diaphragm pain (Page 1)

hey I have this same problem as well and I have been to the doctor once and the ER once and unfortunately it was the same doctor both times and he just seemed annoyed with me, but anyways he suggested that it was acid indigestion so maybe try some antacids first and see if that helps, it didn't help for me but maybe you will have better luck, if you hear any thing else let me know something on out medical diagnosis lol

i also have been having pain in my diaphragm. i have dealt with this since dec.'03. i have tried liquid diets, not eating meat, not eating bread, no milk products, etc. (i have tried a variety of different diets.) IT DOESN"T MATTER!!! it will come back. it may be a few weeks or a few months. (average 4-6 times a year, but can be more) the attacks intensify and are different every time-except pain is very severe. it takes my breath away! not because of excitement! this is what they tell me at the hospital!! I"M NOT EXCITED!!! i just can't get my breath. it is not gas-they said this also! they give me prilosec and guess what?? NO GAS!!! bottom line is nothing is found on any test, doctors do not believe me, and am treated rudely because they don't believe me. i was accused of one doctor of just wanting drugs!!! all i want is to go back to not having any pain!!! please...if ANYONE knows whayt this is-please respond and help!!! thank you for you time!

Your spot on. I do find running to the TUMS and taking two helps it to withdraw. I'm a retired Green Beret and one time it knocked me down to the floor.

My gastroenturologist scoped me and found nothing to explain it. Mine has been happening at irregular intervals, too. About several months so far.

savagerii I finally got my answers the result for me was that I had gall stones so they removed my gall bladder, they said they didnt anticipate it being my gall bladder because Im not a heavy girl, they said that typically they see this in patients that are over weight, diabetic or have recently had a child... anyways they did some blood work on me and at first they thought it was my liver so then they did a CAT scan and then an MRI and they then sent me to have an ultra sound done on my organs thats when they found it I was accused of faking and making it up and everytime they thought I was pregnant and then they would try to convince me that I just have acid indigestion bottom line just ask them to do some blood work on you... if they have already done blood work ask them to do it again, then ask about a CAT scan they are easier to come by than a MRI and see what happens thats all the news I have for you. best of wishes... I have no more pain and thats cause I kept pushing them and telling them what I knew for sure it wasnt! good luck!

Hey I know this is an old posting... but we experienced the same thing. I had my gall bladder taken out in 2009 because of this. I had stones..... I thought everything was better untila year later the attacks came back. And now I am struggling once again. Doctors think theyre spasms. Hope you get this and Hope you are doing well.. let me know if the pain ever came back to you

hey this is my post and the information I got as I was being diagnosed

http://ehealthforum.com/health/diaphragm-p ain-t182240.html

been there done that! i had 3 surgeries back to back in 2003. after the 2nd one, i began having pain. they thought perhaps there was a tool left in me-no. i've had xrays, mri's, cat scans, etc....nothing! i've had this on and off since 2003! very painful!! a nurse friend of mine and i BOTH have done lots of research and NO ANSWERS. everytime is different. sometimes i have nausea, sometimes not. but, it wipes me out for 2-3 days. it constantly changes and gets more severe with each attack. i was barely able to dial 911 and my oxygen level was at 73%! naturally, carted off to the hospital and told to calm down and given ANOTHER gas pill! finally 3 hours later given morphine. it stopped for 1/2 hour and started again while there! they took more xrays and an mri-again NOTHING! bloodwork is ALL normal! so, you can see why i'm anxious to find out WHAT IT IS!!! (by the way, gall bladder was the last surgery i had back then) glad you found out what was wrong for you! good luck!!!

Hi - I have pain at the level of my diaphragm and I am being treated for Acid Reflux or GERD. I think I also have a Hiatus Hernia. I have got to sleep with a large pile of pillows beneath me or the pain comes on after an hour or less even. I also take Pantoprazole which zaps stomach acid and helps.
However the pain comes back every morning no matter what and eases off again when I get up.
I have learned to live with this and most of the time can cope, but I have a bad cough at present and this has made the pain a lot worse,
I do hope this might help one of you.

Savagerii, I have the same pain. I, too have had my gall bladder out. The pain on the last attack (last night) was so intense that I was moaning in pain rolling on the floor! I couldn't find comfort in ANY position. It hurt so badly to breath that my legs and arms went numb and I got light headed. I was hoping to pass out so I wouldn't feel the pain! It also causes me to vomit. The pain is right in my diaphragm area as it comes on but expands up to my breasts down to my upper stomach and the entire width of my ribs. It feels like my diaphragm is spasming. It gets all knotted up & tight.

The first time it happened I went to the ER and the Dr. was baffled. He ordered an upper endoscopy, which revealed nothing!
Last nights episode subsided and came back 3 times in an hour.
I usually have a very high tolerance to pain. Even natural child birth doesn't compare to this! I honestly don't think I can handle another episode like that one!

