pain with alcohol cunsumption

About a year ago I developed what I called an allergy to alcohol.  That is to say that after the first swallow of any alcoholic beverage (I have tried them all) I get this awful ache like feeling in my neck, chest, back, and arms.  It starts about a minute or so after the first swallow and then is gone in about 10 min or so.  It is unpleasant enough that I don't take another drink.  I researched any alcohol related allergies similar to this and the ONLY that I came up with over and over again is Hodgkins disease.  In about August I noticed a swollen lymph node in the posterior triangle region.  I believe it's the cervical chain.  It just kind of popped up.  I had not been sick with anything since the summer of 2006.  The ent said it's about 11mm and described it as firm, rubbery, and moveable and that I shouldn't worry about since it is not painful.  Does anyone know or has anyone ever heard of alcohol pain being caused by anything other than Hodgkins?  Ant advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Rachel

[riley180]

You may need to consider some of your symptoms separately. If the lymph node is not suspicious as the ENT said so, then it is likely a bystander. You may try to recall if the symptoms appear with any specific beverage/s only, as the reaction may not be to alcohol but to some other component of the drink. If there isn't anything new with anything you have been drinking and if the ENT finds nothing probative in yout throat, you should perhaps explore if the symptom arises from the stomach, such as what occurs with acid reflux. While the classic symptoms involve a burning sensation, the pain may be referred to other structures such as the neck and back. Alcohol is known to cause inflammation of the stomach. Perhaps you could talk about this with your GP or a gastroenterologist.

[rooster1969]

Thanks for your input.  As I said it occurs with all alcoholic beverages, and first starts in my neck and works it's way down chest and back and out arms.  It causes no pain my stomach.  I have tried asking my primary care doctor, my gi doctor, my dermatologist, and a general surgeon.  They all scratch their heads and say they have never heard of it before.  I guess I was just hoping someone might know of some sort of allergy that may cause this. Thank you again

[UDAMAN]

IF YOUR PHYSICIAN (S) HAVEN'T GIVEN YOU AN XRAY, BIOPSY OR CT SCAN BY NOW THEN YOU NEED TO INSIST ON IT WITH A SECOND, THIRD OR EVEN FOURTH OPINION BY NOW.ALCOHOL RELATED REACTIONS IN HODKINS LYMPHOMA DO OCCUR. I RECENTLY KNEW OF A PERSON WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKINS AFTER PRESENTING WITH WORSENING REACTIONS TO ALCOHOL, A SWOLLEN SUPRACLAVICULAR NODE AND FEVER, FATIGUE WHO WAS DIAGNOSED BY BIOPSY AND CT SCAN. DON'T PLAY AROUND. GOOGLE THIS AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THE LITERATURE HAS NUMEROUS EXAMPLES.

[Jennifer375]

I never had any negative reaction to alchohol,, but a swollen lymph node that feels firm and rubbery , but not painful doesnt rule out hodgkins or non-hodgkins I agree. My ONLY symptom was a swollen lymph gland near the groin that felt firm and rubbery. It didnt grow, but when it didnt resolve itself after my next cycle I went to my doctor and she set me up with a gp for biopsy.

You and I are totally different people, so most likely the situation is not the same,, but if your body is telling you that somethings wrong, your body is wise, dont shut it out because someonelse doesnt think so without tests to be sure. Best wishes,, Jenn

[gwenique]

I would get a 2nd opinion!!!
For a while I experience similar alcohol pains and went to the doctor and was told nothing was wrong with me.  About a year later, i notice a lymph node on the right side of my neck is HUGE and i am later diagnosed with Hodgkin's.  Alcohol pain is a SERIOUS symptom caused almost exclusively by Hodgkins.  Like I said, please get a 2nd opinion.  If you read this case study, it's almost exactly me, except I am a 26/f, not a 30/m. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1010854&pageindex=1#page
it's about alcohol pains and hodgkins.

