanese tomorrow for Mother's Day! I told him long ago that with his work demands, we can have holidays any day it suits him, so we do!
Hope you have a good weekend too!
I am not a medical professional, but a tireless researcher! I take notes when the Doctors speak! LOL!! They're used to me, thank heaven!
Hi Vicky. Welcome to LWF. I'm glad you started this discussion and I hope you get some answers.
I do know that just below the collar bone are some of our most tender points. They hurt like heck to the touch and if you have strained that area in any way, that might be part of the problem. I have found that the more I touch a tender spot the worse it gets and boy they get mad painful.
I hope it's nothing to do with your previous surgery. It sounds like trouble enough on it's own and sounds like a big surgery to recover from. It could be that some of that is coming back. Have you called your doctor yet? I think that would be a good place to start. Especially since your case is a little more complicated. Just for your own peace of mind.
Best wishes Vicky. I hope everything goes well. Let us know how you are doing.
