i have it and it's been three months...just sore. keeps getting a bit better and then i do something and it flares up again. doc said it could take months...

Took me four weeks to recover. You just need to rest. Problem is that most people have never heard of it so they think it's just a phony ailment. But it is very real.

It is the worst. The steroid pack helped a lot.

So sorry. The pain is horrible, I know. Not much but painkillers will help in the short term, but the thing that made a difference for me, long term, was changing the way I slept. I suffered from several bouts of costochondritis and suspected after a while that the primary culprit (in addition to a too-soft bed) was sleeping on my stomach with my head resting on my bent arm. I forced myself to sleep on my side leaning against a large pillow and haven't had chondritis since I made that change 9 years ago.

It's been a while since I researched the causes of chondritis, but I recall a doctor telling me that the first time I had it it was probably actually an infection, and that subsequent flare-ups were probably the result of stress on areas weakened by the initial infection, FWIW.

No real tips, but I had this too and I empathize! For me, I genuinely thought the doctors were missing something b/c it hurt so much. I really did. But, as my Dr. said, there is nothing that can be done and it needs to heal over time. Not what you want to hear, I know.

I'd recommend keeping up with anti-inflamms as you need them (get ahead of the pain). I was too conservative w/meds and felt much better after taking meds. It did get better and, as shocked as I was, it just went away eventually (it took months).

anyone?

Last week I went to the ER because I was having sharp pains in my chest. EKG was fine- they diagnosed it as costochondritis. They gave me painkillers and anti-inflammatories. In the past week, the pain has gotten worse and I cannot function. My GP says there is nothing they can do. Does anyone have any coping tips? I am at my wit's end here.