Dealing with intercostal neuralgia and peripheral neuropathy

After months of playing detective trying to figure out why my ribs and right side of my back were killing me, I finally got an answer: intercostal neuralgia. It’s been a frustrating road because a full workup by my primary care doctor turned up absolutely nothing—not even an MRI of my spine showed anything worth worrying about. It wasn't until they performed a diagnostic block with lidocaine that we actually pinpointed the culprits: the Th9, Th10, and Th11 nerves.
The pain shifted from the front to my back, settling right where those specific nerve roots are located. Honestly, I think we need a dedicated thread here for intercostal neuralgia and peripheral neuropathies. It feels like a rare condition, but I suspect there are others out there dealing with this exact same nightmare. Right now, I'm just white-knuckling it through a cocktail of painkillers, lidocaine patches, and a TENS unit. I even bit the bullet and bought a magnet therapy device to see if it helps, and I'm looking into acupuncture next.

There is a more invasive option involving phenol blocks, but my doctors shot that down immediately because of the risk of the solution migrating toward the spinal cord. There might be other aggressive routes, like a neurotomy, but I don't know enough about those procedures to say.

This whole situation has been a massive drain on my quality of life. For me, it seems to flare up whenever the weather changes. Physical activity is basically off the table; even riding my stationary bike makes things feel worse.

Is anyone else here going through this, and how are you managing? Beyond Dr. Kvesić, is there anyone in the US who specializes specifically in treating this stuff?

brighteagle26 said:After months of chasing ghosts trying to pin down why I have this stabbing pain in my ribs and right side of my back, it turns out I'm dealing with intercostal neuralgia. A full workup with specialists turned up absolutely nothing—even an MRI of my spine came back looking perfectly normal. It wasn't until a diagnostic block with lidocaine that we finally identified the culprits: the Th9, Th10, and Th11 nerves.
The pain used to hit me in the front, but now it has migrated entirely to my back, right at the source where those intercostal nerves originate. Honestly, I think there should be a dedicated forum thread for intercostal neuralgia and peripheral neuropathies. It feels like a relatively rare condition, yet I suspect there are others out there navigating this same maze. As for my own management, I’ve been relying on painkillers, lidocaine patches, and a TENS unit; I’ve even dabbled in magnet therapy—yes, I actually bought a device for it—and I'm currently weighing the option of acupuncture.

There is a more invasive route involving phenol blocks on those nerves, but my doctors turned that down due to the high risk of the solution migrating toward the spinal cord. I imagine there might be other aggressive interventions, like neurotomy, though I'm not particularly well-versed in those procedures.

This whole ordeal really eats away at your quality of life. In my case, the symptoms seem to flare up whenever the weather shifts. Physical activity is basically off the table; even just riding a stationary bike can trigger a setback.

Is anyone else going through this, and how are you managing? Is there anyone in the US besides Dr. Kvesić who specializes in treating this systematically?

Well, consider me officially part of the club... 😁
I completely feel for you.
As for me, my entire spine is essentially a disaster zone...
To put it bluntly...
On top of all that, I got hit by shingles about a year ago.
Your post actually reminded me so much of the specific agony that nasty virus left behind—that lingering chronic neuralgia... and so on and so forth.
For now, my primary strategy is the same as yours: staying in bed.
And no one believes me when I say that lying still is the only way to find any semblance of relief.
The pain is constant, but I try to manage it without heavy medication because I also deal with gastrointestinal issues, so I run from NSAIDs and other painkillers like they're the plague.
Right now, my biggest hurdle is a Th2-Th3 disc protrusion (on top of seven others along my spine and having already undergone two L5-S1 surgeries), because it has repeatedly irritated the nerves that control my heart and lungs...
It's hard to even describe the sensation—this pain that starts in my chest and radiates toward my jaw, over my shoulder, into my back, and down under my armpits...
It feels exactly like a heart attack.
By the way, I'm currently stuck waiting for an MRI appointment that was scheduled three months ago for April 3rd, 2017. 🙂
If I'm lucky, I'll actually make it to the appointment...
In the meantime, I'm watching these little bumps pop up constantly on my wrists, forearms, and feet... essentially neuromas accompanied by itching and paresthesia.
Then there's the tingling and pins-and-needles feeling all over my body, not to mention the nerve pain in my back that itches and aches to the point of madness...
So, yeah...
That's my situation.
It looks like there are more of us than I thought.

Has anyone else been dealing with these nerve pains lately? If you have, how are you managing? I’ve been officially diagnosed with this myself—it's been going on for about seven weeks now. It feels slightly better than it did initially, because, honestly, the pain used to be absolutely unbearable... it would shoot all the way across my torso, toward my heart, through my ribs, and down into my abdomen, along with these awful spasms. Things are much calmer now, I suppose, but I still can't manage to stay upright for very long—whether I'm sitting or, even worse, trying to stand.

I really can't take any standard painkillers right now, since my stomach has taken quite a hit—I'm currently on Nexium to deal with that. Everything seems alright until I try taking any other kind of pill. It’s all just a bit messy, really, because I end up spending most of my time just lying down.

