[froglady]

Have had t-spine muscle spasms and pain in chest...angina type pain off and on for a couple years. Yet this is the worst yet and it started January 1 with having pnuemonia and all the coughing made my right ribs very painful and they started spasing. Now it has gone competely over into my left side too. I feel like my back ribs are in a big vise and someone is trying to squeeze the life out of me. The pain is going from a 4-6 daily and have had some days that have been a 4-7! Today has been horrible and I am getting so weary from the pain. I took flexaril today and then a percoset and neither one even phased it! I know it is from having myalgia pain syndrome, yet the docs don't know it! I go to pm doc and he says he does shots only...can't get the shots until I can give him a diagnosis. Have an appointment in May with a rheumotoligst and can not even figure out how I will be able to stand this pain for that long if it doesn't stop.
Thanks, just griping about it helps somehow!

[gjhartinger]

I have finally found someone who has experienced the same type of symptoms that I have. I too had pneumonia in October 2007. I took two rounds of antiboditics and seemed to have recovered. In late January I started having increased t-pain. In mid-Feb the pain became crushing, like a tiger had jumped on my back between my shoulder blades, taken a bite and still had it's teeth implanted in my back. The pain radiated around my ribs under by breasts as if the skin was being drawn to the point of bursting. I had numbness radiating up my neck, head and around my face on the left side. The primary pain outlet remains the left side. The pain seemed to get worse in the evening, but it was high all day. I am on Lyrica and Percocet, but the tightness has not been relieved. Did you ever get a reliable diagnosis?

Originally Posted by froglady

Have had t-spine muscle spasms and pain in chest...angina type pain off and on for a couple years. Yet this is the worst yet and it started January 1 with having pnuemonia and all the coughing made my right ribs very painful and they started spasing. Now it has gone competely over into my left side too. I feel like my back ribs are in a big vise and someone is trying to squeeze the life out of me. The pain is going from a 4-6 daily and have had some days that have been a 4-7! Today has been horrible and I am getting so weary from the pain. I took flexaril today and then a percoset and neither one even phased it! I know it is from having myalgia pain syndrome, yet the docs don't know it! I go to pm doc and he says he does shots only...can't get the shots until I can give him a diagnosis. Have an appointment in May with a rheumotoligst and can not even figure out how I will be able to stand this pain for that long if it doesn't stop.
Thanks, just griping about it helps somehow!

[Kathi49]

I saw my PM about this very subject yesterday. Same type of pains wrapping around. He seems to think it is facet arthritis and referring pain around the ribcage and to the front. At the same time I have some Gastro issues going on so it all hurts pretty bad. But, he is ordering an xray of my T-spine which is one area of I haven't ever had any films done for. He also prescribed Valium because most all other muscle relaxers do not work for me for one reason or another. And said to use moist heat in the meantime until I can get some facet injections later on. He did say there is probably no herniations at all....otherwise I wouldn't have been standing there and talking to him...I would be in the ER (his words).

So, today, I am a bit better thanks to the Valium and the Gastro doc is to call me back later.

[Lady Vee]

I have lived with the midback, shoulder and upper abdominal pain for almost 8 years now and my doctor telling me nothing was wrong with my back. Also have low back, hip and leg pain with numbness across the low back and in both feet. I was referred to a gastrointerologist and had both endoscopy and colonoscopy. Mild gastritis and small polyp removed. Still had the pain and was referred to a different gastro. This doctor had encountered a few cases like mine and sent me for an MRI. Found disc protrusions in T7 thru T11 with some impingement at T8-9 and protrusions at L3-4 and L4-S1 with no impingement. I have no T5. Also in second round of MRI 3 months later found L3-4 central and right sided disc protrusion with some encroachment against the spinal sac and some facet joint degenerative changes and hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum. Central subligamentous L4-S1 disc herniation with impingement against the spinal sac and slight left neural foraminal narrowing and minor facet joint degenrative changes. You could ask your doc to look into your thoracic spine and cervical spine as well. My abdominal pain (at times so bad I couldn't move from a fetal position) has been determined to be caused by my thoracic back. Hope this helps you out some.

[GJZH]

I find this all very interesting....I have bulges all the way up and down the thoracic spine...My spinal surgeon wants to fuse T1 and T2...but I find it interesting that you say your abdominal problems are caused by your thoracic spine...I never thought about it...I am going for more tests next week on the abdomin...I know they will show nothing...so maybe I should ask for another thoracic MRI to see if things have gotten much worse since the last one two years ago....

[Kathi49]

Lady Vee and Gloria,

I find this all very interesting as well.

