Costochondritis- Misdiagnosis

Costochondritis is often misdiagnosed and mistaken for another condition. Bummer times ten. It's often diagnosed by an important process of elimination with a doctor who will stay the course with you. Finding that doctor can sometime be harder than diagnosing this insane condition. Here are a list of misdiagnoses as written by Richard M. Kravitz. It's a great place to start if you are looking to rule out problems to confirm that you have costochondritis. I'm not seeking to scare anyone in any way. This list is for those seeking a diagnoses. I was misdiagnosed with 6 of these from the list. Gag. You can literally print this out, march into your doctors office with confidence, and let him know you need these conditions ruled out. By the way, little tip, don't look happy in ANY way when you are seeking a doctor. I made the mistake of smiling, dressing up, and laughing with docs...and they were all like..."you are fine, it's in your head." Then one day, my mom was like, "they don't take you seriously because you look like you feel great." Light bulb! So from then on, the more miserable, somber, and determined I looked, the more serious they took me. So dumb, yet so true. Don't wear your makeup, don't wear your cute clothes. BUT, this one is important, take a friend or spouse and have them dress to impress in a suit or dress. This way, you look serious, sick, and have a viable/credible witness. It makes them take you seriously. There you have it. The twisted thoughts in my head. =)

And always remember: The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

Costochondritis - differential diagnosis

• Cardiovascular:
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Pericarditis
  • Pericardial effusion
  • Myocarditis
  • Endocarditis
  • Cardiomyapathy
    
  • Premature ventricular contractions
  • Supra ventricular tachycardia
  • Dissecting aneurysm
• Pulmonary:
  • Asthma
  • Exercise-induced bronchospasm
  • Pneumonia
  • Pleural effusion
  • Pneumothorax
  • Pulmonary embolism
• GI:
  • Gastroesophageal reflux
  • Esophagitis
  • Gastritis
  • Achalasia
• Mechanical:
  • Muscle strain
  • Stress fractures
  • Precordial catch syndrome
  • Trauma
• Rheumatologic:
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
• Oncologic:
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Leukemia
  • Ewing sarcome
    
• Miscellaneous:
  • Tietze syndrome
  • Psychogenic chest pain
  • Breast tissue pain (both sexes)