What is the pain in my rib cage?

well i've recently had this problem. When i got into ER and after they took xrays and blood work, they told me i had 2 problems i had Adult Bronchitis and Adult Costochondritis. the reason why antibiotics wouldn't work for me was they were mainly dealing with my upper respiratory infection and NOT for dealing with a virus. Which is what Bronchitis was (for my coughing), but my pain was from the Costochondris which was an inflammation on my cartilage attached to my brestbone. It hurt every time i got up moved around, coughed, sit, lied in bed, ect. my rib was so stressed out from all the coughing i did from my summer cold that this happend. So, they gave me 3 different meds 2 pain killers and one anti-inflammatory. I hope this helps, since my xrays also came back as normal. No broken bone or blood clots.

Something similar happened to me once. Hurt like the dickens if I moved a certain way or if I laid down then tried to get back up it was like someone was stabbing me with a knife. I had a bunch of tests done and all were normal. Turns out I had cracked a rib coughing and a calcification had formed when it was trying to heal. These can be hard to detect on an x-ray. Mine was located right where there is a bend in the rib cage and where the bone overlaps it blocked it from showing up on the x-ray. Anyway, it's possible that is the reason for your pain.

It sounds like it could be 2 different things at once: a combination of a possible hairline fracture to your rib or even sternum, and a bronchial infection/cold/flu, whatever. It seems strange that you have gone through 3 different antibiotics and still haven't kicked the infection. I would try not to take too many more antibiotics. This could lower your body's ability to fight infection on it's own. I would also call the doctor that took your last x-ray and have them re-check it for a hairline fracture like Einin C has mentioned. Coughing hard enough and frequently enough can actually crack a rib in half, so she may be on to something. In fact, I'll bet that's exactly what it is since it mostly hurts when you cough, breathe, lay down, etc. When you cough, or breathe, your lungs expand and will push up against your rib cage which can cause pressure and aggravate even the tiniest break in a rib. Same thing when you lay down, it will put pressure on your rib cage causing severe irritation and discomfort. In the meantime, drink more water, take a calcium supplement, or drink/eat A TON of foods high in calcium such as: * low fat or skim milk or chocolate skim milk (tons of calcium) * low fat or fat free cheese * low fat or fat free yogurt (tons of calcium) * sardines with bones (tons of calcium) * low fat or fat free pudding or custard (even ice cream) * orange juice (tons of calcium) * cabbage * bok choy (an asian vegetable easily found in grocery stores) * white beans * buffalo milk or cottage cheese (tons of calcium) Calcium helps to heal bones faster, in case this really is the problem. You should also be getting TONS of rest!! This will help your body to fight infections. I'm sorry you're not feeling well, but you need to demand that the doctor take another serious look at your rib cage x-rays. Even if he still says he sees nothing, continue to eat and drink A LOT of calcium!! Stay away from sodas and caffeine, as they can literally draw calcium out of your bones. You should also eat a bit of chicken noodle soup. Apparently, it is just about the only food that has healing properties for colds and the flu. Scientists can't identify the source exactly, but there is something in it that tends to help speed up the process of getting over a cold...it won't cure it though. Good luck and stick with the calcium and rest. I'm convinced that this will help speed up your healing process much quicker.