Pain in shoulder blades/between shoulder blades

Hi Cathy,

Pain anytime in your chest area can be worrisome. The best thing to do is make an appointment with your doctor to rule out any cardiac issues. There are a couple of postings online here that you can read and gain some insight from others who are experiencing the same issues as you. One of them talks directly about back pain being related to GERD. You can read that posting here.  Also, check out the symptoms database located here and the information about GERD located here. This information isn't meant to be used as a self diagnosis, but a tool to help you understand the issue and ask questions of your doctor.

Stay in touch and let us know how you're doing!

Vicki M

Hi Cathy,

Grab a chair...this is a long one. But after you read it I hope it helps to ease your mind a bit! Because I understand and my  goes out to you!

I have the same symtoms as you do...and every other imaginable one that seems to be classic of acid reflux and hiatal hernia...(and with no real permanent relief) regardless of what I eat or do...These bouts just come and then go. Sometimes they're severe and longer lasting...Sometimes it is less bothersome. But basically the relief time is few and far between...I also have most of my pain in middle upper back and shoulder blades, sore neck muscles...and in ribs and across rib area...as well I get hoarseness constant belching even after drinking just water. Sometimes burning/hot sensation in middle of chest (esophogus) and throat...occassional re-gergetation of food/drink. I also get post nasal drip and constant throat clearing/hoarseness, bronchial wheezing, rumbling feeling in my chest and resporatory track sometimes, dry annoying cough and chocking feeling. a couple times last year when I had all these symtoms I cleared my throat of a dry cough and spit up a tiny drop of blood in clear spitum. That really sent me over the edge and I was convinced I had 2 days to live! Obviously I survived...(to be continually tortured by acid reflux)

Being a singer (and writer/songwriter) by professsion, this condition makes my life even more difficult and miserable. I'm in constant anxiety about how my voice will be affected, and I just pray I don't get a really bad bout of belching or hoarseness for a show. (Janis joplin is not quite my vocal style). And I for sure will not have that test that requires a tube going down my throat and esophogus!). Instant unemployment line! God knows its hard enough being a perfrorming artist...But acid reflux? Couldn't I have a missing toe or finger instead?

Anyway...I normally don't go to conventional doctors, nor will I take perscription drugs. I do not belive in, or have faith in either...thier diagnosises or treatments. they dole oyt pills like flyers. I prefer to take the holistic/natural approach with all my ailments and its extremely helpful with everything else I've ever had...Although I have gotten some fairly long term relief and/or lesser severe symtoms with some natural remedies..this issue is still relentless! So, 2 yrs ago out of desperation and constant worrying about what was wrong with me I  was examined by a doctor friend twice. Both times she diagnosed me with acid reflux (apparently the newest wide spread disease) and claimed I had a seperate back issue (which I do, but I know its not that only because its different pain and in a different area of my known back issue) and a post nasal drip. She gave me some Nexium, Flonase and told me to get some physical therapy for my back. I threw the pills out and put the flonase in my husbands side of ther medicine cabinet so I wouldn't feel guilty of wastefulness (and because the box matched well with all the other lables on his cold medication shelf).

