Back Discomfort -

[raffi007]

A few months back I noticed a little tingling sensation under my left shoulder blade.. That weekend I went out to have a few drinks and the next week or 2 I had terrible nausea. I went to the doctor, I received a abdominal ultrasound (specifically gall bladder and liver) which came back normal. He prescribed a muscle relaxer for the back and Protonix for the stomach. A few weeks later, I went out for dinner and drinks and sure enough the nausea came back. I had an EGD done of esophogus, stomach and duodenal. Everything came back normal and the Dr. said this was probably GERD causing this since I do suffer from Acid reflux (runs in the family). The nausea went away thankfully, but the dull pain in my back was giving me almost a tickling/deep itch sensation between the spine and bottom of shoulder blade and would almost feel like it would wrap around my underarm to the front of my ribcage. I had a chest x-ray done which came back completely normal. I went back to the doctor 2 weeks later because the deep itch sensation would come in "attacks" almost and kind of felt like an allergy attack without the nasal symptoms. My chest gets tight and the deep itch goes from the area under the shoulder blade to the front of my rib cage (oddly enough, this usually happens when I dwell on it). He assured me this wasn't anything serious (egd - normal, ultrasound-normal, chest xray-normal, said lymph nodes looked great. blood pressure-excellent) and prescribed me Paxil today for anti-anxiety since I'm constantly working myself up about this. I'm 24, in decent shape. Smoked for a few years but quit smoking about 3 months ago. What do you suppose is causing this??

[Kevin Pho, MD]

As you mentioned, you have had a comprehensive evaluation for your symptoms.  Many of the major GI disorders would have already been ruled out.

Further testing can include a CT scan to evaluate the pancreas, as well as a 24-hr pH study to cement a diagnosis of GERD.

If negative, you can look outside the GI system.  An MRI of the back can be considered to look for signs of a herniated disk leading to possible radicular nerve symptoms.

A chest CT is a more detailed study to look for any masses in the chest that can lead to the symptoms.

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_

[jaz12]

Ive noticed that about  a month ago I have started to fill pressure in the center of my back, i do have stomac refluxes and am wondering if that could relate to this?Anyway it happens when im sitting for long periods of time as well. Im really frustrated with this.

[raffi007]

Thank you for the quick reply. I have a follow-up appointment scheduled next week. I did notice after I ate this morning, it triggered the tickling/deep itching sensation in my back so I called my Gastroenterologist and explained what symptoms I was experiencing, he assured me these were related to GERD and to keep taking Nexium (or the equivlent he prescribed) and to also take Zantac before going to bed. I am going to put it to the test and see what my Doctor says next week. Does this all make sense to you?

[eagle7710]

Hello Raffi,
I get the same feelings in my back, especially after a meal, and my only way of getting some relief is walking in my room or standing up as opposed to sitting or lying down, which make things worse.

I'm 29, and except for these feelings I feel healthy. I started having symptoms of Acid Reflux last February of 2006, when I had to go to the ER thinking that I was having a heart attack, but all my X rays and tests were fine. My doctor then prescribed Prilosec, and with some changes in diet and more exercises things went back to normal. But 2 months ago I went to the ER with the same symptoms, my tests were OK and I was prescribed Protonix, which only helped me partially, since I still get the recurring heartburn, the shortness of breath and now I have the tingling feelings in my back, which sometimes makes my back feel so exhausted but it gets better after standing up for few minutes.

Today is Thanksgiving and I had to turn down a dinner invitation from a friend, because I know I won't eat much. By the way I have been eating less and less and as a result I went down from about 170lbs to 150lbs. Although it's good to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way and altough it's good to hear from my doctor that my endoscopy test came back fine, but it's frustrating to have this feeling and not be able to do much about it. And just to remind you, I also still get the heartburn and shortness of breath along with the tingling in the back... And these things are especially bad after a meal.

Finally, one thing that frustrates me is my cousin, who thinks that I'm psycologically unstable or something, because he keeps telling me these are just feelings and you need to try and overcome them, when I know that it's real, but I also know that I never had them in the past.

Please let me know my friend if you get a fix for what you have and I wish you the best of luck.

[raffi007]

Your friend tells you the same thing my friends and family have been telling me as well.. I'm the type of person that wants to know exactly what is wrong with me, why, and what I can do to prevent it from ever happening again. I'll let you know what the Doctor says. My gastro Dr. assures me this is related to GERD as does my primary physician, but I prefer further testing to have a solid diagnosis. Anyhow - stay positive and check back with your Dr.

[eagle7710]

Thank you man! I wish you a fast recovery. I too, will not rest until I find out what I have, as long as it is within the range of docotors and the medical field.
I hope and pray that we all recover soon.
Ps. the last 24 hours were really bad, and it wasn't so much the back tingling or shortness of breath as it was a boiling heartburn in the stomach.. I almost called 911. The good thing is, I feel a lot better tonight, let's see if that continues...

[moggyman]

Hi, thought I might join in on this thread as I have pretty much the same symptoms that have been going on for about 6 weeks.

This includes upset stomach, pressure in middle of back and like a tingling sensation at different times. The first time it happened I also rushed off to emergency and had all the tests which came back negative.

I even spent a week at the physio trying to find a muscle related cause to this sensation.

Now I just seem to continually burp, pass wind, feel seedy etc...

I am due to have the endoscopy/colonoscopy done in a couple of weeks...so I am just trying to manage my gut until then.

I must admit the numbness/pressure/tingling in the back when I get an attack is very disturbing....so it was heartening to see that I'm not alone in experiencing this symptom.

I have found regular meditation/relaxation sessions to be helpful as it seems to lessen the back pain and aggravation to my body while my stomach does its thing!!!

I recommend this to anyone in this situation...

anyway, I better have another nexium...I will post after being probed!!!

moggyman