Upper Back pain. Miserable. Help. Please.

[Peter B]

Hello all,
I've been away for a couple of months so I'm going to spend a couple of hours going over all of the posts I've missed. I truly hope you are all doing as well as can be expected. I know that isn't much but whatever control over our lives we have is to be cherished. Sad but true.

Anyway, I have thoracic scoliosis. I've actually lost 2 inches of height because of this. I'm only 5'5" so it makes a big difference. LOL
The curve, up until recently, has never caused me any trouble. Now, there are times when it's as dibilitating as my lumbar troubles (L5 S1, what else?).
Not only does the pain stop me dead in my tracks but I feel like if I breath it's worse. I dont think breathing truly has any affect on it but I automatically hold my breath, continuously.

You don't hear too many people who have thoracic problems so I'm not counting on any responses so I'm just going to consider this post, a vent.

I've had the long muscle in my back removed (latisimus dorsi) and wonder is this has anything to do with it.
Anyway, thanks for reading.

Pain free days,
Pete

[Bobbi]

I don't have thoracic problems the same extent as yours, Pete, but... maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised when folks such as Mark respond :). Mark has had Thoracic surgery. Too, there is a BT member (Kathi) who has scoliosis, also; hers is pretty extensive, but it'd be rather rude for me to attempt writing more about it and/her when I'm sure, if she sees this, she'd likely prefer to do so herself.

Anyway, I did give your post a bump ;).

[Mark N]

Peter, glad to have you back posting but sorry it is for this reason. I would think missing the lat muscles would cause some problems with your pain. Right now it may be a good thing that the pain is isolated to your upper back as thoracic problems usually have other types of pain along with back pain. With that much scoliosis in your thoracic region it would make sense that your thoracic spine is causing the pain. I know the pain that causes you to hold your breath and to breathe carefully so not to cause any more sharp pains. It sounds like your scoliosis could be causing your breathing pain especially if it is causing your rib cage to compress on your lungs and heart. Sorry to hear that you are now having this problem.

Have you seen a spinal doctor about your pain yet? If so, what did he/she have to say about the cause of your pain and what to do about it? I hope otherwise you are doing well.

[Tbackpain1]

Another T-spiney checking in. Peter, I know of what you're describing. Its a debilitating, take your breath away type of spasm that goes around your rib-cage and sometimes up under the shoulder blades...sound familiar?

I've gone round for round trying to get a direct answer about the "why" and "how" of these episodes, but its all guess-work. One doc says its myalgia, another says its severe muscle spasms that are causing the intercostal (between the rib) muscles to contract excessively, hence the "take your breath away" feeling. All I know is that it hurts like the dickens and I just have to wait for it to pass, which can sometimes take awhile, especially when I'm waiting for BT meds to kick in.

I do get trigger point injections into the thoracic musculature, to keep the worst of it down. Sometimes when it really gets torqued up, I can feel my diaphragm trying to get in on the action, and that is a real bugger. Not only does it feel like my ribs are in a vice, but my diaphragm is pulling upwards, making it even more difficult to breathe. Yikes! :eek:

Anyhow, I do hope your docs are able to help you with this. Good Luck.

Theresa

[suede]

Pete,
You see here is yet another T spinney.
Mark and Theresa are much more knowledable then I am but I wanted to pop in and say Hi and that I hope your feeling better soon.
Linda

[Mark N]

Pete, I was just wondering how you are doing today. I hope you have gained some pain relief and have gotten off to a good weekend start.

[ErinENj]

Hi Peter!

I'm a little late responding to your thread, but I've had some busy times lately and my energy levels have been sapped, but I wanted to reply. And at the start, I'll apologize for any typos. My laptop self-destructed tonight and needs a new backlight, whatever that means, and I'm using my mom's laptop for now, but her's has a really different layout for the keyboard and typing is slightly more difficult and just really annoying!

I wanted to tell you that, no matter what your height is, you miss the inches. I used to be 6'1" but have lost a half inch of it since my back troubles started, and I miss it. Amazingly, even with all of the other 72.5 inches, I've had people ask me if I've shrunk. It's absolutely incredible! :rolleyes:

I wish I could offer some advice about your thorasic nightmare, but my issues are all lumbar now (L4/5 and L5/S1). I had a fractured vertebrea at T12, but that stopped causing me problems awhile ago after it finally healed (it took about a year and a half to heal. They were starting to look for other ways to get it sealed up and couldn't figure out why a fracture in a 20 year-old would even happen, but then why it wouldn't heal. I was dealing with that when this all started and it got swept under the rug todeal with my lumbar problems and the next time they looked, it healed on its own.)

But I do hope that things have gotten better since you posted that and that if they haven't gotten completely better, I hope that they get better in the very near future! Keep us posted on how you're doing!

[Peter B]

Hello all,
Bobbi, Mark, Erin, Linda, Theresa. Thank you all for responding. Since I have such a long list of Doc visits, hospital stays and 23 surgeries, I have an aversion to going to the hospital for ANY reason. This is likely to my detriment but I know sooner or later it is inevitable that I have my whole messed up body poked prodded and scanned again. I'm just not psychologically ready yet.

It's been almost 2 years since my last hosp. stay so the day is quickly approaching when I'll have to start the next round of whatever. I'm sorry if I sound a bit cavalier about it. I DREAD the day when my body wont take anymore and I"ll have no choice. But, until that day, I'll just be content to gripe about everything.

Gee, I sound like such a baby.
Again, thank you all for your kind words and concern.

Pain free days,
Pete

[buriedinbooks]

My last MRI simply stated that I had some degeneration in the lower thoracic area BUT I do know the pain you speak of!

I call them my faux mini-heart attacks. The first one happened many years ago when as a 119 pound mother I lifted my huge 8 month old son into the crib and WOW OUCH CRY...I thought I was having a heart attack. For years I was told it was stress...about 25 years later I was told it was either umm cervical spine umm TOS ummm myofascial pain and still some stress. LOL Goodness they won't let go of the stress theory. Sometimes the spasm/stab/breathtaking pain can turn into tachycardia...happened to me at school in the middle of a class...reached/turned to pull down the shade and wound up getting a shot of adenisone (sp) in the ambulance to reset the heartbeat of 200+. Scare the heck out of my students!

I simply know that sometimes when I lift, turn, or recline some "wong way" IT happens...IMO years of experience tells me it has to do with cervical to thoracic spine area...and something gets pinched or pulled that goes beyond pain and also takes my breath away (and it isn't Sam Eliott or Richard Gere)to that awful fake heart attack place!!! A very scary and nasty time.

Have a low pain night everyone! Carly