[Jules77733]

Ughhh...I actually stopped drinking alcohol (used to drink it quite frequently, but always responsibly) my last semester at college this past year, because I would get extreme abdominal pain anytime I drank. I can't remember if it happened immediately after taking a sip, but I seem to remember it happening within the hour. I couldn't understand what was going on, and I would actively avoid going to the bars with my friends just so I wouldn't have to sit there and not drink. I never thought of this as a symptom until a month or two ago when it came up during a Google search of lymphadenopathy which lead me to Hodgkin's. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, mainly because my family thought I was crazy to think that I could have cancer without exhausting all the other potential diseases I could have...and now that I have exhausted many of the other options, I'm really fighting the urge to have a drink of something alcoholic right now, just to see if I experience any pain, but I kind of don't want to do that to myself seeing as my spleen and liver are swollen. =(

Ah, well, I guess I'll let my CT scan do the talking.....

[Marri272]

Hi there. I know you have had some comments. Right away when I read this it struck a familiar note back in my brain that was since buried away. I had Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma 8 years ago. I started off at the ENT. WRONG! The exact opposite is true of NHL and other lymphomas. Your lyphnode will be NON TENDER and is usually unilateral (only on one side).  Another thing is that of the hundreds of lymphnodes in our body nearly none of them are  palpable (you can feel them when they enlarge) and that's why that have the CT scan. OH, the familiar part was during the whole time I had NHL and was on Chemo I noticed tingling or burning weird pain in my jaw when I drank alcohol, usually wine. I also had weird sharp uncomfortable pain in my scalp when I laughed... weird I know. Ask for a referral to an oncologist if your wondering or you are tired. I think I would at least ask for a CT as it will show if you have lymphadenopathy and maybe do a LDH (blood test).  These are both reasonable requests. Forget the ENT though.  Follow your gut and if you wonder then do something about it. By the way, lymphoma is tricky to diagnose.  If you don't a have reasonable explanation then that node could be a warning. It might still be nothing though.

[lady_pile]

It seems when i go on my drinking binges ..my lympnodes  hurt all over and swell , my groin , my neck , my thighs ,my throat . my ribs collar bone  and even my head ..i got blood tests and ultra sounds ..apparently they are swollen "normally" and my blood is fine..this has been driving me nuts for years and the d.rs in my town blow..(thunder bay )all i can really do now is quit drinking ,,diagnosed an alcoholic ..and see how that turns out ..has anyone heard of that ?

[sun002]

i am 31 year male unmarried . i drink 4- 5 day dry rum after that i am suffer jaw pain. jaw cracking popping.my left side under ear and cheek swell i have upper backache neck pain, but now i am not drinking such type of drink ..i go to doctor they suggest me for sonography,chest x-ry,blood test but nothing found what is this i go to doctor atleast 7 mount but nothing found ,no one any doctor give proper suggestion also my left side testicles test scrtum lump

[roz371]

I started with wheezing after  drinking alchohol, especially wine.  I thought I was allergic to it and started buying organic.  Then one night I took a sip and got a sharp pain down my spine which really frightened me. It turned out after having some other symptoms checked out like sudden shortness of breath that I hand an enlarged lymph node in my chest near my left lung which caused a plural efusion. A biopsy led to my diangnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Extremely itchy skin is another symtom.  
Roz371

[jess_march]

In case anyone else comes across this thread while googling "shoulder/neck pain induced by alcohol," I want to add some information about the unique link between alcohol induced neck pain and Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. I had this alcohol pain in 2006 and couldn't find an answer for 9 months. Eventually I was diagnosed with stage II cancer. I am healthy today but always trying to help others to avoid waiting so long to figure it out.

Pain in the neck, back, or chest that starts after drinking a small amount of alcohol and then subsides within a half hour--- is a very rare but very specific symptom of Hodgkin's. The good news it that its usually a very early symptom if that's what it is. The other good news is that Hodgkin's, while very serious, has a very high cure rate.

Other symptoms (although you may not have them --I didn't) could be night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss, or a hard swollen lymph node (clavicle area, groin, neck).

Here is a medical article explaining the symptom (be sure to click through to the 2nd page as well, where it described the symptom). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1010854/?page=1

Ask your doctor about running some tests.Typically blood work and ultra sounds are not enough. A chest x-ray would be a good place to start but a biopsy (surgical not needle) is the only way to get a definite diagnosis.

[Ken_PA]

Thanks for posting that, Jess.

Of course, it's good timing, too  :)  Merry Christmas