Seeking Ideas on Burning Sensation; Chest/Upper Back Area

  • Thread starter Thread starter chablis3
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Chab, so good to hear from you, was wondering about you. Wow what a weekend you had, wonder if any of the meRAB could be causing bladder infections? always heard cranberry juice (they make capsule now I believe), lots of water, which I drink so much of I am surpised I don't float away. I am very interested in what the rhuem. doctor will say to you. I did alot of volunteer work for an elderly couple I know over the week end, have not been using my left side alot, so wow am I in pain, my ribs are so sore it is unreal. could not wear drivers seatbelt for a couple days, major headaches. I have a rehab. doctor appointment sept. 10, & pretty sure I will end up at a rhuem. doctor next, so just in case I am going to make an appointment with my sisters this week, she already told me it takes forever to get in. I know how you feel going doc. to doc. Hope things get better for you, let us know what the doctor says. Sammy

Chk, gee I am so sorry to hear that your not getting relief, I hope one of us can post some good news soon, I am trying a product called celedrin with msm to see if it will help with the pain & inflammation, also using a homeopathic cream/gel Arnica it is called, I think it helps alittle, no odor or smell with it, which I like. Work is hard so I know how you feel,I have cut back drastically & not happy about it, but what can I do? I am cranky & try to avoid dealing with my poor family when I am at my worst. Maybe one us will come across something that will bring some relief. Take Care of yourself, Sammy
 
Sammy, I suppose it depenRAB on the Radiologist reading the MRI. I think most will only mention the vertebrae with abnormalities. Then there is usually a general description like "no spinal canal stenosis, cord compression or abnormal enhancement following contrast."

I have found that anti-inflammatories do nothing for my pain. Vicoprofen will at least take the edge off.

I did not take the Neurontin or Lyrica last night and was awake almost all night. I seem to have alot of hot flashes when I dont take it for some odd reason. So I have that horrible anxious feeling this morning. Im going to try to go without it this weekend but if the symptoms get worse, I will restart it. At least then I would know that it is helping in some way.
 
Hi Sammy; I am glad I don't have fibermylagia; I hear that is also very painful. Yes, the rheumotoligist is actually the first one to read my MRI report, as I haven't been in yet to see the new back doctor, who was the one that ordered the MRI in the first place. I actually took the film in to the rheum. guy; they gave me my film at the MRI place. I tried taking Lyrica...the neuoroligist I had been going to for eridural shots/trigger point injections perscribed it. I didn't like it at all because it made me dizzy. When I get a side effect like that, I won't take it because it scares me. I don't like that dizzy feeling! My hanRAB were getting nurab and tingly back then, and that is why the neuroligist perscribed it. So yes, it should help you with that part, but not the pain. If you can tolerate it, it would probably be good for you to take it. I wonder why your ribs are sore, and also the swelling in your chest area. Do you think you might have pulled a muscle when you were doing all that work over the week-end? I hope not; that's all you need on top of everything else!

I am so sorry to hear your sister-in-law has cancer. I lost my adopted grandaughter last year (21) to brain cancer. It is very upsetting to me when I hear of someone having cancer. I wish your sister-in-law well and I will pray for her. Oh yes, those pain meRAB can make a person cranky, and I don't blame you for hiding in your room! I do that sometimes, and I also don't feel like talking to people at times. The rheumotoligist asked me if I find myself getting tired and depressed......of course my answer was a big YES!

I hope you are taking it easy this week-end, and not doing much work! You need to rest up and realx a bit. Have a good week-end, and I will be thinking about you!

Judy
 
I looked up the AS it just does not seem to be to symptomatic of my problem, but am keeping it tucked away & will bring it up next visit if nothing shows in MRI, as for blood work I was already told that if more was done it would be done by a rheum. doc. which they have not referred me to as of yet. Everytime I bring something up he kind of shoots it down I am trying to be patient but I think he knows I am running out of patience. So I am saving alot for when this next MRI is done, may sound funny but I have discovered if I go in there & throw to much at him he tenRAB to tune me out. So we will see, my chart is not that long I would not think, given the fact he only has what has come from the ortho. surgeon. He leaves this office I see him at & goes right to another, so I honestly believe he is always in abit of a hurry. Besides as I learned in MA class the current paper work is attatched in the very front of chart, so the form I fiiled out last would be right there when he opens the chart. I will try to give him ample time to do his thing, but if he says he is at a lose I will tell him I need to see a doc. who can look into my problem alittle deeper, such as a rhuem. doc. I just pray the MRI shows something, that would be a blessing right there. At least it would be a start to getting the proper treatment. It is hard finding a doc. that you have total confidence in, & because they all work with in one hospital it is harder, if I have to go to a rhuem. I will step outside of that & go to the one recommended to me by my sister, then at least he will know my family history & so forth. I greatly appreciate all the info. here & always keep it in mind, you just never know. I am learning that with these kind of symptoms it can be difficult to diaganos, unless it shows that it is coming right from the thoracic area. Mine have evolved & gotten worse over time, & I truely am angry @ the first docs. I went to a couple years ago for not taking this more serious, not one test was done then, I let them get away with it because I could not understand what was happening, got depressed for awhile & just gave into what the docs. told me. If only I knew then what I know now. I hope with this post we may be able to help out those who have some of the same going on, as I said these symptoms seem to challenge the doctors. I feel so bad for anyone walking in these shoes. Sammy
 
