breathing problems after surgery

mel1213333 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

I am a 35 year old female with 3 kids and am in pretty good health. Until the beginning of this year when I was diagnosed with gallbladder disease. I had my gallbladder removed two weeks ago and have had breathing problems since. I even went back into the hospital for 3 days and had lots of test ran on me and they all came back with nothing. Then supposively the physical therapist said I had a rib out of place and that might be the cause, she supposively put it back into place and I was sent home. Then when I went back to my family doctors a few days later for a check up, he said I had costochondritis and taking anti-inflamitories for a few days would clear it up. Well a week has past and I still have a hard time breathing and it feels like my chest is burning. Can anyone help?

helene · Supporter Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 363

Hi! I don’t know if your breathing difficulties are related to your surgery but I read your post and I could relate to the costochondritis you said you were diagnosed with.
I had it and I haven’t had that much breathing problems, I had a lot of chest pain though. I would have shortness of breath from time to time. I was also given Ibuprofen but it hasn’t helped, so I was given a steroid injection because I couldn’t get rid of the pain with Ibuprofen. It was a “prolonged” recovery.

As far as I know, Costochondritis should even go away on its own but if it is caused by bacteria, then a person needs antibiotics. However, this bacterial infection usually occurs if there was a surgery in the upper chest.

imorrow · Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 1

I have the same problems you to down to a t. its conscondritis but i personally think i may have a mix of two things. i have severe breathing issues that no medication helps and that ended me up in the ER 10 times since it first started 2 months ago. i have been a guinea pig. i have had every test done at the ER and bloodwork and still nothing other then the cosco. they bascially told me that the breathing issues were mental. and it was all caused by anxiety. it ticked me off. but made some sense after about a month of denial. when you cant breathe, it def. makes you anxious. i dont know that i am truly for believing that my lack of oxygen is anxiety as i have had anxiety before and i was breathing rapidly unlike now which is barely breathing. i am under "normal stress" but havent found a permanent solution for this. nothing really works for me. the vicodin caused me to have anxiety (lack of breathing/shallow breathing would kick up a notch with vicodin) but the pain was helped more then anything other drug i was prescribed. then i was given xanax to help the anxiety caused by 2months of misery of cosco and trying to have pain relief with vicodin. so one thing helped and another thing triggered. it has been pure hell for me. read all sideeffects of all the meds you get. i was ticked to find that almost all the med's they gave me caused, ding ding ding SHALLOW BREATHING! Why would they give me that knowing that i can't breather!?#%$ my doc is of very little help. he doesnt mind throwing out a prescription but that is no life for a mother of 2. i want a solution not the drugs. this is really agonizing by now. it robbed my mood and what seems to be the last 2 months of my life. i hope this is some help. feel free to email me anytime at **********

here is a website that is somewhat helpful..

***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web adresses and private emails not allowed **

cryztal6 · Newbie Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 1

Hi,
I have recently been diagnosed with costochondritis as well. About a year ago I developed shortness of breath that has persisted since. Nearly everyday I have a hard time breathing. They thought it was asthma, acid reflux, anxiety.... and now my new allergist thinks it is costo. My main problem is the shortness of breath. I spend everyday feeling like i am suffocating and I feel like the doctors dont believe me because all thier tests find nothing wrong with me. I have also been to the ER several times for this. I have had chest pain from the start but I thought the chest pain was somehow caused by the shortness of breath so I didnt make a big deal out of it. I did tell my doctors my lungs hurt and my chest hurts and they just brushed it off. Until finally my new doctor pressed on my chest and i said it hurt a lot so he thinks it is costo. I want to know if costo could really be the cause of my breathing problem. Today its rainy outside and I feel worse then I have in last few days. Right now I feel short of breath and when it gets to be too much and I go for a deep breath I am feeling a sharp pain in the right side of my chest where other times it was the left side. This illness is making me depressed and miserable can someone offer any good advice? The ibprofin didnt help so now im on indomethacin if two weeks of that doesnt help the allergist said he is referring me to the rheumatologist.

Guest · Guest

I have to say, i have had pain in my right side (chest) for at least 2 decades, no one can find anything wrong with me. Comes and goes, batteries of tests, multiple docs, xrays/mris/cat scans nothing. My advice is try not to look so hard after you have exhausted every option and multiple opinions. If you look too hard, believe me, they WILL find something wrong with you.

breathing problems after surgery

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK