Anyone ever had rib cage pain with anxiety

[crasher83]

Basically I have been getting a pain right at the lower right part of my rib cage literally on my right side at the very bottom. It hurts when I sleep on that side and sometimes where I touch the area it feels almost bruised. I've had tests for liver gallbladder etc etc and all came back normal.

[crasher83]

The location is if you put your arms by your side the pain is about where your elbow is, so too the exact right

[buckeyegirl]

Get this pain all the time. Not sure if its digestive related or not. If you are concerned def. ask your doc. I am this week.

[crasher83]

What does yours feel like? It's annoying as I cab go a few hours feelin fine then soon as the rib pain hits I'm anxious and that just makes it worse, stomach also constantly grumbling after meals. Doing my head in

[buckeyegirl]

I understand completely. My ribs hurt on both sides. Sometimes its on the side, other times it is in the spot where your ribs make a V. I would def talk to your doc. I'm going to cause, yes, the pain can make you more anxious. I have a feeling its just digestive. Like gas or acid reflux.

[j2005]

How long have you had the pain?

[anxiety takes over]

i suffer from pain in my ribcage too, i think its anxiety related and also stomach ulcer maybe because ranitidine helps .

[raggamuffin]

Anxiety pain varies lots. There's a list pinned near the top of the forum. I've had rib pain on and off for over a year. To begin with my pains were very chest/rib orientated. Hospital tests for heart related issues came back fine. Went to a chiropractor who discounted anxiety as a cause and believed it to be costochondritus. But 3+ months of work didn't help so i'm convinced it was and still is anxiety related. I recommend visiting a doctor, explaining the symptoms and the anxiety and ask for a referral to a psychiatriist and then onto a psychologist to start CBT. It's a good way to tackle anxiety and the over-active imagination we anxiety sufferers have , which in turn leads to symptoms etc. Best to nip it in the bud early. But to sum up, chest pain is very very common in anxiety sufferers. Many worry about their heart too which can also wind up creating a host of other symptoms. Look over the list pinned to the top of this forum section. Don't keep re-reading or google searching symptoms though because you'll just wind up your mind and body even more and before you know it you're living with even more symptoms than you started with, take it from me : /

Ed

[falconlady]

I have had this for a little over a year too, sometimes in the middle, mostly on the right, sometimes it feels like my ribs are being squeezed. It ALWAYS makes me feel like I'm about to have a heart attack:rolleyes: I have IBS and GERD so I assume it is related to that or just anxiety since I've had a bunch of heart tests and an abdominal ultrasound. I'm doing some CBT worksheets from this site that really help.

[crasher83]

Thanks for your replies I've had the pain since about may. I went to my doctor who gave me:
3 blood tests including a fasting one
MRI
Xray on chest
24hr heart monitor
Ultrasound
But all came back normal and I told him o had anxiety and depression and he tried to erasure me nothing was wrong with my organs and gave me a form to fill in which he said he'd send to psychiatrist but heard nothing since. The pain is actually feels like on my rib when I push in where the front meets the back, the sort of V arch right on the bottom right hand side

[raggamuffin]

It's often hard to accept just how bad anxiety pains can be and also how varied. My rib and chest pains have been near enough everywhere. Left, right, centre, top middle and bottom. But pains throughout my body in general from anxiety can be mild to very severe and I consider myself to have quite a high tolerance to pain.

If you've yet to hear back from the doctor about the psychiatric assessment I recommend ringing them and asking if the doctor could pursue the matter with the psychiatrist as a matter of urgency and hopefully you cna get a full assessment and then perhaps be advised if CBT would be most effective for you and more importantly where and when you can start.

In the mean time try and keep busy. It doesn't always work but sometimes it can really help fight off symptoms and sometimes you find yourself not even thinking about it and surprise surprise the symptoms aren't there anymore. Also exercise helps a lot. It can cause you to feel anxious whilst exercising or afterwards (sometimes even before). But it's just your bodies reaction to the raised hear rate and sweating etc which can often accompany panic attacks and generally getting yourself worked up etc. But it helps release excess adrenaline that often builds up in the bodies of anxious people. Also you start to feel very good about yourself and feel fitter given time.

Ed

[philw05]

I get these too. Under the ribs on both sides and central. Feels like stinging and dull ache. I like a beer so I naturally thought liver problems.. I also get bad back pain after a anxiety attack.. That's the thing with us anxys .. It's a very physical problem not just in the mind... It plays on your fears. Especially health anxiety which I have.

[crasher83]

Thanks for both them answers, really appreciated and makes me feel a lot better talking about it all. I'll ring the doctor to see if he had sent my form. And the pain I will try to ignore it and just shrug it off as anxiety pains. And your so right about the exercise I sometimes get anxiety while exercising and I no it's because I'm sweating my mind only remembers that feeling as anxiety but hopefully eventually I will go back to realising it's excervise as I play foot all weekly and gym 3 times a week really helps.