Middle Back Pain = Serious??

[marky1956]

I'm a 50 year old over-weight non-drinking male who has never smoked.  I've been having constant middle back pain for the past 4-5 weeks, along with a general lousy feeling w/ slight pangs of nausia.  The pain is always there, it doesn't come and go.  I recently had an endoscopy w/ biopsies, and everything came back fine.  GI Doc is now sending me to get a sonogram of my gall bladder, pancreas, etc.  I really don't have any frontal or side abdominal pains, just the pain in the middle back region, which doesn't feel like muscular.  I'm wondering if arthritis would cause this continuous back pain.

Can any serious disease, such as pancreatic cancer, present with symptoms of middle back pain only, or would there most likely be pains in the front (below sternum) or on either side (beneath rib cage)?  Also, would any items in the bloodwork indicate potential pancreatic cancer?

Thanks for your responses.

[ggreg]

The kidneys are located in the middle of the back.  When they do the sonogram, ask them to look at those, too.  A urine test also might show any problems with the kidneys.  Also, when I got in my 50s, my lower back began to hurt all the time.  As I gained tummy weight, it got worse, because the unsupported weight pulls on the spine.  But that is my lower back, which is a common arthritic problem as people age.  I don't know about the middle back.  A simple plane X-ray of your spine might show any irregularities.  And even tho it doesn't feel muscular, when you wrench your back muscles, it hurts more than most muscle injuries.  A massage therapist can detect such things.  As for your nausea and lousy feeling, pain can cause those symptoms.  In any case, that sonogram is great for detecting anything serious with your glands.

[marky1956]

Thanks Greg.  Funny thing when you say "kidneys"..... I was born with only my right kidney, and I never found this out until I was 43!!  I will have them check my "kidney" as well.  My lower back has been bothering me for years, and I know I have arthritic problems there, but the middle back area has me concerned.  I had a x-ray a few weeks ago, and my GP told me I had arthritis, but I'm not sure she was talking about the lower & middle back areas, or just the lower.  I will ask her again on both areas.  I have also started having this annoying cough, which feels like down deep in my lungs, as opposed to the throat tickle kind.  Obviously, problems with the lungs also creep into my mind (middle back pain & deep cough = lung cancer?), seeing as we humans always jump to the worst-case scenarios!  I'll just have the sonogram and see what turns up.  Getting old is a first time trip for everyone, and when we start feeling pains in areas we have never had them, the internet leads us to scary places when we try to find out what they are.

[marky1956]

Had my sonogram this morning on my liver, kidney, gall bladder & pancreas, and the Technician said everything looked OK, and that she didn't think there was anything to worry about. So, I guess I'll just have to wait for the final report this week to see what the Dr's official opinion is.  Boy, I sure feel crappy for there being nothing wrong.

[Jaybay]

Technicians aren't supposed to tell you anything one way or the other.  They have not had the necessary education to read results of your tests.  Back pain is one of the classic symptoms of gallbladder disease - either with gall stones or without.  While ultrasound can rule out gallstones, it can NOT rule out a poorly functioning, diseased gallbladder.  A nuclear medicine test called a HIDA scan can determine if your have a poorly functioning gallbladder.