Anyone experience swollen rib

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Carolyn2008
Carolyn2008 Member Posts: 202
edited September 2017 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hello All,

what is with this rib swelling anyone experience this

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  • nelia48
    nelia48 Member Posts: 539
    edited June 2009

    It will go down with time, as did every other symptom that I whined about.  I thought that my whole left side rib cage was terribly sore and swollen at first.  Then the swelling went down.  Now, if I lay on that side in bed, I do feel my ribs and it's uncomfortable, but bearable.  Hope that goes away soon, too.

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  • Carolyn2008
    Carolyn2008 Member Posts: 202
    edited June 2009

    thanks nelia48 did the rad ong say why this happened?

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  • Shirlann
    Shirlann Member Posts: 3,302
    edited June 2009

    Hi sisters, I am 11 years post rads and just figured I would have to live with my very sore rib.  Then, I took a few months of Vitamin D3.  The pain is completely gone.  I am not sure, of course, if the Vitamin D3 did anything, but it can't hurt to try.

    Carolyn, the Rad oncs deny everything, no point in asking.  Sometimes this is Costochondritis, or, inflammation from rads of the meat between the ribs.  But mine lasted so long, who knows?

    Gentle hugs, Shirlann

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  • nelia48
    nelia48 Member Posts: 539
    edited June 2009

    Carolyn, Shirlann is right -- the Rad oncs do deny everything and just tell you to take a tylenol or something.  I had such sharp, shooting pains and thought it was my heart.  It was my pcp that said it was probably my esophagus that was a little irritated from the radiation and gave me a prescription for that.  Actually, I was NOT a happy camper with my Rad onc.  He didn't seem to care, and felt I should just "get through it."  Which was true, in some sense.  yes, HE has seen a million and one cases of this radiation thing and knows that everything just "gets through it".  But to me, it was scarey, it hurt, and I didn't know what was going on.  I like to know the why's and wherefore's and what to watch for, etc. 

    Radiation does affect the bones, and the tissue connected to the bones, and the muscles, etc. If my skin is still hot, you can imagine that the tissue and muscle is still tender, too. 

    I'm still not a happy camper, even though it all healed up really nicely, the burns are gone, etc.  I really wonder now, if I had to do it all over knowing what I know now, would I even do the radiation.  Chemo was horrible, but I'd do that over, and I could do the surgery, but the radiation for some reason was just more than I could take. 

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  • Lainey64
    Lainey64 Member Posts: 740
    edited June 2009

    My ribs have also been bothering me.  Especially in the back.  It feels like a bad bruise.  I might try the D3 and see if it helps.

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  • Carolyn2008
    Carolyn2008 Member Posts: 202
    edited June 2009

    Hi all and thanks for your response my aunt is 20 years out and still is experiencing swollen rib and pain and yes they sure don not tell us all the affects of radiation don't they i am on day 2 of radiation and i am already feeling really really tight but i also have a tissue expander in and i am really nervous of this as well...

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  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited June 2009

     My onc. wouldn't say anything either. Just a shrug, and I asked him three times, nothing....

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  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 6,416
    edited June 2009

    I have really bad rib pain. Mine is in the back too... it is amazing. I am 2 1/2 months out of rads and I still have the pain. I am going to address this with my Chemo Onco and see what he says.. my rads doc just wants me to take advil. Lord have Mercy.

    I hope it does not last much longer.. I thought it was the start of LE at first.. but I really have no swelling.. just PAIN.

    I am writing this to bump this thread.. maybe we can see if others have advice or knowledge from their Rads Onco.

    Gods Love,

    Laura

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  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited June 2009

    I hope someone's Onc.or Rads. will let us know. 

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  • diana50
    diana50 Member Posts: 2,134
    edited June 2009

    i finished my radiation in sept of 2002.  everything was going along ok...until about year 4.  i had a fracture in rib number 1 and 2.  (seen on CT)  of course...freaked out think it was cancer...but my oncoogist is a very calm doc...so said..."lets watch it"  time passed..some healing...and less worry.  WELL< then last year....year 6....i had a cold and cough.  i fractured ribs....2,3,4,and 5.  all at once.  NOT KIDDING. two ribs were :"displaced fractures"  and one of those ribs punctured my lung and i had a partially collapsed lung.  after ruling out mets....my oncologist called the radiation oncologist...and rad onc said...'the ribs are not broken from radiation"  HA  yeah right.  my oncologist said she hasn't seen anything quite like this...in her patients but of course..now she has.  i was glad it wasn't mets....they finally healed up....and i am fine now.  ALSO..i was taking fosamax because i was on arimidex..(my other bones are fine) and apparently...fosamax can prevent broken bones from healing.....i stopped taking fosamax and my ribs healed up.  i don't need the fosamax now.  i am also a cyclist...of course many people thought the broken ribs was from falling off the bike...which didn't happen...it was just from hacking when i had a bad cough. 

    anyway......so yeah...from my experience...there is a possiblilty of rib issues after rads.  i guess the rad onc really wanted to destroy the cancer in my armpit. lol...weakened my ribs tho. 

    peace

    diana50

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  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited July 2009

    I emailed my Onc. about the continuing pain in my ribs, and fear of mets. This is his response, "Pain under the treated breast is most likely due to surgery and radiation.  If more diffuse bone pain becomes persistent, we should consider a bone scan".  I don't know, but pain for 6months or more is persistent. 

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  • shemei
    shemei Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2009

    Wow! I'm glad someone brought this up. I noticed the other day that when I lift my arms above my head, the rib under my treated breast (partial mas + rads) looks bigger. It doesn't hurt at this point, but I thought that it was my imagination!

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  • pearllucina
    pearllucina Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2017

    I was chastised today for not wearing a bra. I am 79 yr old , 6 months out from radiation. Eight months since lumpectomy and node removal. My breast is sore in a couple of areas. But my ribs on my right side are very tender. Feels like I have a bra on that is too small sometimes to the point I van barely breath.

    I am trying to get through this, after all it is not cancer, I wear a camosal under loose fitted tops. I work full time caring for seniors in their homes, take care of my own home. I thought I was doing well until a client's neighbor got o, me about no bra. Said I should at least get a strapless one. It looks vulgar, I explained about surgery. She pointed out she had double mastectomy. I am upset, I am being treated for "survival guilt" having lost 3 younger sisters, a son and nephew to cancer.

    Thanks for letting me rant. I couldn't tell her to back off because of work situation.

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