Thank you for posting!
I've been suffering from the same thoracic and rib pain for a couple of years now. It's getting worse fast. Most of my pain is coming from T6-7 (one of my many thoracic disc herniation's). I also have some ongoing pain from past fusions, but the T-spine is causing more referred pain. It's to the point now, that gravity alone is a major culprit, and is too much for my spine to handle. Several times a day (on the days I'm not in bed all day), I have to lay flat on my back for an hour or so each time. (I also go through a lot of ice packs.) While this helps, it by no means stops the pain. I find that I'm in this position more and more often, and for longer periods of time. (I don't get much done this way, unless you consider reading productive.)
My surgeon has told me there's no surgery to fix this (unlike my lumbar and c-spine, which has been fused at several levels already).
I currently take hydrocodone 10/325 (up to 8 in 24 hrs, but this makes me nauseous. 6 is about all I can handle). I also take Gabapentin 300mg once a day (I've broken down and taken 2, due to pain, and found that worked better, so I'll be discussing a dosage increase w/ the Dr. soon).
I've been told this is degenerative, and will only get worse. I thought the surgeon was only referring to the pain, but now, I'm not so sure...
I've been in pain so long, I don't know any other way of being. I was first injured on the job in 2005, and have been going downhill ever since (although I did continue to work full time until my thoracic injury 2 1/2 yrs ago). My spine continues to deteriorate faster than I anticipated, and that in itself is scary. I'm 50 now, and the battle to keep my head above water is exhausting.
I do need better pain management if I'm going to be anything other than a ball of pain. I've resisted stronger meds for a couple of reasons; I no longer drive due to increased pain from being in the driver's seat, and getting to the Dr. means my husband has to miss work, time, and pay in order to get me there (stronger meds require monthly visits w/pm, my current meds come with refills). And last but not least, I've experienced first hand being on some of the strongest pain meds available for an extended length of time (1 1/2 yrs), and I've suffered the effects of withdrawal when I wasn't weaned off the meds after surgery. (Although this was a few years ago, I'm still to this day petrified of repeating anything close to what I went through). But the day in day out of constant pain is taking it's toll on me and my body.
T5-10 are all herniated (multi-level spondylosis) and may be just as problematic in the future, but for now, the main level of concern is T6-7. I have no idea of what will most likely happen as this continues to deteriorate, and I need to be as informed as possible (ignorance, I've found, is not always bliss, and left me very ill-prepared in the past).
Anything anyone can share with me, about their own journey, what worked, what didn't, what other areas of the body have been affected etc. will be truly welcomed.