In 2008, I went into my doctor's office due to a number of gastro symptoms. Those visits yielded the following results:
- Malfunctining gallbladder (low HIDA score + stones)
- Gastroparesis
- GERD
- small sliding hiatal hernia
I also complained about postprandial back pain in the mid-left back (right about where my stomach and pancreas would be), but was told this was related to my gallbladder.
Last year I had my gallbladder removed. The gastroparesis improved, and I felt overall much better. I'd get minor back pains after eating, I thought maybe it was the gastroparesis, due perhaps to some minor gastritis.
Recently I had another EGD done to find out about some dysphagia I was having, in addition to stomach pain. Docs guessed mild gastritis/esophagitis which had cleared up by the time of the EGD. No unplanned events (no Barrett's, no polyps, etc).
Despite this, I still have some back pain, usually 1/2 hour after eating, in my mid-left back. This pain sometimes stretches across the mid back to the right-side, but it's mostly on my left. Very mild abdominal pain, again in the stomach region (lower rib-cage, on the left), but that's less common. The back pain can last for hours, and although very mild, it is uncomfortable.
I'm concerned that this could be chronic pancreatitis. I am a 30 year old male. I don't have a history of drinking. While this started about 2 years ago, my diet has over the past 2 years been fairly low-fat (due to the gallbladder) and better than most people's. (No fried/fast foods, very little processed, mostly vegetarian with spots of fish, eggs and rarely chicken. Also a GERD diet.) Furthermore, my blood work has been fine, as have my bathroom habits. The only real indication is the postprandial back pain, and, possibly, the gastroparesis (which may be an early symptom). Taking digestive enzymes seems to help.
While I plan to ask my gastroenterologist for an MRCP to rule out chronic pancreatitis, I'd like to know if there are other possible reasons for this type of pain. Could it be due solely to the gastroparesis? (I tend to be more sensitive in my back than front, even to the point of feeling heartburn on my back way before my chest.) Could it be due to nerve compression issues? Could it be something else I've yet to consider?