I have or have had bad gastritis, do have GERD and IBS. The Gastro put me on the newer PPI, Zegerid which worked beautifully! HOWEVER...it caused, I THINK, worse pain around the ribcage. I say that because it has sodium bicarbonate it it and I felt very bloated but just in the tummy. I am just not sure what is going on other than as I said...the PM thinks T spine facet arthritis. But darn it, the GI issues cause hearburn, pain, etc., as well. It is just difficult sometimes to attempt to separate out the issues. Oh, and I am to have another upper endoscopy on May 8th. The last one was done in 2005. I know at that time I also had a stricture. So, who knows what might be going on in there.

Lady Vee,

What does the Gastro doc have you taking, if anything?

Gloria,

I think I will be asking my PM for an MRI at my next visit too. UNLESS he just wants to do facet injections first. Just not sure.

[sharong]

Originally Posted by Kathi49

I saw my PM about this very subject yesterday. Same type of pains wrapping around. He seems to think it is facet arthritis and referring pain around the ribcage and to the front. At the same time I have some Gastro issues going on so it all hurts pretty bad. But, he is ordering an xray of my T-spine which is one area of I haven't ever had any films done for. He also prescribed Valium because most all other muscle relaxers do not work for me for one reason or another. And said to use moist heat in the meantime until I can get some facet injections later on. He did say there is probably no herniations at all....otherwise I wouldn't have been standing there and talking to him...I would be in the ER (his words).

So, today, I am a bit better thanks to the Valium and the Gastro doc is to call me back later.

Wow, so glad to hear I'm not alone with this pain. I came down with severe pain in my upper back with radiation of the pain around my ribs to my stomach, it was unbearable. Took Codalgen Forte for three weeks but it just spaced me out and did little for the pain. Finally got a migraine and took my normal migraine cocktail of 2 panadol and 2 nuerofen plus and bingo, took the pain away for 2 hours at a time. After 4 days pain backed off. I think this supports it as being facet joint pain as I do have oestoarthritis and I think the anti-inflammatories knocked the heat off. However, testing to determine cause found I have innumerable granulomous in my spleen, that I'm aneamic and have blood in my urine. The upper back and stomach pain sometimes nudges me on days I'm feeling poorly, so the inflammed facet joints might be due to a more systemic think happening. Anyone else have similar syptomes and have a diagnosis?

[Backulla]

I'm in the same boat alright! I fell when I was 24 on a metal staircase and injured my back. Being young and a single mom with no insurance I didn't go see a doctor at the time and hence forth I have had increasing pain year to year...day to day for the last 24 years. I have constant pain but go through cycles of spasms where I can't even get out of bed and have often thought of taking my own life to end the pain!

The only reason I have not done such a dreadful thing is deep down I'm meaner than a snake and I'm determined to conquer this pain and take back my life! I've seen about 30 doctors and all any of them did was put a band aid on a gaping wound..."here just take a pill and you will feel better"...NOT!

Even the doctor I have now is the same way and I had to force her to do a MRI and send me to a orthopedic surgeon who is finally going to "try" some different methods of pain relief (i.e. spinal steroid injections and if that does not work nerve block surgery) which are LONG over due! I have gotten so sick of fighting the doctors to get off their "I'm afraid I'm gonna get sued butts" and actually do something that works for the long run. I think I'm almost there...finally...thank God! I'm so desperate for relief that if both of these don't work I honestly don't know what I'm going to do...I'm at the end of my rope and it's wearing very thin!

[Backulla]

24 years of pain, fell on metal staircase many moons ago and seen 30 or more doctors (bunch of sissys) and they just put a band aid on a gaping wound by handing out drugs...never really "doing" anything about the real problem!!! Finally had to force the doctor I have now to do a MRI and send me to a orthopedic surgeon who is actually going to "do" something to help me get some long over due pain relief! First he is going to try the steroid spinal injections and hopefully that will help...if not he is going to do the nerve block surgery. I'm to the point where I'm willing to do drastic measures in order to get my life back!!!

Best of luck to all and may God send his tender mercies your way!

[aussiemom]

Hi
Very interesting thread! I've had upper right quad pain going off and on now for about 2 months. The PA sent me for ultra sound for gallbladder, etc., showed normal, as did bloodwork. The last incident, felt like somebody stabbed me under my right rib, and went up the right side to my shoulder. Now, he is sending me for thorasic x-ray, possible nerve impengement. Given my crummy spine, C3,4,5,6 fused, and L2,3,4,5-S1 should be fused, totally possible. I'm so impressed with this guy! I almost hope it does show something, haven't had one done in years. But then what happens?