Hello everyone!
I just had to respond to this topic because this is the first place I have found someone who is experiencing the exact same upper back problems. (I have been looking for more than 3 yrs for an explanation for my symptoms)
I have had 3 MRI's of my C & T spines and of course it does depend on the Radiologist interpreting the report. I am a Radiologic Technologist so that is not news to me.
My first MRI (2004) showed a focal left paracentral HNP at T7 which was touching the cord; and mild disc bulging at C5-6 & C6-7.
My second MRI (2005) showed left sided disc protrusion & osteophyte spurring at T7-8 with effacement of the left anterior aspect of the thecal sac. C5-6 central protruding disc w/ mild effacement of the thecal sac. C6-7 protruding disc w/ mild effacement of the thecal sac & mild stenosis.
My most recent MRI was in June of this yr. The HNP at T6-7 unchanged. Small anterior osteophyte formation at multiple levels of T spine. C5-6 mild to moderate posterior central disc protrusion w/ mild stenosis. The disc protrusion may contact the anterior aspect of the spinal floor.
Before my first MRI, I was sent to a cardiologist and had a full cardiac work-up because of my symptoms. Some of my tests were slightly abnormal so he suggested a heart cath. I declined because I really didnt believe it was heart related. I spoke to one of my Radiologists who recommended that I have an MRI. (which I did) Then I went to an orthopedic Dr who recommended that I have an epidural and also gave me a rx for Neurontin at bedtime to see if it would help with the burning, tingling & nurabness I was feeling beneath my left breast. I decided against the epidural at that time. I have been on Neurontin for about 2 yrs now and cannot say that it has helped me at all. Last wk I went to a pain management Dr (who I know personally) and he did a Thoracic epidural. He also suggested that I stop the Neurontin and try Lyrica. I started the Lyrica 1 wk ago and started weaning myself off of the Neurontin but I cannot tell that the epidural helped at all. I went back to him yesterday and he said I had terrible muscle spasms all the way down the left side of my back. He didnt think I should do another epidural. He did about 20 trigger point injections. He said if I havent noticed any difference with the Lyrica yet that its probably not going to help so I am going to stop taking both and see what happens. (I have swelling & wt gain with both) He gave me Norflex (muscle relaxer) and Lidoderm patches to try. He also noted that I have mild scholiosis and thought maybe a chiropractor could help alittle. He recommended that I have deep tissue massage therapy and try to be aware of my posture. I do notice that I tend to slump my shoulders forward and thats when I will have the most symptoms. I hope & pray that somehow I can find some relief. Maybe the muscle spasms are compressing & inflaming the nerves which are giving me the symptoms in my chest and rib area. The epidural gave me some terrible hot flashes that still havent quite gone away. I also had some unexplainable low blood sugar issues for a few days after the epidural. I knew the steroid can cause blood sugar to be elevated in diabetics but never heard of it causing it to drop.
The Dr that I work for has been giving me vicoprofen to take as needed when I just cant stand it anymore. When I take it, thats about the only time I feel alittle relief.
Anyway, it really is helpful to know that Im not alone with these crazy symptoms. Hopefully, one of us will be able find the answer for us all. :) (sorry so long)
 
Wow! I was beginning to think I was the only one with all these weird pains! First thing, for you people who are having heart burn problems at night, some of our meRAB are to be taken with food. I try to eat a light snack at the most a couple of hours before I take my night time drugs. Also and this sounRAB strange but try a teaspoon of cider vinegar for heartburn. I found that works! In 2003 I had a MRI of my C and T spine. It showed DDD and arthritis, nothing to cause any problems. I talked one of the docs into a Mylogram. It showed a herniated disc at C-7/T-1. When the neuro went in for fuse it he had to remove a bone spur in order to get to the disc. Needless to say I don't have a lot of confidense in MRI. Now I'm in the same boat as the rest of you. Doctors say it's just DDD and arthritis "live with it". The only doc that I've found that was honest about it said that he's seen a few of these cases and that I will spend the rest of my life trying to find out what is causing all these problems and never will. Good luck to all, Fred
 
I've had upper back and chest pain and have seen a chiropractor. I have herniated t8/t9 and other invaginations in the thoracic spine. Ever since I stopped seeing my chiropractor (who I've seen for a year and who is a terrific person) I've been feeling better!
 