I did go for a for alternative back treatments that are supposedly  based on (but less agressive than) chiropractic. It did help my back issues quite a bit and "back guy" said that it was my spinal misalighnment and stored stress/energy/trauma in my spine that causes all my problems digestive and otherwise...(which I do not believe truly is the source of all my symtoms) Whatever stored stress I have is from all this pain duhhh! I actually think the back relief was only just that...a relief for one of the symtoms of what the real source cause for my back pain is.  In any case, these treatments were helpful but hugely expensive. I just couldn't keep continuing after 10 months or so. Then I went to a nutritionist/kinesiologist. She did her muscle testing thing and concluded I had an overproductive yeast issue, weak liver function, acid, irritated stomach lining and sugar imbalance. What could I say?...except "Am I going to live?"  She said "Oh its common". Duh! Everyone I know is eating cheesburgers and drinking cocktails! I guess I'm special...how nice! So she had me taking a tons of enzymes a day with each meal and on an extremely limited diet (no dairy, soy yeast, fermented, smoked foods, condiments, alcohol, tomatoes or acid fruit, nothing raw including salad etc, etc the list goes on.  She also recomended body work for my back issue (saco cranial etc)...(and of course she does that too!).  I stuck to the diet and her perscribed enzymes diligently,(another huge expense) but could only afford a couple back treatments. For over 3 months I felt great and thought that my problems were solved...But then it came back again. Of course she said its because I needed to be a bit more consistant with the back treatments. Hello?  I'm an artist not a banker! Plus the fact that I can't live my life taking 40 pills or more a day and with such extreme dietary limitaions indefinately!  Mind you I am a very healthy eater in general (zero caffiene, coffee, don't smoke, no soda, no processed, canned foods etc. Eat tons of fish veggies, organic chicken meat veggies  whenever possible, salads bla, bla (my only vice a rare occassional scotch, desert, cheesburder or bowl of pasta). So...you are not alone girlfriend! And I so totally understand all the pain, worry and inconvienience this conditions causes. My suggestion to you is find an amazing natural/holistic practitioner that specializes in digestion and try whatever treatment he/she advises. I also sugest pure aloe juice (Herbal Aloe Force is best) before meals, milk thistle capsules, marshmallow root tinture and DGL (deglicerized licorice) chewable tablets 2 -20 min before meals. All these natural remedies help to heal and coat stomach lining, esophogus etc.  They are safe and can be found in any good health food store. Surely they will not hurt!

But I will tell you...I still can't figure out after years of trying what the hell triggers my symtoms to come and then go...And how are they all connected? I think I have a hiatal hernia too though because if and when I lift heavy objects or bend over to lift or do sit ups etc it triggers my symtoms or worsens the ones I already have at the time. Basically from the rib area to my neck I'm a disaster.

I even worry and wonder if I have a structural problem. Or scar tissue in my lungs...Or worse a serious lung problem since thats the area it hurts  alot, as well as I sometimes get a dry cough that comes and goes. I had a spontaneous lung collapse (after flying) and walked around with one lung for 5 weeks unable to catch my breadth (thinking I was getting my childhood asthma back). I have high tolerance for pain and discomfort to say the least! Obviously I finally had to go to my doctor friend and she found my right lung had been completely down. Now I knew why I couldn't climb that mountain in Sufri so fast (on vacation). I'd tried to make it fast to the "Healing" Falls...Little did I know it could've killed me instead! Anyway...I was sent to the hospital put on a chest tube and luckily the lung came right came back up. I then waited for three weeks with the tube in (I refused all pain drugs. I wasn't going to close my eye to the numerous hospital flubs that were to surely take place. Or I wouldn't have made it out of there alive) to see if the little pinhole in the lung would close on its own. But unfortunately it had been open too long (like a peirced earhole). So I had no choice but to have it repaired surgically. Because I took no pre or post surgery drugs I recouped within a couple days and was home after one month of being in the hospital. I was told that I just had, had an air bubble burst which had then caused the lung to collapse. It seems to be common?  Anyway hopefully all this discomfort has nothing to do with that and I am just (fortunately?) being tortured by this utterly miserable acid ref...ks (sorry couln't resist the wise crack) disease...to teach me some sort of twisted karmic lesson? And I suppose with all the years I have been suffering on and off with this...  If it was fatal I'd surely be dead by now! I just made an appt for Friday to see Dr. Walter. He's an interesting and eccentric but unbelievably knowedgeable 80yr old holistic practitioner. He was diagniosed wiith liver cancer in 68 while in Med school. He left medicine in disgust of their form of tratment and prognosis. He was determined to be cured and persued his studies in natural healing, nutrition, kinesiology etc and cured himself. He's alive and well at 80 and looks like 70! So I'm off to see the Wizard! I hope that you've had some comfort in this response (and a few laughs here and there too). Misery does love company doesn't it?  But all joking aside...I'll tell you one thing for sure...Regardles of the pain I'm in...Laughter, Humor, Prayer, Love, Sharing and Communicating our worries, pains, joys and humor with others is always a comfort! Be well, God Bless! I hope to hear that you are getting better soon! I now set you free from my obsessive compulsive writing! SandraNYC