@lightlypoached and @LarkDescending (sorry I can't recall the name/s of anyone else who has asked after me, call it corona fog or COVID brain but I can barely think straight!)
My thoracic pain is worse today; the ribs not giving me as much grief as they have been, but perhaps that's a kinesthetic illusion because the spine is so sore. In fact, I'm in a lot of pain in my diaphragm too. It's a bit like someone has driven a sword through me from behind and the point is sticking out of my solar plexus!
I foolishly went shopping for some groceries today - had no choice as there were a couple of essentials I was out of and I don't have anyone at all who can go for me at present. I did my best to keep my distance and not breathe near anyone, used self-checkouts, etc. But the reason I mention it is because I walked maybe a third of a kilometre to the bus stop and really noticed from the start the pain in my right ribs as I walked, as well as the shortness of breath. Also felt a bit dizzy. By the time I got home, after carrying one heavy bag of shopping and a light bag in the other hand, my back was very sore, as well as that 'band' that goes around to the front.
That was mid-afternoon, and since then I've felt like my right lung is 'stuffy' and I'm not always getting a proper breath down. My core muscles are aching and I can't bend forwards without making the pain worse. Actually, I can't even lean forward slightly without worsening pain and discomfort. I go between feeling very sorry for myself, and a bit panicky.
But I can do the Roth test in less than ten seconds, so I've got no oxygen problem, and I'm not coughing. My eyes periodically feel a bit sore and my sinuses a bit stuffy. Had a brief headache a couple of hours ago but it has passed. Taken cocodamol 30/500mg (just one tablet) this evening and used an ice cold gel pack on my mid back for half an hour.
I just don't know what's going on. I'm miserable.
Think I've mentioned previously I have osteoporosis and fractured the T8 7 years ago, and have had several rib fractures in the last twenty or so years. This could be a fragility fracture, but unlike you @lightlypoached I haven't done anything remotely strenuous in the last few weeks - can't think of anything that put my bones at risk of fracturing. And reading all the accounts on here of rib, spine and diaphragm pain makes me think this has to be the virus and I made a sadly unavoidable mistake today of walking too far and carrying shopping. I simply have to rest as completely as possible for the next few days, I guess, or else I'm in danger of worsening the pain and breathing difficulty.
Sorry everyone, I forgot to say: day 18 (at least as far as the pain and sometimes tricky breathing is concerned, anyway). I took diazepam twice yesterday but was in more pain today so I won't be doing that again. We have to try these things though. What works for one may or may not work for another.
With all the diaphragmatic pain today I've felt a bit refluxy, but not too badly.
I'm afraid I don't have more positive news yet, but I think it's important to remember that we can't know for sure what's corona and what's not. I want x-rays but I'm still terrified of going to hospital in case this is more related to my musculoskeletal conditions and I end up picking up the virus while I'm there! On the other hand, it's incredibly useful to read everyone's contributions to these threads because we're often getting lots of 'identification' with other people's symptoms and there must be something in that, surely? Every time I read comments about agonising back and/or rib pain (and there've been plenty over the 5 threads) I feel like this can't be coincidence at this particular time. Someone (apologies for not remembering who) posted today something about feeling pain in their diaphragm as though they'd been winded, and I immediately saw some light! Although it's also hard not to feel a bit ghoulish, waiting for people to say "yes I'm in absolute agony in that region of my body too!" But as many of you are saying, most of us feel abandoned by the NHS to some extent at the moment, and that's scary and hard to bear.
By the way, I did think hard about going out among people today, but I've had these symptoms for well over two weeks now so according to PHE's advice I'm not contagious (as far as I understand it) even though I'm (potentially) still COVID symptomatic? It was a genuine need though. Made me think, well, I have to protect myself first and foremost because I've only got me. Altruism in the time of COVID has to have its limits, I'm afraid 