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Upper Back Pain, Belching, Abdominal Pain, Constipation, Head Aches
I am a male, 23 years old. I used to be very active, but for the past 3 years, strange things have been going on for me -- most of which I have had tested and been provided no answers.
1. 3 years ago started tons of belching. I belch after I eat as if I need to clear it all out of my chest/stomach. Sometimes it makes me feel as though I'm going to throw up. I feel like none of the food gets digested and sits in my stomach or esophagus. It was bad from 2008-09, then better during 2009 before suddenly returning in 2009 and continuing to present. I have had a HIDA Scan (69% draining), Ultrasound (normal), Endoscopy (showed general redness in esop and stomach), allergy testing (normal) and have taken Prevacid for 3 years (doesn't really help with these symptoms.) GI doc thought maybe IBS-C and GERD.
2. I also sometimes have abdominal pain right below my ribcage in the middle.
3. Bloating. More during spells, but also normally, I have a lot of visibal and painful bloating. My stomach sticks out and I push my stomach out and pull it back in to try to gain relief.
NOTE: Both the belching and abdominal pain is worse during spells (see: "SPELLS" below.)
4. A year ago (August 2009) I started having sever upper back pain that never goes away. I did 6 weeks physical therapy/chiropractic care (no relief), 2 thoracic spine MRI's (normal), a chest CT scan (normal) and X-ray (normal) and acupuncture (no relief). It is always bad, sometimes terrible. It's between my shoulder blades, kind of under them. It's a tightness that I try to "pull" at by moving my back around. Sometimes I hear a "tear" and then some of the pressure releases a little bit. Sometimes it feels like something is sitting inside my chest pushing at both my chest and my back. MRI/CT shows nothing.
5. I have a dull, nagging pain in my lower back on the right side. Almost like something is sitting below my ribs but above the top of my hip bone. It gets worse before I have and while I'm having spells (see: "SPELLS" below.)
SPELLS: I have spells every week or 5 days where I can feel my right, lower back start to hurt and I get increased belching and abdominal pain. Head aches often come with these too. I get very uneasy, dizzy and know I'm having a "spell." They are becoming more frequent and painful. Sometimes, the day before the spell I'll have a bigger, looser bowel movement and then sometimes have few BM's during the spell.
DIET: Slowly, since August 2009, I have limited my eating to almost nothing because it doesn't feel good to eat and I feel sick before I eat (loss of appetite). For the past 2 months I've drank a dietary supplement too. I got off Gluten and Dairy 2 months ago (didn't help) so my diet every day is:
- Brown rice waffles w/ peanut butter in the mornings.
- Brown rice waffle sandwich with eggs and deli meat for lunch.
- Brown rice waffles w/ peanut butter and a piece of chicken.
The strangest thing is that no tests ever come back positive for anything (except my ANA, which has been high for 3 years, but a rheumatologist ran a ton of blood tests and says it is a false positive.)
I was bad for a year and a half (from early 2007 to summer 2008) and then I was better (no belching, stomach pains, back pain or "spells") from summer 2008 until August 2009 when my back pain started and digestive problems started up again.
If I had digestive problems, why would I be better for a year in the middle of digestive problems?! My back hurts very bad all the time!
I don't know where to turn next. Please help.
1. 3 years ago started tons of belching. I belch after I eat as if I need to clear it all out of my chest/stomach. Sometimes it makes me feel as though I'm going to throw up. I feel like none of the food gets digested and sits in my stomach or esophagus. It was bad from 2008-09, then better during 2009 before suddenly returning in 2009 and continuing to present. I have had a HIDA Scan (69% draining), Ultrasound (normal), Endoscopy (showed general redness in esop and stomach), allergy testing (normal) and have taken Prevacid for 3 years (doesn't really help with these symptoms.) GI doc thought maybe IBS-C and GERD.
