Rib cage tightness: Not sure what it might be

I have tightness in upper stomach all the time. My bras keep feeling tighter even using suspend fasteners. I have lost weight so is not a weight issue. It gets worse as day goes on. I do have severe acid reflux that causes inflammation in my vagus nerve and severe vagus nerve pain. Sometimes I feel pain in upper left rib. Does this sound like a hiatal hernia?

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I really am not sure but sounds very similar. I have the vagus nerve issue too. My HH is mild so doc thinks it is GERD related instead with spasms causing the tightening. There was a reply on here before, but now I don't see it where a woman said her husband had what we are experiencing, and doctor had him take OTC FD Gard. It is to help with indigestion type issues and he also put him on an anti anxiety med to help with the tightening. I also get pain higher up now going up into shoulder. It's like it has taken over the entire ribcage front and back. I also get pain in upper epigastric region and runs along under ribcage. HH can cause this pain but usually people say they feel like food gets stuck with it. Do you get that symptom? I am at the point that I just want something to stop the symptoms. Vagus nerve, spasms etc. might respond to Elavil. It's an older antidepressant used for nerve pain. Also you might want to see if a muscle relaxer helps or the hyoscamine I mentioned. Problem is that our symptoms could be caused by GERD, HH, gastritis, pancreatitis etc. So hard to figure out what it is. Have you had endoscopy and other tests to rule out other issues? Sorry for rambling!

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Hello @greekcan

I am sure that this tightness you are feeling is uncomfortable. I am glad to hear that your physician is in the process of ruling out MS as this type of tightness is a symptom of MS.

I see that your Hiatal hernia was repaired. Was this a surgical procedure? If so, do you recall the name of the procedure? You might consider talking to the surgeon who performed the surgery to see if he/she has any ideas as to what might be causing this type of discomfort.

There is another disorder that can cause this type of pain. It is referred to as Slipping Rib Syndrome (SRS). It is not a common diagnosis and some doctors miss the diagnosis completely. Here is a link to a conversation on Connect about SRS, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/slipping-rib-syndrome/. If you read the posts from other members it will help you understand the type of pain they experience with this problem.

I hope you are able to find answers to this discomfort. Will you post again and let me know how the process is going for you?

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@lasirvent , I have the same condition, but it isn’t neurogenic as far as I’m aware. Six months ago I had a left lower lobectomy to address a small malignant lesion. Stage 1, nodes and margins clean. So “all” I had to do was recover from the surgery.

After six months I am left with persistent left side rib and diaphragm tightness. Deep breaths are painful and difficult.

I also have RA and there is some question as to whether RA is playing a role In the pain.

For reasons unrelated to surgical issues, I went on a course of low dose prednisone. And by day 2, all my rib pain and tightness disappeared - not improved - gone. Sadly, as I stepped down the dosage, the Benefit stepped down as well.

But whatever caused it, it seems to be inflammation. That knowledge is worth something.

I’m not sure that is remotely useful to you but maybe it’s a new discussion with your doc.

We are all unique and have unique drug reactions and side effects. So I caution that my experience is likely not universal, but I felt it worth sharing.

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@lasirvent , I have the same condition, but it isn’t neurogenic as far as I’m aware. Six months ago I had a left lower lobectomy to address a small malignant lesion. Stage 1, nodes and margins clean. So “all” I had to do was recover from the surgery.

After six months I am left with persistent left side rib and diaphragm tightness. Deep breaths are painful and difficult.

I also have RA and there is some question as to whether RA is playing a role In the pain.

For reasons unrelated to surgical issues, I went on a course of low dose prednisone. And by day 2, all my rib pain and tightness disappeared - not improved - gone. Sadly, as I stepped down the dosage, the Benefit stepped down as well.

But whatever caused it, it seems to be inflammation. That knowledge is worth something.

I’m not sure that is remotely useful to you but maybe it’s a new discussion with your doc.

We are all unique and have unique drug reactions and side effects. So I caution that my experience is likely not universal, but I felt it worth sharing.

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I’m going to ask my doctor to try this. Thanks!

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Have you tried any mid back mobilizations? They help with dorsal or thoracic nerve pain, pain from a lot of desk work or activities that require looking down. I found a PT on Youtube who demonstrates simple mobility exercises that helped a lot. I had dorsal scapular nerve irritation and had what I thought was the MS hug. The spasm and tightness was so bad that it affected my diaphragm. Problem with a lot of docs is they only look at the nerve roots and not the branches or nerves that arise from the root nerves.

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