stomach pain

[dinlittlestar]

I have pain in my stomach.. feels bloated under sternum .. pain radiates to back and left side of body.. I get chills.. hurts for hours..it last happened two years ago after i had pizza that was greasy. .. don't know what happened last night.. baths relieved the pain.. and I massaged back and entire stomach region and side for relief please help

[mklarson]

Hello again,

    I thought I had better give a little more context as there are different types of esophageal spasms. Yours falls under the Acid Reflux or GERD type of esophageal spasms, as opposed to "Diffuse" esophageal spasms (dis-coordinated contractions that keep you from swallowing food correctly).

Typically you will see Nitro tablets as first line therapy, however I find that many patients develop bad headaches after taking them so I try to find other ways of treating it.

Let me know if you need any other clarification...  

[mklarson]

Sorry, I hit the submit button instead of the spell edit button!  the last sentence should read "First line treatment is TUMS with an anxiolytic like Xanax or Valium as soon as the symptoms start. If you do not have access through your doctor for an anxiolytic, try another fast acting antacid. Try to stay in a position where your head is higher than your stomach to have gravity work with you. Massaging back and chest will help ease the pain until the spasm subsides. If this occurs more than once you should seek treatment to see if you should be taking a daily acid reflux fill.

Hope this helps!

[mklarson]

Greetings,

   What you a describing is a classic esophageal spasm.  It can be very painful and last from minutes to hours. The process is usually triggered by the eating of spicy and/or greasy food. This causes excess acid to increase and regurgitate into the area surrounding the esophageal sphincter. Spasms will starts to increase in intensity and will radiate from the sternum area to the mid back, including one or both sides if it progresses.  Most people that get this have GERD, but around 20% of those that suffer from this have never had GERD in the traditional sense.

Treatment is two fold. First line treatment is TUMS with an ansiolytic

[stacys_aunt]

I don't know, but I'm having the same problem! I've posted mine too, so if you get an answer let me know, and I'll do the same for you! :) Maybe we should go get it checked out? Hope you feel better soon! :)