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Upper back on fire

Posted , 9 users are following.

LayneTX
LayneTX

Just commenting....

It comes and goes. Between shoulder blades.

Amazing, as Eileen has commented on the workings of inflammation.  Last night (this often happens now) I woke up at the perverbial 2:00 (ish) a.m. time frame, upper back just on fire. I get up, go to bathroom, try to shake it out, and somehow manage to go back to sleep.  Then 4:00 a.m.! Awake again! Serious burning back. Ugh...I stretch it a bit, use bathroom...manage to go back to sleep, how I don't know... Then about 7:00 a.m. I awake...no pain.

Interesting huh? 

I know others here with PMR mentioned the same area of pain, so I'll assume PMR. 

Kind of also wondering if my Pred acid reflux is causing this pain, I'm kind of starting to see a correlation, but jury still out.

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • EileenH
    EileenH LayneTX

    Posted

    Never having had it I don't know for sure - but I think back pain like that can be due to reflux:

    "Most heartburn sufferers feel it right underneath the breastbone, but occasionally a "referred" burning is felt in the back between the shoulder blades or in the jaw and teeth."

    Shoulderblade pain can also be referred from the gall bladder.

  • Nefret
    Nefret LayneTX

    Posted

    Yes, I get all my reflux symptoms in the upper shoulder/back area and always have.  I have a hiatus hernia which causes mine, but I know where the hernia is situated and sometimes simply turning over in bed will do the trick.  It is very well managed now, and I rarely have any problems - the last ones were just after Christmas (I wonder why?).
    • LayneTX
      LayneTX Nefret

      Posted

      Nefret, I know I can look this up, but what is a hiatus hernia? What causes? What were your symptoms, was this pre PMR or during? ...

      When I feel my spasm feeling in my esophagus I lie down on my stomach and it stops. 

    • Nefret
      Nefret LayneTX

      Posted

      Its a weakness in the stomach muscle wall which allows unwanted bits to push through into the stomach making a small pouch - that's not a very scientific description, but it's the best I can do. 

      I had a very gradual onset of PMR and it began during that time.  When it was diagnosed I hoped that it was connected to the muscle pain I was having, but of course it wasn't.  That makes it about 17 years ago.

      My doctor suspected it right from the start as my symptoms were classic

      and I had an endoscopy which showed I had already got scarring from the acid and a barium swallow which I was allowed to watch - it was very clear and I could even see the acid bubbling away underneath the 'pouch' - fascinating.

      Hope this helps.

    • LayneTX
      LayneTX Nefret

      Posted

      Bless your heart. Yes, thank you for answering. 
  • Dave-California
    Dave-California LayneTX

    Posted

    I'm re-commenting !!

    It seems to be a common area (the shoulder girdle) for regular pain sensations of different varieties. I seem to be having it fairly constantly - a 'burning' sensation - that seems to be more painful in the late evening and early morning. 

    i also get the same sensations in the upper bicept area just below the shoulder joints.

    Eileen mentioned gall bladder reference - not with me as mine was removed when I was 27 !! also I don't have reflux or any stomach issues.

    So I guess it's just one of those wonderful PMR miseries that grab us all in different places, for different reasons and with different ache/pain degress.

    Oh well - let's keep on chatting about all this fun !

    Dave

  • Charlieschoc
    Charlieschoc LayneTX

    Posted

    Oh have rotten pain between my shoulder blades but also I often feel like my rib cage is being held tight. Its really painful at times. Are the ribs under the breast area to low to be considered as the shoulder girdle? And does anyone else have this? Or is it just me and my weirdness??
    • Tastyron
      Tastyron Charlieschoc

      Posted

      No not weird at all chocy.

       Most of my pain or discomfort these days (coming down from 25 

      mg to 20mg) is around shoulders and ribs with my collarbone giving me some jip as well. I'd assumed that this was probably to do with the inflammation around where the chest muscles attach to the bones all around that area. Just one more thing to think about I suppose.