2. I also sometimes have abdominal pain right below my ribcage in the middle.
3. Bloating. More during spells, but also normally, I have a lot of visibal and painful bloating. My stomach sticks out and I push my stomach out and pull it back in to try to gain relief.
NOTE: Both the belching and abdominal pain is worse during spells (see: "SPELLS" below.)
4. A year ago (August 2009) I started having sever upper back pain that never goes away. I did 6 weeks physical therapy/chiropractic care (no relief), 2 thoracic spine MRI's (normal), a chest CT scan (normal) and X-ray (normal) and acupuncture (no relief). It is always bad, sometimes terrible. It's between my shoulder blades, kind of under them. It's a tightness that I try to "pull" at by moving my back around. Sometimes I hear a "tear" and then some of the pressure releases a little bit. Sometimes it feels like something is sitting inside my chest pushing at both my chest and my back. MRI/CT shows nothing.
5. I have a dull, nagging pain in my lower back on the right side. Almost like something is sitting below my ribs but above the top of my hip bone. It gets worse before I have and while I'm having spells (see: "SPELLS" below.)
SPELLS: I have spells every week or 5 days where I can feel my right, lower back start to hurt and I get increased belching and abdominal pain. Head aches often come with these too. I get very uneasy, dizzy and know I'm having a "spell." They are becoming more frequent and painful. Sometimes, the day before the spell I'll have a bigger, looser bowel movement and then sometimes have few BM's during the spell.
DIET: Slowly, since August 2009, I have limited my eating to almost nothing because it doesn't feel good to eat and I feel sick before I eat (loss of appetite). For the past 2 months I've drank a dietary supplement too. I got off Gluten and Dairy 2 months ago (didn't help) so my diet every day is:
- Brown rice waffles w/ peanut butter in the mornings.
- Brown rice waffle sandwich with eggs and deli meat for lunch.
- Brown rice waffles w/ peanut butter and a piece of chicken.
The strangest thing is that no tests ever come back positive for anything (except my ANA, which has been high for 3 years, but a rheumatologist ran a ton of blood tests and says it is a false positive.)
I was bad for a year and a half (from early 2007 to summer 2008) and then I was better (no belching, stomach pains, back pain or "spells") from summer 2008 until August 2009 when my back pain started and digestive problems started up again.
If I had digestive problems, why would I be better for a year in the middle of digestive problems?! My back hurts very bad all the time!
I don't know where to turn next. Please help.
crackerjack4u2,
Would it be possible to call or email you personally? I feel like I'm getting worse and I don't know what to do about the gallbladder.
If that's too weird, I understand. If you'd be up for that, could you email ***@****
I really appreciate it.
-Nate
Would it be possible to call or email you personally? I feel like I'm getting worse and I don't know what to do about the gallbladder.
If that's too weird, I understand. If you'd be up for that, could you email ***@****
I really appreciate it.
-Nate
Hello yes the belching was terrible. I think it could still possibly be your GB. I had ALL the tests too, my drainage percent was way up there too like 70% and it was mine. If they don't find anything else going on and it looks like they haven't as of yet I wouldn't rule it out and would let them remove it and see if the symptoms disappear. GB aren't really needed, they do serve a little function but you can do fine without them, and when they are acting up they can cause a lot of BIG problems.
doctornee gave you some things to check as well.
My daughter has had Severe Crohn's-from her throat to her rectum since she was age 9 and she has had to take daily chemo to keep it in remission. She's 22 now. She never experienced the belching with hers, but I'm sure a lot of people do. She had abdominal pain, weight loss, and what looked like bruises on her legs and arms that wouldn't heal which actually ended up being inflammation areas. The inflammation was so severe in her GI tract that it was coming out of her skin basically. Her GI doc said she had the worst case she had ever seen in a child or an adult. I'm going to be out of town from Sun morn till Fri but keep us posted on what you find out please. Have A Nice Night and Week.
doctornee gave you some things to check as well.