What has your experience been like?

shadownomad43 said:So, I guess I’m finally checking in here to join the club... I mean, it feels like I should have done this sooner, perhaps—though I wasn't entirely sure if I had much to contribute at first. But here I am! Just wanted to say hello and get myself settled into the fold. 😁
I completely understand where you're coming from—I really do.
I mean, if I’m being totally honest—and I guess I should be—my entire spine feels like... well, I don't even want to say what—but it's just a complete mess.
Well, I suppose I really ought to say this... To put it briefly—and I mean truly, strictly in a nutshell—...
On top of everything else—and I suppose this is adding to the pile—I actually dealt with a bout of shingles about a year ago.
Your post actually brought back some memories—it kind of reminded me of those intense pains that damn virus triggered—which people usually describe as chronic neuralgia... or whatever else you want to call it... and blah blah blah...
Well, I suppose I’m mostly doing exactly what you're doing—just lying around.
I guess nobody really believes me when I say that this is the only way—well, the only way that actually makes the pain feel even slightly more manageable.
The pain is pretty much everywhere lately—it’s constant, really—but I’ve been managing everything without any medication. I suppose that’s because I have to be extra careful; being a bit of a gastro patient myself, I tend to run from NSAIDs and other painkillers like they're the plague. It's probably for the best, I guess, but it certainly makes things more complicated.
Right now, my biggest headache—if you can even call it that, since it’s more of a full-body ordeal—is this Th2-Th3 disc protrusion. It’s been a bit of a nightmare, honestly. I actually have seven of these issues stretching all the way down my spine at the moment, plus I’ve already had two surgeries for L5-S1 herniated discs back in the day. But the Th2-Th3 situation is particularly tricky because, well, it has already messed with my nerves quite a few times—specifically those ones that manage the heart and lungs, which is just lovely, isn't it? I guess it’s just one of those things I have to navigate.
I suppose it might be better if I didn't go into too much detail—though, honestly, describing this pain is a bit much—about how it starts right in my chest and then just sort of radiates outward toward my lower jaw, and then moves over my shoulder into my back, and even travels down under my armpit along my arms... it’s quite a lot to deal with, I guess.
A heart attack—well, that’s just... oh boy. That's quite the situation to find oneself in.
By the way—I am currently sitting here, just waiting my turn for an MRI appointment that was actually scheduled three months ago... it's set for April 3rd, 2017. I guess things move at their own pace around here. 🙂
I suppose I might finally be seeing this happen... maybe?
In the meantime—and I suppose this is just part of the whole process, though it’s certainly a bit frustrating—I’ve been noticing these little bumps popping up everywhere lately. They seem to show up on my wrists, my forearms, even my feet... It's almost like these nerve issues are triggering some sort of paresthesia, along with this constant itching. I guess it's all interconnected, maybe?
I suppose I should probably mention—though I'm really not sure if it's worth bringing up—this constant sensation of tingling and pins and needles spreading all over my body... not to mention that back paresthesia which, honestly, gets so itchy and painful it’s enough to drive anyone absolutely mad.
And so... anyway...
Well... there you have it.
So, we’re still here—which means there are a few more of us left, I suppose...

I was just sitting here wondering—and please feel free to correct me if I'm off base—but has anyone actually noticed any real improvement after all this time? I mean, it's been quite a while now, hasn't it? I guess I'm just curious if things are feeling even slightly better for you all... maybe just a little bit?
I've been dealing with the exact same thing lately—it’s been going on for about seven weeks now, actually. It just seems to linger, I guess. If anyone has any advice or even just some suggestions on what might help, I would truly appreciate it. Any input at all is more than welcome.

Edward Bailey5 said:Has anyone actually gotten rid of these nerve pains? If you have, how did you do it? I’ve got the same diagnosis, and it’s been seven weeks straight. It’s technically "better" than before because the pain used to be absolutely brutal—shooting all across my torso, hitting my heart, through my ribs, and down into my stomach, not to mention the spasms. Now things have calmed down a bit, but I still can’t handle being upright for long, whether I'm sitting or, even worse, standing up.

I can't even touch painkillers right now because my stomach is totally wrecked; I'm stuck on Nexium. Everything feels fine until I take any other pill. This whole situation is just a mess since I'm basically stuck in bed most of the time.

What’s your experience been like?

It took me two years and eight months to finally get past it. I was popping painkillers, using lidocaine patches, and even picked up a TENS unit and some magnetic therapy.

Anthony Carter5 said:It finally cleared up for me after two years and eight months. I was popping painkillers, using lidocaine patches, and even bought a TENS unit and some magnet therapy gear.

It took way longer for me to actually get a diagnosis, so I spent seven straight months in absolute agony. The first time I felt any real relief was when they used a TENS unit on my ligament. Eventually, Dr. Kvesić figured out it was likely intercostal neuralgia. As far as meds go, Zaldiar (that tramadol/paracetamol combo) did the trick, whereas plain old tramadol didn't do much for me. Because of that, I ended up developing an addiction, which I managed to kick pretty easily—just went cold turkey for about 12 days and things started leveling out. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly how it cleared up; the pain just gradually ebbed away, though maybe the Lyrica helped too, and you have to be patient with that stuff. Long story short, for those two years and eight months, I couldn't do anything physical—not even a single push-up—because it was just too painful despite all the meds and whatever else I tried. I dropped about 65 pounds since I was used to training pretty hard. I'm back to my regular workout routine now, and I haven't had any pain for 10 months.

Hey everyone, I’ve been reading through these posts and honestly, I see so much of myself in them. For a year now, I’ve been stuck in this endless loop of bizarre pain in my shoulder blades and back... it feels like there's something truly sinister living in my spine. I've had every single test done and everything comes back perfectly normal. Everyone keeps pushing exercises and massages on me, but those just make the pain even worse. It's pure hell. On top of that, my stomach has completely revolted; I get these bouts of nausea so intense they spiral into full-blown panic attacks. How are you all holding up? Is anyone actually seeing progress?...