Posted , 15 users are following.
i have cp from 7 years. but recently from past 6 months i'm suffering from severe shoulder pain which radiated from the left rib region. does anyone has similar issues?
0 likes, 17 replies
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JoBlack1 niranjan05487
Posted
grace50455 JoBlack1
Posted
can you live without a pancreas?
Guest niranjan05487
Posted
I have had periods of time that I had severe pain in my left shoulder and it went into my neck on the side a couple inches. It was horrible! I couldn't even drive because I wasn't able to turn my head. I am currently in the hospital with a flare up. I had the shoulder thing the past few weeks but it was almost totally gone by the time I came to the hospital. My doctor looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said it was my left shoulder. A few days later another doctor said it is most commonly in the right shoulder but occasionally does happen in the left. It is referred pain from the nerves of the pancreas. I didn't understand what that was. He said it's like when someone has a heart attack they get pain in the left arm. For me at least nothing makes it better. I put a heating pad on it to soothe it but it doesn't make it better. Hope this helped!
Smithers Guest
Posted
I think your doc needs to brush up on his knowledge of AP. Its normally the left shoulder affected by this. I've been hospitalized & had 2 surgeries and doctors said pain in the LEFT shoulder is very common when AP acts up. Sadly, I actually got my AP from a surgery gone wrong and lately, it seems to be acting up more frequently. I do not drink or do things that affect it. I just think it was damaged that badly. I find if I eat and drink very little, use a heating pad & take some ativan, I can help calm things down. But other days, I end up hospitalized for several days/weeks at a time. Anyway, as soon as my left shoulder blade begins to hurt, I know what is to follow.
judith50134 niranjan05487
Posted
In June 2016 I was diagnosed with idiopathic chronic pancreatitus. I am a senior and my symptoms were severe pain in my left shoulder,arm and started on the left side of my face. Both my parents died of heart disease so of course I thought I was having a heart attack. I had been in the ER in 2015, but they told me my heart was ok. Fortunately, the doctor who saw me in 2016 wanted me to stay over night so she could do more blood work. Low and behold my pancreas had an abundance of calcification, but no mass. I couldn't believe it as I would have 1 or 2 drinks a week and ever since my diagnosis I don't drink at all. My Mother, brother and son have had kidney stones, but no one in the family ever had a problem with their pancreas. I have had only 1 serious attack, but never the less I always feel uncomfortable especially in my back. I guess we are all stuck with this serious disease. I also lost over 10% of my body weight. I do try to eat and drink low fat, but on occasion I go off. Wishing everyone on this blog the best and hope someday they will find a cure to be able to stop the progression of this awful disease.
Fiocena niranjan05487
Posted
I've had cp for 17yrs. Yes shoulder pain is a symptom. I get it in either shoulder with varying degrees of pain, from an ache to a severe stabbing pain that locks my shoulders up. pain is definitely the main problem with cp and at times can be horrendous, most drs do not understand the complex pain mechanism that is involved with cp. I started with back pain...unfortunately it took 10 years for my actual diagnosis all due to the complexities of diagnosing the disease. I have found that any pain from my hips up to my neck is related to my pancreas. the main group of nerves, called the coeliac plexus ganglion, is positioned behind the pancreas. This is where all the nerves group together from the spinal cord and go to different parts of your main body e.g. to the ribs or shoulders. If the pancreas is swollen then it would put pressure on this group of nerves and cause false pain in that specific part e.g. your left shoulder. Hope you understand...it's the simplest way I can explain it without talking a lot of medical stuff that is hard to explain....the pancreas is a very complicated gland that is still not fully understood.
vedawms Fiocena
Posted
Perfect description of the pain. The agony! (Splenic infarctions also present themselves as left shoulder pain, btw.) I have apparently had CP for at least 9 years now, and thought all along that there was just something wrong with my chair or that I had a pinched nerve. Now it all makes sense. Even a twinge in my shoulder and I panic. I understand that you can get nerve blockers (radio waves or injections) that might help, but I've never tried it.
Fiocena vedawms
Posted
sorry for delay, I had a coeliac plexus block a few years ago, it was done to prove my pancreas was the cause of pain, it lasted 2 weeks and I ate and ate and it didn't hurt one bit. the only weird thing was that I was still moving as if I was in pain, I guess it's all the years moving in a certain way. I only had one as I'm waiting for a total pancreatectomy with autologous islet cell transplant....have been waiting since 2012 and apparently the injection causes scar tissue and would make the op difficult, but it was a heavenly experience lol.
vedawms Fiocena
Posted
Whoa, you should not have to wait for TPIAT that long. I'd follow up and ask. A year wait is reasonable. Seven is not.
Thanks for the input!!
lisaSpink1 Fiocena
Posted
Hi,
I'm waiting for the same op.
I have the Spink 1 gene, so my brother and I both have this horrendous condition.
Diagnosed at 29, for the first time in a long time I'm in bed in agony at 40. Back, shoulder neck pain is getting unbearable. I get so many migraines too.. funnily enough started about the same time as the diagnosis.
I can't chase my op as my Dad has cancer so I need to be there for him.
I refused pain injections previously but think I may have to push it.. sounding like most found them successful? I see can be an issue for the op?
rm752 Fiocena
Posted
Hi Fiocena,
Could you please elaborate on the testing you underwent that they were able to finally diagnose? I've had abdominal pain, in combination with left flank and shoulder blade pain for 5 months following a heavy drinking binge. The night of the binge I had a very raw, gnawing pain for about an hour in the pit of my stomach, following the drinking. My stools have all been greenish, yellowish, or dark grey for months. My test results have been negative for ultrasound, blood, and CT. The doctor is providing a diagnosis of gut hypersensitivity/IBS currently, and I'm having difficulty understanding this.
BethanyQ18 Fiocena
Posted
I appreciate this explanation! I've never heard it like that before!
Guest niranjan05487
Posted
Smithers Guest
Posted
its generally not the shoulder blade in the back of spine that hurts first but the actual shoulder itself. for me, the pain starts at the collarbone & runs up to the shoulder. and if its really bad, it would go to back of shoulder but it always starts in the front of left shoulder first. so if its not, and your tests came back clean, im sure youre fine. if it was AC, trust me, the pain in the area of pancreatitis is unbearable. its the worst pain ever & i always end up in hospital when it happens as it cannot be managed on my own.
Fiocena Guest
Posted
my scans....except 1 showed nothing, I have been suffering for approx 20 yrs now and every time my scans and bloods seem fine. I have a very knowledgeable surgeon he said I have minimal change aka small duct chronic pancreatitis. mrcp, ercp, you name it nothing showed at the beginning of the year I had an endoscopic ultra sound scan and it showed up everything....as my surgeon said...they haven't invented the right equipment to view the pancreas properly yet really, so unfortunately it takes a while to get an accurate diagnosis...if you have epi the it'll be cp or cealiacs disease.