My daughter has had Severe Crohn's-from her throat to her rectum since she was age 9 and she has had to take daily chemo to keep it in remission. She's 22 now. She never experienced the belching with hers, but I'm sure a lot of people do. She had abdominal pain, weight loss, and what looked like bruises on her legs and arms that wouldn't heal which actually ended up being inflammation areas. The inflammation was so severe in her GI tract that it was coming out of her skin basically. Her GI doc said she had the worst case she had ever seen in a child or an adult. I'm going to be out of town from Sun morn till Fri but keep us posted on what you find out please. Have A Nice Night and Week.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Since belching, pain and bloatedness disappeared and came back again, there are two possibilities. One is Crohn’s disease. Along with gut symptoms skin disorders and arthritis too are commonly seen with Crohn’s. ANA can be high. Crohn’s disease is a difficult entity to diagnose. An elevated ESR does confirm inflammation in the body. Low protein, minerals and iron in blood are the other findings in Crohn’s which may or may not be present. An upper GI series using barium dye is done to see the condition of small intestines. The degree of involvement of the large and small intestine may vary from person to person. A biopsy is the most confirmatory. A recent advancement in Crohn’s diagnosis is video capsule endoscopy. The other possibility is H pylori infection. This can be detected by carbon urea breath test. It can also cause severe acidity.
Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Hope this helps. Take care!
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Since belching, pain and bloatedness disappeared and came back again, there are two possibilities. One is Crohn’s disease. Along with gut symptoms skin disorders and arthritis too are commonly seen with Crohn’s. ANA can be high. Crohn’s disease is a difficult entity to diagnose. An elevated ESR does confirm inflammation in the body. Low protein, minerals and iron in blood are the other findings in Crohn’s which may or may not be present. An upper GI series using barium dye is done to see the condition of small intestines. The degree of involvement of the large and small intestine may vary from person to person. A biopsy is the most confirmatory. A recent advancement in Crohn’s diagnosis is video capsule endoscopy. The other possibility is H pylori infection. This can be detected by carbon urea breath test. It can also cause severe acidity.
Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Hope this helps. Take care!
You think it could still be Gallbladder even if they did the ultrasound too? They said my draining percentage is 69%. I would love for it to be he Gallbladder, don't get me wrong.
With your belching, was it a lot? If I eat the wrong thing (or sometimes just for no reason at all) it will keep me up for a couple hours trying to belch it all out.
The upper back pain is terrible and constant.
With your belching, was it a lot? If I eat the wrong thing (or sometimes just for no reason at all) it will keep me up for a couple hours trying to belch it all out.
The upper back pain is terrible and constant.
Hello. It sounds like your gallbladder. Your HIDA scan and other gallbladder tests can be normal and your gallbladder be bad. I know this because it happened with me. My surgeon told me that there are many people that even though the tests are negative there is still a problem with the gallbladder.
I had the gas issues, the epigastric region pain- just below the rib cage in the middle, the chest pain-felt like a heart attack sometimes and sometimes it felt like someone was in there with a hot poker, I had the pain between my shoulder blades, and the nausea and feeling like my food wasn't digesting and was stuck. Once I had my gallbladder removed-problem solved. I Hope This Helps, Good Luck!
I had the gas issues, the epigastric region pain- just below the rib cage in the middle, the chest pain-felt like a heart attack sometimes and sometimes it felt like someone was in there with a hot poker, I had the pain between my shoulder blades, and the nausea and feeling like my food wasn't digesting and was stuck. Once I had my gallbladder removed-problem solved. I Hope This Helps, Good Luck!
Hi,Sorry to read about your SPELLS.From your description of digestive problems it looks like all is connected to harvest time,assuming that you live in northern hemisphere .During your SPELLS are you keeping daily records of your of your vital signs?Just the basics.Blood pressure,oxygen saturation,breathing rate,heart rate.......Your records are excellent as far as consumption of food.Good news is you wiil find out yourself what is causing your problems.Just be patient and thorough.
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