Please keep me posted if you hear any news. Thanks.

I get the ghost gall-bladder attacks also. I was told it was a muscle spasm in some sphincter type muscle in the old gall-bladder area. I get the attacks about every 3 or 4 months. Doctor's have never been able to explain it so I quit going for this. A nurse told me.

When they took out my gallbladder they told me they leave the bileduct so...might be some issue with it...my doc said it can leak. Also checked my pancreas and liver might want those checked to make sure it's not a new problem. Good Luck

Ditto !!!

I am wondering if I should go to the doctor for this as well.. I noticed last week that I had this feeling in my throat as if I had to burp.. And I would burp and it would still feel like something was in my throat.. Now this is happening, a severe diaphram spasm.. I haven't ever experienced anything like this before and was in quite a bit of pain for awhile there.. It's gone now *KNOCK ON WOOD* but I was freaking out and thinking it was something horrible. I had even called my boyfriend and told him to find me a ride to the ER. Anyway, I just turned 22, I'm chunky, but not severely overweight or anything and my sister I believe was/is having the same pain. I was hurting.. That is a very unpleasant feeling and I really don't want to experience that again! On another note, I think these two "episodes" are realated..It probably is digestive tract-ish related, but it's not a recognized problem and obviously coming to this board means more than one person has it.
Anyone know anything.. please update.

I am also having thisi have had about4 attacks in the last month and a half. I am going to go tothe doctor and see what they say.i am 31 5'7 and about 180 lbs so slightly overweight. Ihave had three kids and just as someone else said it is compairable to childbirth pain. In fact it feels very much like a contraction but in the wrong area. It starts our like a overworked muscle the burn you get and intensifies untill I am onthe floor doubled over. I have been woken out of my sleep from one of these. I was wondering if anyone elses extended to their back? I feel it all through into my back. With every breath it intensifys and it makes you not want to breathe. I have always been one to breathe through pain so it is very unsetteling for me to not be able to breathe through it.there is absolutly no position that iscomfortable formeto get into either, no easing it I just have to waitit outand itseemsto go away almost as suddenly as it starts. My attacks don't seem to last very long maybe a few minutes but while im in it it definitly feels like forever and just like everyone elsecompletly wiped out after i just want to go to sleep.

I am also having thisi have had about4 attacks in the last month and a half. I am going to go tothe doctor and see what they say.i am 31 5'7 and about 180 lbs so slightly overweight. Ihave had three kids and just as someone else said it is compairable to childbirth pain. In fact it feels very much like a contraction but in the wrong area. It starts our like a overworked muscle the burn you get and intensifies untill I am onthe floor doubled over. I have been woken out of my sleep from one of these. I was wondering if anyone elses extended to their back? I feel it all through into my back. With every breath it intensifys and it makes you not want to breathe. I have always been one to breathe through pain so it is very unsetteling for me to not be able to breathe through it.there is absolutly no position that iscomfortable formeto get into either, no easing it I just have to waitit outand itseemsto go away almost as suddenly as it starts. My attacks don't seem to last very long maybe a few minutes but while im in it it definitly feels like forever and just like everyone else completly wiped out after i just want to go to sleep.

I HAD A SCALENECTOMY IN NOV, 2010 FOR THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME, DURING WHICH THE DOC HIT MY PHRENIC NERVE AND LEFT ME UNABLE TO BREATH CORRECTLY AND IN LOTS OF PAIN DUE TO AN ELEVATED DIAPHRAGM...IS ANYONE ELSE SUFFERING FROM PAIN LIKE ME, I WOULD GLADLY TAKE THE PAIN IN MY ARM BACK, IF I KNEW THIS IS HOW I WAS GOING TO FEEL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE...IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR NOW, MY DOC SAID IT WOULD BE A COUPLE DAYS TO RECOVER, THEN A COUPLE WEEKS, THEN A COUPLE MONTHS, THEN FINALLY SAID IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT AN INCH A MONTH.....PLEASE HELP ME...I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS I USE TO DO BEFORE THE SURGERY. JUST GOING FROM POINT A TO POINT B IM FIGHTING FOR AIR!

1. Go to a Neurologist and any other specialty he sends you to. Ask each one if they don't know what it is, then ASK them to refer you to another specialty.

2. When this doesn't work, see if your insurance will send you to Mayo Clinic, Boston General (I think it is), Emory University, Duke University or any other top of the line medical/medical research entity.

Well, I ended up going to the Doc who said almost the same as everyone elses doc's here. they gave me meds for it telling me it might be an ulcer or gerd and wanted to do more testing for gallbladder. I started having the attacks more often and went to the ER a few times the most recent time I was in there in the middle of an attack so they could finally see it and treat it as an emergancy. I ended up having my gallbladder removed, when they did the ultrasound they found several stones. It turns out my dad, grandma and three aunts also had theres out. But, for all of you without an answer I also found out you don't have to have stones to have gallbladder trouble. You can have sludge which will not show up on the ultrasound and there is also galbladder disease which is an inflammed gallbladder and again may not show up. If any of you are still having attacks I would seriously consider having them thoughly check your gallbladder.

