Question
QUESTION: I am a 29 year old non smoker- for about 10 days now I've been experiencing some odd symptoms.  It began with a sharp pain just above and somewhat to the right of my right breast.  It was accompanied by inability to take in a deep breath.  Within a few days, the breathing became much easier but the pain continued.  The pain gets worse through out the day and the only time it seems okay is when I stand up completely straight.  
I have been freaking out because I've been afraid this was pulmonary embolism.  I used to smoke, I've had vericose veins for about 8 years- though not protruding or serious, still I'm in my 20's!!! (varicose veins happened with first pregnancy)I have not been to the ER or doctor because I do not have insurance.  I've been going back and forth between thinking "no way, couldn't be" and "what else could it be?"
Well, yesterday I did some pretty heavy cleaning and moving of heavy furniture as well as lifting and carrying children up over gates and such.  Today the pain was worse!  Only it seems to have traveled...I now feel it below my right breast and it is intense around my back.  This pain has become worse throughout the evening.
My fiance suggested it could be an injured rib...which may make sense.  As a matter of fact, about the time of onset of pain- he and I were rough housing and he did jokingly fall on me.  I am 5'2 and 130lbs...he is 210 lbs.

I would rather believe this a rib injury...and it would make more plausible sense.  However, could the injury have become worse?  

Right sided chest pain is not common, there are only a few things it could be, and I'm scared of the worst!!!!!
Thank you,
Eva

ANSWER: Hello, Eva.

I agree with your husband.  Sounds like you have some cramped intercostal (rib) muscles.  That could easily be triggered by being landed on by a 210 galoot, as a protective muscular reaction to ribs being deformed.

That the pain disappears when you stand up fits.  An embolism wouldn't disappear from change of position.

Varicosities appear when tight muscles compress deep blood vessels and force blood to go through the more surface, smaller vessels, which can't carry the volume and so bulge.

If you were my client, I'd give you a breathing sessions to free the contracted intercostals and a session for your legs to prevent further varicosities and to improve cirulcation.

Find a somatic educator who can do that at

http://www.hannasomatics.com/practitioners

Lacking that, ask me about the appropriate self-help approach.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: "self-help" approach?  Do you mean taking 800mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours?  Done.  The past 2 days I've been babying the right side, not lifting anything and skipping work outs involving the torso.  I got my first night's sleep in days last night!
If you have a self-help approach beyond that, I'd LOVE to know more.

Thank you so, so, so much!!  It is scary not knowing what is wrong with you.
-Eva

Answer
Hi, Eva.

Ibuprofen (pain medication) does not constitute self-help.  It does nothing to the underlying condition.

You need to free yourself from the grip of the protective muscular reflex triggered by being squashed.

Although clinical sessions are always better (faster and more direct), I have developed two programs for freeing breathing through movement training.

Please see the descriptions for

Special Program to Free Breathing
Calm & Energize:  Somatic Breathing Training to Reduce Stress.

at

http://www.somatics.com/page7.htm