[januarybabe]

I occasionally have pain in ribs that feels like bruises. Right now it is in my back. Anyone else have this. My pain varies somewhat from day to day.Most of pain is on my left side of body. Is this normal with PN?

[Jomar]

Do you only have PN or could it be a secondary condition?
Could it be trigger points in the intercoastal muscles?
(the muscles between the ribs?)

[glenntaj]

--a touch of costochondritis?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costochondritis

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/costo...article_em.htm

[mrsD]

I'd check this symptom out with a doctor.

1) left sided back pain can come from the heart.

2) I'd get a chest Xray to see the lungs and ribs. Some
diseases cause bone pain...multiple myeloma and Paget's disease.

3) the spleen is on the back left, and so is part of the pancreas.
So getting a check by the doctor is a good idea if this pain persists.

Sharp ice pick sensations can be gas in the GI tract. This is
usually relieved by burping or using a gas X type product containing simethicone.

[januarybabe]

I think I just have PN. Sometimes the symptoms are so weird. I need a hobby instead of just checking on symptoms. Most days of week I feel fairly good thanks to pain pills. Rainy days are the worst.
I had chest xray This January and it didn't show anything.

I had a bone test in dec 2011. Would that show Paget's disease. My mother had it. It was density test done for osteoporosis.

[mrsD]

http://www.medicinenet.com/pagets_disease/article.htm

Pain in the upper back can be important as it is often a site for
referral pain from the organs in the torso.

[Jomar]

If you feel and press around the muscles between the ribs, do they have specific very sore spots? Or if the muscles feel firm and not pliable , then that could be spasms.
Or have a friend check if based mostly in the back area.

That might help you to know if it is a actual rib /muscle pain vs some referred inner body pain.

[mrsD]

If you had a Dex scan of the hip and/or lower back vertebrae, it may not show Paget's if the disease is elsewhere.

The alkaline phosphatase blood test usually is elevated in Paget's.

[zygopetalum]

Have you noticed if it ever goes away entirely? I get that on and off and have thought it was intercostal pain as I have COPD and sometimes breathe pretty hard.

Do you have arthritis? I'm wondering a bit now if it could also be arthritis irritating the nerve root as it comes from the spinal cord. I currently have shingles , and before I noticed the rash I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of times wondering if I'd done something to crack a rib, they ached and I had a couple of sore spots. I'm really not sure if it related however. You should probably get it checked to rule out anything serious.

Judi