I'm new to this site and I to have been feeling this pain for almost 1.5 years not stop.
I wear a rib belt which seems to help, feels like it keeps me together. I had my gall bladder removed a year ago, never had attack, no stones, just didn't function. My doctor suggested a CT scan and I said no. I knew it would come back normal and he agreed. So someone came into our place of work last week and she told my husband that she had gone through the exact same thing that most of us are going through. If I bend over to rake, pull weeds, anything that I have to do that makes me bend forward just a little causes so much pain in my back and then I feel it in the front under my breasts and it makes me so anxious I have to stop and lie down for a while on heat, take pain pills and it goes away only to return a couple of hours later. The only relief I get is when I sleep at night and always with a heating pad.

In any case this person that came in to our office last week brought me some packets of protein mix, some other things that I'm not sure of and she claims that it took her pain away. She's out for a few days so when she gets back I will talk to her and find out exactly how this stuff works and will share it with the rest of you.

Later,
Patti

I have had two occurrences where it feels like my diaphragm has gone into a major spasm. The pain is excruciating and doubles me over. The pain is exactly like a gall bladder attack although my gall bladder was removed some years ago. I had major thoracic surgery last year to resolve stage 3 hiatal hernia where my stomach was moved back below the diaphragm and is now back in the abdominal cavity. The pain comes in waves with each wave starting at a really high pain level that gradually alleviates until the next wave hits me. This repeats 3 to 4 times over the space of about 1-1/2 hours and then the pain goes away. Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?

I have had two occurrences where it feels like my diaphragm has gone into a major spasm. The pain is excruciating and doubles me over. The pain is exactly like a gall bladder attack although my gall bladder was removed some years ago. I had major thoracic surgery last year to resolve stage 3 hiatal hernia where my stomach was moved back below the diaphragm and is now back in the abdominal cavity. The pain comes in waves with each wave starting at a really high pain level that gradually alleviates until the next wave hits me. This repeats 3 to 4 times over the space of about 1-1/2 hours and then the pain goes away. Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?

I've had pain in my ribcage off and on for many years. It isn't as severe as what y'all are describing, but does interupt my sleep when it happens during those hours. In my research I found references to Diaphragm Ruptures. It is usually caused by physical trauma. A tear in the diaphragm is usually not the only damage done by the trauma.

I hope one of you benefit from this.

First, sorry for this huge comment, but im sure it will help many of u once u read it =))

I just quickly read these post, since i thought it might be interesting to google direct "diaphragm pain"...mostly since im having pain in that area as we speak.
Ive had a bacteria, the "helico" bacteria in my stomach ffrom 2008-2010, before they found it, and i believe my stomach has been damaged ever since.
Pain coming and going as day and night, and no doctor knew what it was..so i, as the medicine science interested person i am, decided to dig in this on my own...led to me selfdiagnosign myself with "IBS" (irritable bowel syndrome).

now, you might wanna google IBS, since im sure it will clear out many thoughts for all of u having chronical stomach pains..and i know how severe they can get, i recently asked my doc to prescribe me something so i can take it in case of a very bad "attack"..he gave me "kodeine" pills, which are pills with a bit of morphine, but i strictly have them in case of a big pain.

besides that, for my first choice, he gave me some pills , which here in sweden are called EGAZIL.. they dont contain any "dangerous" stuff,, what they basically do is to "remove" the substance which sends impulse to the nerves which are making you feel paing, mostly stomach pain, which actually are cramps, so its job is to remove the cramps so that the stomach gets a normal functionality again.

like i said, do this and u might feel better bout urself at least, knowing "WHY"..if u are "normal" according to test results..:

1. google IBS
2. ask the doc to give you something similar to EGAZIL, with the active substance Hyoscyamin
3. take care of ur stomach --> eat alot of carrots, carrot juice, no spicy food that will burn ur WITHINS etc..just take care and relax..

IBS comes in periods as does the pain..the more u take care of it,,, the more u can make it feel milder, maybe even remove it ?!

Similar to all of the above. Had gall bladder out a few years ago but still get pain. Had many tests done and the main thing they come up with is that the 'Sphincter of Oddie' is going into spasm.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1 0.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06072.x/full

Hope this helps.

saw my chiropractor today for this pain in my right side just below the rib cage, which goes through my back on the right side. his response was that it was a separation of the muscles/tendons from the rib cage which could happen with just a cough or sneeze or something more major. he made some adjustments and I have been pain free for over 8 hours now. he did tell me that it could take several adjustments, which I am willing to keep doing if I can get this kind of relief. If you try a chiropractor, let me know how it works for you.

Today is May 21st and I have had no more attacks since seeing my Chiropractor on the 17th