      Ron

    • EileenH
      EileenH Charlieschoc

      Posted

      The shoulder girdle is the collarbone and shoulder blades, the bones your arms hang onto:

      https://patient.info/doctor/shoulder-examination

      so no, the ribs aren't part of it. That sort of pain you describe can often be caused by myofascial pain syndrome - due to the trigger points that form alongside the spine at rib level in this case (also in shoulders and low back). They can be felt as hard knots of muscle fibres and can irritate or pinch nerves causing referred pain into the ribs. It is very common alongside PMR.

      I have had it - so it might be my weirdness too rolleyes

    • EileenH
      EileenH Tastyron

      Posted

      5mg drops are BIG - recommended reduction steps from top PMR experts is never more than 10% of the current dose - that's 2.5mg at 25mg. You're trying double that.

      The effect of big reductions is called steroid withdrawal rheumatism...

    • Tastyron
      Tastyron EileenH

      Posted

      I have been phasing the taper over 9 days so far. One day 20, 3 days 25, then one and two days then one and one days. Now I'm going to see how it goes and if I feel ok will stay there for a while, if not reverse the days until I'm on three days at 20 one on 25. 

      To do a 2.5mg reduction would mean cutting tablets in half and if you could see me trying to do fiddly stuff with my fingers ............

      So far it is going well, got a few aches and twinges in shoulders and hips but not much more than I had before reducing so am happy to carry on. The next time will be on a 10% reduction. 

      Regards Ron

    • EileenH
      EileenH Tastyron

      Posted

      To reduce 5mg even over 9 days is very fast - it works fine when you have just been  on a moderate dose for a couple of weeks as in most other uses of pred but long term use above about 10mg results in problems reducing for many. Your concept is good - the same as you'll find in the dead slow reduction in the responses here:

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pmr-gca-website-addresses-and-resources-35316

      but that is using ONE mg, not 5! If you can't do small reductions now - how will you achieve 10% after 20mg? 

      In the UK you can get 1mg tablets which make reductions for PMR much less uncomfortable - you need small dose tablets to identify the right dose for you long term anyway. You may be fine at 10mg, far from it at 5mg - but without trying each dose you can't know whether 9mg is your dose or 6mg - and there is a big difference.

      And even 5mg tablets will cut with a good pill cutter! It holds the pill for you!

    • Tastyron
      Tastyron EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks for replying Eileen.

      Just before Christmas my GP put me on 20 mg. and wanted me to get down to 5 mg within three weeks. Naturally enough, I pretty much ignored him. I had an appt with my rhuemy Jan 4th who upped to 25mg due to shoulder and neck pain. She phoned me to ask how it was going and advised me to cut to 20mg by mid Feb. I have an appt on Feb 22 and need to get another prescription for prednisolone and was going to ask her to prescribe both 5mg and 1mg tablets so that I have more control over my dose. I have read  through these forums and knew I was going over the recommended 10% but have been very concious of my body and symptoms and feel/felt that at this time 20 mg sees ok. I realise that it could come back and bite me in the bum but as I am abit of a "bull in a china shop" type naturally, I really do feel that I am being patient regards excecise and meds. 

      By the way, I am living in Ireland.

      Thanks again for your time and apologies to Layne for hijacking his thread.

      Ron

    • LayneTX
      LayneTX Charlieschoc

      Posted

      Charlieschoc, when I was on the upper doses of Pred 10-15, I had a tightness in my chest for hours in afternoon.

      Now, I'm thinking it was the beginnings of my silent acid reflux. I told doctors, but they didn't care to even go there.  I'm pretty upset with them now. 

    • Charlieschoc
      Charlieschoc LayneTX

      Posted

      I have a small hiatus hernia and have been on stomachs medication for years now. Since being on pres I wake in the night with heartburn but a quick swig of Gaviscon and I can get relief. Touch wood I don't seem to have more trouble than usual during the day.

      I hope we all get the relief we need asap xx

    • LayneTX
      LayneTX Tastyron

      Posted

      Hee, Hee, Ron, that's okay, but I will let you know...I'm a woman, though yes the name Layne is often a male name...wished my mother had spelled it Laine instead. Oh well, it might have gotten my foot in the door when I was a software engineer! wink

      Take care.

    • Tastyron
      Tastyron LayneTX

      Posted

      Beg pardon. Actually I'd sort of realised my mistake after I'd hit the button of no return;-)

       

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