I'm in pain!! please help!!

Hello! I am sorry to hear you are having such troublesome back pain. It must be even worse due to a job that keeps you on your feet and moving all day. First, are you sure the back pain is due to GERD? If it is, I wonder why the antacid medication isn't working. It might be time to talk to the doctor again about your treatment plan. Often if a OTC medication such as an acid reducer or antacid is not helping, a stronger medication may be used such as a proton pump inhibitor. You are probably familiar with the brand names: Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Aciphex, etc.

While medication may be important, don't underestimate the power of non medication management. The medication won't work or will not work as well if you do not take care of your body.

If you are on your feet all day and cannot sit for a meal or chew slowly and carefully, see if you can sip a smoothie or nutritional drink. You can have it nearby and take a sip without being noticed.

It is important to eat small, frequent meals. Maybe on your break, you can eat a small second breakfast and nibble at lunch and finish lunch in the afternoon. Steer clear of the grab and go foods that may hurt when they start to regurgitate: chips, sweets, soda or coffee.

Let me know what you have tried so far.

Jan Gambino

The Reflux Mom

I also have pain in my upper back that I have had for months now.  My doctor told me it was from reflux.  I have had an endoscopy which confirmed the reflux.  I'm just confused as to why it affects my upper back and am not really convinced that's what it is.  Any insight???

Hi there I understand reflux symptoms very well as I have had 2 hernia repairs. I realise you are quite young but what you explain is what I had when a Gall bladder problem was discovered. Perhaps you should ask your doctor for a scan.

Best wishes

John

I've just started taking DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) tablets.  They say to take 20 minutes before you eat, but I've found that if I am in pain and then take they help too.  They coat your insides so they don't burn.  Worth a try.  Feel Better.

It sounds like gall bladder diseaase or gallstones.  The same thing happened to me for about 15 years!  The doctors treated me first for nerves, and then for an ulcerated stomach, and it was not even my stomach.

Hi, I have had the same problems off and on for many years from early teens. I've taken the antacids, H2 blockers and PPIs, they helped only a little, but the nausea, early satity,bloating, and pain was still there. Doctors always said it was the reflux and that I had a sensitive stomach, and newer, it was functional dyspepsia as well. After years of sufferring off an on with the same syptoms and this pain, I forced my doctors to do a pancreatic enzymes test, a simple blood test for amalyase and lipase.

Gallstones can cause pancreatitis. It's more common for women to have gallstones especially when taking birth control pills or HRT. Doctors don't even think about pancreatitis much in woman. It's most common in alcoholic middle aged men, so they always assume you are an alcoholic to have pancreatitis and if you don't drink than you wouldn't have it, but that is not always true as in my case. Gallstones, pregnancy, inherence, sudden weight loss, statins and others can cause pancreatitis. I don't drink and I have finally been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis as well as the hiatal hernia, GERD, and idiopathic gastritis that was diagnosed 30 years earlier. My pancreatitis is chronic because they missed diagnosed it as only acute gastritis because I was 17 at the time. 

If your back pain is between the shoulder blades and piercing like... can be radiating to the right shoulder, nausea and/or vomiting after eating or drinking fluids, abdominal pain and/or difficulty breathing after eating, loss of appitite, diahrea, pale stools than normal, and weight loss/gain can be gallstones and/or pancreatitis, but not all syptoms need be present. gallstones causing acute pancreatitis and bending forward relieves the pain is a good sign to see your doctor/emergency room right away. Not having acute pacreatitis treated properly can be fatal,  but not in all cases, it might just last a couple of days and go away. Acute pancreatitis is very painful and could turn into chronic pancreatitis and as time goes by you experience less and less pain. Pancreatitis is and immflamation of the pancreas that slowly destroys the function of the pancreas, which over time you can develop digestive insuffinancies and diabetes.