I have a sharp pain at the bottom of my lower left rib cage that goes from my left side around to my back.?
Question:
Today I was coughing when the pain intensified extremely. Now every time I cough or take a really deep breath I feel an extremely sharp pain at the bottom of my back, left, rib cage. Any ideas on what might be the cause?
Answers:
it sounds like pleuritis...inflammation of the outside lining of the lungs...can happen from infections or coughing a lot like you are describing. it will go away on its own...if you want, you can try taking motrin to help with the inflammation...but of course, its best to get it checked out by your doctor (i don't know if you have any contraindications to motrin/ibuprofen...like kidney disease, etc). good luck!
First thing to come to mind is a minor broken rib..
Really just see a doctor and you should be fine.
HI,
could be any number of things.
could be muscle strain, broken rib, pneumonia, pinched nerve, pleurisy...
honestly, you need to get checked by a doctor...
they will take in to account your current and past symptoms as well as do a health check, temperature, listen to your chest etc to get an overall picture of what is going on... rather than try and guess with the two symptoms you have mentioned.
its possible you may have bruised a rib. it is also possible you have a kidney stone. or a kidney infection. when i had a kidney infection i was the same way. so yeah you should see a doctor soon.
Oh **** welcome to a lesson I had 3 years ago. A prolonged sinus infection with intense coughing can actually cause you to PULL A MUSCLE!! I pulled my exterior oblique from doing that. I don't know what you pulled...What I will say is this:
1) Get on antibiotics so the infection goes away and you stop coughing ASAP.
2) Go see an orthopedist! I never got my muscle treated and 3 years later I am still aggravating it all the time. It also took forever for the pull to stop getting worse and start getting better because just doing stuff like sitting up and breathing aggravated it.
3) For RIGHT NOW: ICE and apply pressure around the area that hurts. Apply ice for 20 minutes on, then 20 minutes off. Continue this for the next couple of days. After 2 days of icing, start applying heat instead IF it is feeling better.
good luck!
Hi Shirley,
I am someone who never recommends that someone go to the doctor.
You're the exception. Your pain could be a broken rib, or just a strained intercostal muscle from coughing too hard. The pain from either can be quite painful.
Or it could be pneumonia! There's no way to know through the internet.
It's important to rule out pneumonia. Even today pneumonia is a leading cause of death if left untreated.
Good luck and be well.
Kelley
Well, you have had a bad cough with a sinus infection for 3 weeks so, you may have an upper respiratory infection that has perhaps spread more into your lungs. The pain can be from coughing so much or it could be "pleurisy ". This is an inflammation of the membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity. It is usually caused by an infection, such as pneumonia. Pleurisy causes a sharp chest pain that sometimes travels to the tip of the shoulder on the affected side. The pain, which is worse when breathing in, occurs because the two inflamed membranes ( that coat/ protect the lungs are swollen) and rub across each other. Whenever a cough lasts longer than one week, it is recommended that you be evaluated by a Doc. I, definitely, would recommend that you contact your Doc. He/ She will probably recommend a chest xray and perhaps, prescribe an antibiotic. In the meantime, you should take some Motrin/Advil ( Ibuprofen) for the discomfort plus it is an anti-inflammatory. Have you tried any over-the-counter cough suppressants?? It could also just be a muscle strain from coughing so much but, it sounds as though the pain is more than just that. Please contact your Doc, you've all ready waited too long. I hope that this helps and Good Luck.
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