help

[guitarkevin77]

I get upper left back pain.pain down my left arm and cronic 10 year pain in right chest breast area,sometimes at the same time some times not to long after i eat ,,sometime it hurts without eating .....tests done. EKG many normal..Troponin 1 normal  <0.03 chest xrays ultrasonds cbc normal...alt low    ck low..  just had apendix removed 3 weeks ago. going crazy trying to figure this out. kevin 760.687.8765...***@****


This discussion is related to Chronic Nausea and back pain.

[Banned1]

Hi Kevin:

If your heart has a clean bill of health, perhaps it could be time to look at the biliary and digestive systems.  If you don't have a GI, it might be a good time to be evaluated.  Pain on an empty stomach and pain after meals (post-prandial) could be suggestive of digestive issues.  Digestive pain can refract to shoulders, certain areas of your back, chest, etc.  Many doctors believe that liver function tests have to be abnormal for gallbladder, sphincter of oddi [SOD], pancreatitis, etc.  This is a common misconception.  Unless you are in an acute flare or attack phase, enzymes rarely elevate.  

One of the things you will likely find incredibly illuminating is to request copies of all tests, procedures and reports that have been done to date.  In the future, you can just ask for your most recent medical information.  In the event that you'll have to stop working, life gets a lot easier if you have all of your information easily accessible.

I'm really sorry you are suffering.  I'm not a doctor and I know next to nothing about this stuff but I'm learning through my own illness.  Your symptoms could be SO many things including sludge/stones in the common bile duct, gallbladder/gallstone problems, Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction, h. Pylori bacteria, Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth, acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, minimal change chronic pancreatitis, etc.  

Since you've just had your appendix removed, the last thing you want to think about is more tests but there are some less invasive tests such as the Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and MRCP-S (Secretin) which can image the pancreas and ductal system.  The EUS does require sedation and is similar to an upper endoscopy.  Less helpful but also worthwhile is an MRI-S, which is essentially an MRI with the drug Secretin administered.   Many GIs suggest ERCP, which is quite invasive and can be risky.  Depending upon the experience of your GI, the hospital you go to and a numerous other factors, it can be worth it.  Personally, I'd rather have the EUS.

Metamucil or a similar daily fibre product is a great help for MANY people with abdominal pain.   It does not make you go, it makes you regular by adding fibre to the watery stools, making them firm.  

Many people have great success with digestive enzymes and pancreatic enzymes.  This is something you can talk to your Doc about.  I'm told that they won't do any harm so really - unless you have side effects - there's not a downside to trying them.  Your Doc might even have samples.  This is something you can do now and it reduces the amount of work the pancreas has to do which will also reduce any potential damage to the pancreas.  You can get them at the health food store, too, but make sure they only have proteases, amlyase and lipase.  Other active ingredients are acidic and can cause more problems.

A low-fat, fibre-rich diet can make a BIG difference.  If you eliminate fried foods from your diet and start with bland foods only, you may get to a point where you have no pain.  Then you can add new items to see how you feel.  Less than 30 grams of fat per day is a great starting point.  

Keep a log of everything that enters and leaves your body.  It can help identify patterns in your foods, symptoms, medications, bowel habits and pain level.  

You are not alone!  Try to stay positive and reach out for support when you need it.  Talk to your Doctor, family, friends, co-workers, church or social service volunteers or anyone you feel safe with.   Digestive pain is one of the worst pains you can suffer through and it's rarely easy to diagnose, so it's important to be your own advocate.  Ask questions.  Learn as much as you can.  

Search yahoo! groups for "Sphincter", you will find quite a few groups.  Both Michele's and Maddi's are worth joining.  There is a lot of great information there that might help you.

Take care of yourself.  Good luck and Godspeed.  All the best,

Sam