Back pain in the night/early AM seems totally random?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi everyone,

I'm writing here because I could really use some help/insight from fellow patients.

In July I started having back pain. I remember waking up with it for 3 nights straight. It was so bad it woke me up. I felt really "sore" but upon walking to the bathroom it almost went away. I had just started kick-boxing so I chalked it off to the new high intensity activity "straining" my back a bit.

But even after taking it easier/stopping kick-boxing altogether the pain continued. It wasn't as bad as the first time but definitely there. It would go on and off for days and then come back. Sometimes in the lower back but others also in the mid-upper back.

It's been almost 4 months now and I'm simply exhausted.

I did x-rays, CBC bloodwork, C-reactive protein and they all seem ok. I am scheduled for an MRI this week. I've literally been to the doctor at least twice per month in the past 4 moths. I tried stretching, chiropractor, PT but the pain is still here. It's SO frustrating because I cannot pinpoint a reason why it comes and cannot establish a pattern to keep it under control (no matter what I do, it's there randomly).

Most recently I have this thing where if something wakes me up at night (my noisy cat or a car alarm) I wake up and then suddenly notice "oh no that discomfort is here...". And I can usually go back to sleep. But then when I wake up I feel it. A couple of turns in bed and/or a walk to the kitchen and it usually goes away. And then nothing for the daytime.

I sit a lot for work and I do feel "tired" in my back at times but it's simply not the same pain I feel when in bed.

I'm female and 30 years old. I don't think anyone in my family has a history of back problems.

I am just SO concerned because I am an overall healthy person and did exercise throughout my life. The pandemic did pose an obstacle to this but I tried my best working out at home and I wanted to finally get back to activity with kick-boxing.

I cannot think of any injury that might have caused this.

I would SO greatly appreciate if any of you could reach out if they have a similar profile and help me, please.

I'm also a bit embarrassed and frustrated because more recently my doctors have tried to ascribe this discomfort to anxiety and more than pushing on diagnosing my back pain, they seem to focus more on containing my anxiety with pills/medications.

I am NOT opposed to this and I want to trust them but I can promise this pain is not in my head. I feel it, don't know what it is therefore I get super anxious about it. I'm sure my anxiety makes it worse but it's a pain that I've never experienced before so I am obviously scared of it.

Besides the first 3 occurrences, the pain is not severe. Just mild and achy and very VERY random.

I really hope someone can chime in with some advice/suggestions/stories.

Thank You all so much for listening!

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Edited

    don't want you to become alarmed . just hoping to share my experience with pain since docs had a difficult diagnosing my problems.

    back pain could be a symptom coming from the gallbladder, pain radiated to the back. if you have gallstones the pain can be serious ON/0ff . gallstones is not always the same symptoms with each flare.

    if you have gallbladder disease in your family it can run in families. a simple xray can show gallstones. sometimes if the stones are small they can be passed and exhibit very painful back pain and sometimes under shoulder blades. a blood test may not always show anything. it took me a few doctors and several months before the pain was identified as gallstones. the doctors told me the same thing you described... its anxiety ... no way...and i wouldn't give up searching for a diagnosis.. not all doctors are good at trouble shooting symptoms. just because a doctor can not diagnose what your symptoms does not mean its in your head. it could be in your gallbladder.. I hate that when doctors say that. same thing happened again when i had hip osteo...no one bothered to xray my hip thought it was a hernia. how crazy is that...i don't want to seem discouraging , but learn to be your own advocate. and a good place to start is on this site .

    pancreatitis also mimics back pain , it helps balance sugar levels and produces insulin. if its swollen irritated it can progress into unbearable pain. if pancreas see diet and foods to avoid especially alcohol. Both pancreatitis and gallstones can progress into an emergency if not treated early.

    just may be something to ask your next doctor. if possible ask to see a specialist gastroenterologist..

    Sending good vibes your way...

    • Edited

      Thank you for your reply, Barbara!

      I don't have gallstones history in my family and the pain has (luckily?) never become SO severe. On a scale from 1-10 I'd say it tops 4.

      I'm scared because I cannot pinpoint a trigger. My paternal grandmother died of pancreatic cancer when she was well in her 80s. I am not sure this qualifies as "history", I think so. But I mentioned it to my doctors...and they keep on wanting to scan my back. Which is fine. I did two back x rays already and will do an MRI this week. I'm trying to see if I can maybe have an abdominal/pelvic CT scan to rule out that.

      I am SO concerned and scared it could be something really awful like a cancer.

      I am trying to advocate for myself and will request more tests/scans. I kept coming back for visits and asked for second opinions from the back specialist. He's scheduling the MRI.

      I just hope I can have an answer and that is a non life-threatening condition. I am so unbelievably scared.

      I appreciate your help and input and will definitely consider it in my research.

    • Posted

      Pain level at 4 .. that's good to know....Your doing everything right.. blood tests have a way of ruling out serious illness...

      I'm sure that it would be something to talk over with the doctor to put your mind at ease.

      Sometimes it can get overwhelming... sending hugs your way...

    • Edited

      Thank You so much. I really appreciate your comments.Thanks for taking the time to listen. It means a lot! Did a lot of blood tests and all of them came back normal and were seen by different doctors, too. I hope I can get an answer and will keep looking and talking with my doctors.

      Sending hugs and my best your way too!

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