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Has anyone else experienced similar joint or muscle pain?

Can anyone relate to this abdominal pain symptom?

  • Trying to figure out an undiagnosed and refractory pain in my tummy. I know that most of you are not doctors and certainly no one is my doctor, but I am wondering if the nature of my pain sounds familiar to anyone else. A few days after finishing a round of antibiotics last year (Pylera), I developed an acute upper abdominal pain that never goes away (although it does fluctuate in intensity). It starts on my right side just below the ribcage and stretches down towards my belly-button. It feels like some sort of compression/stricture/pinching sensation. It also feels very tense and tender to the touch, almost like a muscular pain (although all the muscle relaxers I've tried have done nothing for me (bentyl, baclofen, levsin, etc.). Strangely, but I think importantly, it almost totally disappears when I bend at the waist or if I'm swimming/floating on my stomach. I've been given a diagnosis of "functional pain syndrome" by the "world famous" (intended with a bit of sarcasm) Dr. Drossman. I've tried Savella, and now 100 mg. of Desipramine for my pain. The desipramine has helped with an overall feeling of epigastric burning/diffuse pain with eating, but it hasn't touched the acute pain described above. Has anyone experienced this type of pain before? Was it eventually diagnosed/treated/managed? I've been evaluated for GP, Chron's, Celiac, abdominal wall pain and SMA syndrome (all negative). Such an acute pain that is constant except for when I bend over just doesn't seem to fit the bill of functional pain or something caused by a visceral hypersensitivy. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems also that the desipramine would have helped even a little if this were the case. Thoughts? Thanks in advance

  • Answer:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease is a possibility. Try OTC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeprazole for a couple weeks and see if your symptoms improve.

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Sorry, forgot to say that I am taking Omeprazole; it helps a little, but even high doses don't touch the pain. It greatly affects my quality of life - I was on TPN for 7 months bc I had lost so much weight due to not being able to eat from the pain. We had to postpone our wedding last year, and I took some leave from work. I've had a lot of work up, but no real answers. I was just hoping someone could relate. Oh, and Tylenol/Advil don't help. Thanks so much for your responses.

shrimpsmalls

I'm assuming you wouldn't have gotten a functional pain diagnosis without it, but did you have upper/lower endoscopy? Have you tried probiotics? Tried gluten free diet?

treehorn+bunny

Possibly an duodenal ulcer? The description fits what I had. The fact that omeprazole helps a little - an acid reducer - also fits. You might want to get checked for h pylori, which can cause ulcers. May want to have stool sample checked for blood in case its a bleeding ulcer. Also ulcers can be caused by NSAID pain meds and if you are using these you could be exacerbating the problem.

ecorrocio

That sounds like the pain I had when I had gallstones. And then again when I had a giant kidney stone. (yes, I'm that lucky.) Have they x-rayed your belly?

heathrowga

yes, they did a ct, hida scan and ultrasound. no sign of gallstones.

shrimpsmalls

Have they done a barium swallow and a barium enema to X-ray your GI system?

MsMolly

yeah, that's how they checked for SMA. I showed slow motility on the follow through and had a "vertical, flaccid" stomach and a teeny diverticula but otherwise no sign of obstruction. The CT did show some thickening in the jejunum, but otherwise normal.

shrimpsmalls

If you feel like it might be some sort of heartburn as a lungful of dragon suggests, my easy fix was to raise the head of my bed a few inches. Seriously, it helped so much more than it sounds like it would. Feel better!

Beti

It's not exactly the same, but for a couple of years I couldn't lie flat on my back or stomach. It was uncomfortable after about 20 minutes, and if I accidentally fell asleep like that, I would wake up in excruciating pain, although it was lower in my abdomen, round my belly button. I had to lie either with my knees supported, or with a rolled up towel underneath my pelvis to keep flexed. It really did feel gastro-intestinal, but I think it must've been related to developmental hip dysplasia, because I haven't had that pain again after my bilateral periacetabular osteotomies. I also had groin pain when walking or standing, which you don't mention, so this is a long shot ... Hope you find relief.

mgrrl

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