Yes.... I hurt in my ribs, most of the time. They (the lung experts) tell me that's normal. Sure sucks!!

If the lymph glands are swollen and can actually be felt in the armpit and other places, I would suggest that you see your PCP. Swollen lymph glands are symptomatic of all sorts of things and really aren't something to be taken lightly. I would ask to be seen ASAP rather than waiting until February. As for the pain in your mid-section, you need to think about what sort of pain it is: sharp, shooting pains; continuing aching; hurts when you cough; what? That will give you much better information to give a doc (while you're being seen for those lymph nodes, talk about this, too. If you've been coughing a lot, that can cause the muscles you use to cough very sore.

When I had an exhasberation of COPD back in August my ribs her so bad but not my lymp glands. The hospital drs told me that they would stop hurting once they got me breathing better and got my cough under control. The pain did go away but it took a few weeks. I have not had pain in my ribs since. Do you cough alot? Talk to your pulminary doctor about it

I was at the nurse yesterday and got a row for not going and seeing her last week I knew I had a chest infection but put it of till I seen her I was put on an nebuliser with a steroid and antibiotic in it now on an antibiotic for a week and put on bed rest for a week if she had seen me last week I would have been in The hospital won't do that again x

ibgayle, if you know that the problems with the pain in your rib area is gallstones and you need have your gall bladder removed, please talk with your doc about how you can get at safely done. You're raid of the aesthetic, and I understand that, but with a good anesthesiologist who has worked with COPD patients before, there should be no problems. That will get rid of your chest pain and might even get rid of the lymph node problems, which could be aggravated by the irritation in the gall bladder. It sounds like you already have the answers to at least part of your problem and maybe all of it.