discomfort behind my xiphoid

Hi All,

Specially the story's of JanR and Deb are very similar. Also the others who descriped their problems, I have had the same. It turned out that the Xiphoid (a sort bone at the lower part of your sternum) bended slightly left and forward, toward my lower rib. This hurt and felt uncomfortable especially when lifting my schildren, sitting in my car or at the table with my back not straight up. A year a go I have had an injection in the bone, this should resolve it. However last december all was back and in my opinion also the 'lump' was bigger.
After some discussion the Doctor advised there's only one thing, remove the Xiphoid. It's not an operation which is done regular. So it seems reading your stories.
So last week the Xiphoid is removed and here I am sitting however with pain. Jan, can you tell the lime line to function normal again? It feels like a C-section (my wive has had one) so it's a pretty serious operation.
My advise to all who think having the same. Ask for an X-ray. With an X-ray it's the only way to see it, and then still it's not easy as in this area there are more bones and ribbs dsiturbing the clear picture.
Regards, Roel

very interesting blogs about this. I have recently been having this same pain and am wonduring if anyone had more pain after eating or what seemed to be heart burn. That is what I thought it was but I have taken everything under the sun and had no relief. I also noted some back pain as well. I think I will go to my GP and get an x-ray to find out if I have a protruding xiphoid.

I have the same thing --- good to know I am not alone here. It's just one of those things that "bugs" me because I have been in good health otherwise.

JanR wrote:

Hi, sorry I posted twice the same thing. I thought it went wring the first time. talk to y'all in two weeks.

How is it going for you ? I have a very same problem and considering a surgery. I think I can even feel the bone curling inside. Let us know.
Thank you
Geo

Guest wrote:

JanR wrote: Hi, sorry I posted twice the same thing. I thought it went wring the first time. talk to y'all in two weeks. How is it going for you ? I have a very same problem and considering a surgery. I think I can even feel the bone curling inside. Let us know. Thank you Geo

Have you considered when you'd be getting the surgery done? I would like to hear how it goes for someone who's getting a procedure done.

I have the same problem that most of you talk about. Im in mid forties and I started seeing this protrusion in xiphoid area a couple of months back. It is sore and bit painful when I stoop. I had x-ray (to check for any bone abnormality) and ultrasound (to see any soft tissue abnormality), nothing abnormal the doctors say. Like for many of you they say it is a normal xiphoid slightly bending forward. But I am not convinced since you can clearly feel it separately from rest of the bone or skin/muscle, and it is sore. The radiologists recommend a CT scan if my family doctor thinks it is pathological (it is hard to convince him that it is pathological). But from what you all have written, the only conclusion is that it is indeed normal and if you choose, you can remove it. Has any one being given a different diagnosis?

my problem started with chest pain and i went to the hospital thinking the worst...after 3 hospital trips and 8 months my latest doctor has diagnosed me with a broken xiphoid and will have it removed on 11-3. My symptoms have been similar to the others with constant discomfort in the sternum area that gets worse with physical activity and spreads to back and neck with headaches and lightheadedness when its at its worst also pops when I rub my fingers accrossed it. I am happy it didn't take years for my diagnosis but can understand why as most doctors go down the usual path as they did with me...heart burn, anxiety, hernia, etc. EKG, endoscope, upper GI, xrays etc. I tried all their pills and instructions but kept going back with the same complaint, it wasn't until my family doctored referred me to a surgeon thinking a possible hernia but after seing the surgeon he knew right away it was a xiphoid issue. I will reply post surgery results.

Guest wrote:

my problem started with chest pain and i went to the hospital thinking the worst...after 3 hospital trips and 8 months my latest doctor has diagnosed me with a broken xiphoid and will have it removed on 11-3. My symptoms have been similar to the others with constant discomfort in the sternum area that gets worse with physical activity and spreads to back and neck with headaches and lightheadedness when its at its worst also pops when I rub my fingers accrossed it. I am happy it didn't take years for my diagnosis but can understand why as most doctors go down the usual path as they did with me...heart burn, anxiety, hernia, etc. EKG, endoscope, upper GI, xrays etc. I tried all their pills and instructions but kept going back with the same complaint, it wasn't until my family doctored referred me to a surgeon thinking a possible hernia but after seing the surgeon he knew right away it was a xiphoid issue. I will reply post surgery results.

I for one definitely want to hear how the surgery goes. It doesn't seem like it's too far away so I hope you can tell us all about it in as much detail as possible. Are you nervous about it?

well I had the surgery this morning, it took about 2 hours and I have a 3 inch incision in the middle of my stomach just below the sternum. surgeon advised my xiphoid was damaged and point inwards so if not removed I'm sure this issue would have plague me for years. I feel sore from the surgery but already feel better internally. I have only taken one vicodin post surgery (prescibed 1 every 4 hours) so if you have been diagnoised with this problem I would not fear removing it. I found it interesting that most of the nurses and staff was curious as to how I damaged it as it was the first they heard of somebody getting it removed that didn't break it during CPR. I never had CPR done on me and the only thing I can recall was working on a car back in Feb.09 and used my chest as a 3rd hand to push in the axle while changing the bearings, no pain that day but within a few days of that my problems started and I never thought that was it in the begining. I will post more results once off all meds.

man thnks so much ive been having the same thing for goin on a year now and my xiphoid fills swollen and ive had discomfort there and chest pan and back pain and they diagnosed me with anxiety acid reflux ect im goin to doctors tomarrow and am gonna bring this up [/b]