breathing problems after surgery

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.

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..

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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.

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.

i too have had my gall bladder removed & a hernia op at the same time, 2 days after the op i develeped breathing problems, i felt i couldn't catch my breath, i went to casulaty & was admitted to HDU to check on me. i had a ct scan (which was normal) loads of blood test (all normal) the gave me anti-coagulants for 3 days & a nebulizer and some tabs to help me relax, Must say it worked a treat, no problems now...and i can brath normal, specialist said sometime the diaphram can get bruised & will cause brathing probs..or i might of had a small blood clot in my lungs..hence the anti-coagulants,,,hope this helps

Wow, my sister in her fifties, recently had a surgery and after one week she started having shortness of breath, she has been back in the hospital with numerous test run and no one can pin point the cause or a way to stop the problem, we are baffled and really shaking our heads because on one wants to admit that this has something to do with the surgery process or the anesthesia, but all we want is answers and a way to help our sister get rid of this shortness of breath problem. This is really taking a toll on her. We need HELP with this if anyone can help Mel and us please post reply, THANK YOU

Get a nebulizer and albuterol DEEP breaths.

I am a 40 year old mother of 5 and just had my gallbladder removed 6 weeks ago.  I also have been experiencing the same difficulty breathing to the point that sometimes it feels like I'm going to pass out.  I have been to the er, immediate care, and doctors numerous times and have had so many tests run but no one knows what it going on.  It is very frustrating and difficult to do daily activities.  I wish someone would know what is causing this.

I had my dead Gallbladder removed mid January of 2013 and a week after, I had constant chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath and not being able to breath after bending over or doing anything and my blood pressure was going up and down. I have Acid Reflux, Hiatal Hernia, IBS, Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, Ocular Migraines, have had a Total Knee Replacement & need one on the other knee. Anyway, I also had a feeling of death, it was really an odd feeling and scary. My Doctor admitted to the Hospital thinking it was a PE. They did an xray, ct scan & bloodwork & everything came back normal. Within another week, I went to the ER. They still couldn't find anything. My Doctor upped my Propranolol (Beta Blocker) from one a day, for my Ocular Migraines to three a day and by the next day, it helped the chest pain & nausea, blood pressure and about 70% of my breathing. I could breath better anyway but I still had trouble. My Doctor then did a EchoCardigram & it showed a Mitral Valve Regurgitation but he still thought it may be something else because I also have Wheezing and a rapid heart beat. He had me wear a heart monitor for 2 weeks and he referred me to a Cardiologist. I have since had a stress test, which was normal. The next doctor visit my doctor heard my wheezing more and prescribed me Advair Diskus 250/50 for COPD. It has helped the wheezing a lot and if I am still and not doing much, my breathing feels normal again. If I do much, I still get shortness of breath and a cold sweat. Last week I had an EGD done because my Cardiologist thought it was my Acid Reflux, even though I have been on meds for 4 years, and the EGD test turned out normal. I also had a Pulmonary Function Test and I go to my regular doctor tomorrow to find the results of that. It has been 4 long months! I also have a horseness to my voice now and the more I talk, the worse it gets and less air I get. Right now, I am functional and not wanting to run to the Hospital but I still don't feel like I did before my surgery. I hope this info helps someone and if anyone has more information, please email me or post something.

I am 57 I also had my gallbladder removed. When I went to my post operative checkup I told the surgeon I had a pain on my ribs. I was told I was just healing from the operation. Four months later I was still in pain and also having trouble breathing went to see my family doctor who asked me if I had broken a rib, he then called my surgeon and send me back to him. The surgeon said I have Tietze Syndrome which is almost the same as costochondritis. I have been given anti-inflammatory medication, muscle relaxers, non- steroids and my condition has now because chronic. It is now nine months since my surgery and onset of the Tietze. I was told some feel people get better in a couple of weeks, others a couple of months and some are still having problems two years later. If anyone has any suggestions please also let me know.

My wife also has the same issue . She had a laproscopy surgery to remove a fibroid. Its 13th day today and her shortness of breath hasnt stopped. All tests are done and they couldnt find anything .. so now they have washed their hands off saying its to do with her anxiety. She is taking nebuliser levolin 1 mg. That helps but god knows till how long ? If anyone else is facing this issue . Please share the solution..

I had my gallbaldder removed when I was 17, I'm now 21 and still have horrific asthma (which developed soon after surgery). I never knew there was a connection! My life has been a miserable mess since this began, I barely have any confidence in what I do now because I have to have my life tied to a nebulizer and rescue inhalers... It makes enjoying life hard... I'm not thriving, just struggling to get by each day, which isn't a worthy quality of life at all. 

This probably is adhesions problem.

I have the same things going on. I've gone to er over&over the Dr days evevrthing normal. It's anxiety they've put me on Adivan to calm me. But I feel it's something more. I feel bad all the time. I barely eat. All I can drink is water. They've done a throat scope it came back normal. I been seen by a colonoscopy. He done a ultrasound on my gallbladder&said it mostly at fault there going to remove it on the 5th. But some of the things I've read scares me. If I already can't breath right I hope this surgery don't make it worse. I just want to feel better. Should I bring this up to my Dr. What you have? Help me. Please