When I am having severe pain, my heart races too and I feel really anxious like I am having an anxiety attack. A couple of months ago I started having chest pains at work. My blood pressure was high, I was having palpitations and my heart rate was high. The Dr I work for sent me to the ER. After laying down for awhile, everything returned to normal though they still wanted to admit me because my heart rate was still alittle high and because I have a very strong family history of heart disease. I refused to be admitted because I still didnt think it was my heart. I was scheduled to see the Cardiologist again and had the full cardiac work-up repeated. This time I was sent for a 64 slice CT of my heart which is about as accurate as a heart cath. It was all normal. I am a smoker and that is probably making things worse.
Since I work in a Dr's office, I tend to try to diagnose myself. Its so hard for me to take off work and when you have children, vacation days are usually spent with sick kiRAB, etc. I know I have made things worse by neglecting myself. We recently built a house and my husband & I did all of the finishing work ourselves. We did all of the moving and are presently in the middle of a huge lanRABcaping project. I kept reading that strengthening your back muscles would help. At age 44, I dont think my back has ever been any stronger than right now. Now the pain mgmt Dr is telling me to stop doing all of the laborous work I have been involved with.
As for the blood sugar issue, I have occasionally had a drop in my blood sugar when I was skipping meals, etc. But nothing on a regular basis.
I believe bad posture makes my upper back hurt worse. He told me to work on keeping my shoulders pulled back but then I feel like I am pushing my chest out. He said I especially need to be aware of my posture when I am sitting at a desk, driving, etc. I have noticed that it doesnt bother me as much in the morning but intensifies as the day goes on. Laying flat on a hard surface helps me too. The pain I have starts just below the bottom of my shoulder blades and radiates around my left side (radicular neuropathy) in a spiraling pattern to my rib area beneath my left breast.
According to most of the Drs I have talked to, you cannot read too much into MRI reports. They are not 100% accurate and it is common to have nerve issues and it not show on the MRI. It should only be used as a piece of a puzzle to diagnose your problem. Your symptoms should give the most information. An MRI of the C spine should include all cervical vertebrae down to the first couple of thoracic vertebrae. T-spine should include the last of the cervical down to L1-2. etc. As I said, you really cant put too much emphasis on the report. My C spine MRI sounRAB the worst but I am not having pain there at this time.

~Cindy~
 
MKA, thanks, that info would be great to know concerning good surgeons. Funny thing, my husband had a ruptured disc that caused a pinched nerve about 12 years ago. He was lucky enough to find a good man here in Delaware and was operated on, and hasn't had a bit of trouble since then. Amazing how some people do so well and others don't after surgery. I sure feel bad for the people that can't find a good doctor or surgeon. But, I have been using my sisters "tens unit" for the past few days, and my back and legs are beginning to feel better! No cramps last night...yea! I have no idea how this thing works except that it discharges little shocks, and I am thankful it has helped me a little.

Have a good day and take care.
Judy
 
Oh my gosh, I have been on the other board and just poped in to take a look on the back board (been on spinal column board) I do indeed have some of those same symptoms, and more. Also been rushed to ER for cardiac work up, nothing, currently seeing neuro surgeon for first time tomorrow, after many doc's. My new doc believes may very well be herniated disc, really bad pain, started in left upper chest, shoulder, neck and back area, and low & behold moved in hip and pain in left leg, just recently both legs and really radiating down back. Can hardly move my arm shoulder at times and lost alot of range of motion in left shoulder. Pain is so bad no much of any thing is working. Hard time even walking last couple mornings, could not believe it, doc got me into neuro surgeon almost over night, thank god, he believes it is something that cannot wait anymore. I am praying they find out for sure, but yes the pain had moved and has me alittle baffled, pins and needles at times in hand and one foot, really bad pain and swelling under breast in ribs. Been going on long time and came back this may and never left, worse every day, honest, I know I hurt it a couple years ago between moving and lifting at work, should have got it looked at right away and did not, all kinRAB of weird symptoms popped and had me stumped for along time, mimicking other health problems. Anyone else out there with anything like this, your replys would be a blessing. Thanks Sammy
 
I would.. b4 my first heart attack, my left shoulder was KILLING me.. they said this n that, nerve pain etc.. i would go and get it checked out by a cardiologist :) to be on the safe side :)
 
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