1. < Pancreatic Cancer

Occasional sharp back pain after whipple

Posted by dalegantous @dalegantous, Jun 9 9:04am

Hello! I had Whipple for cancerous tumor in head of my pancreas on February 9th. Some lymph node and nerve tissue involvement, but margins clear. I've had 5 rounds of Folfirinox, 7 more to go. After my Whipple, I would occasionally have very sharp pain in the upper middle of my back, similar pain to a gall bladder attack (I have no gall bladder). The pain is debilitating, but only lasts a minute. This seemed to go away, but kicked off again with my 5th round. Surgeons checked my bloodwork, no issues. No one seems to know the cause of this. Anyone have similar issues or ideas as to the cause? Thank you.

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markymarkfl | @markymarkfl | Jun 9 1:10pm

Long shot on relevance, but I did have similar, occasionally acute pain in my back the first few months after Whipple (open).

I've had a chronic bad back, but my Whipple week in an uncomfortable hospital bed was the initial trigger for it getting worse. Even after I got home and into a good bed, the "damage" was already done. Several weeks of sleeping in odd positions to alleviate pain where the Whipple incision was healing piled on top of that. It was worrisome for a while because it was the same area where back pain is often reported prior to a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

I was lucky enough to discover that it was all muscular. Massage and physical therapy managed to untangle all the knots in my mid-back muscles and provide some relief. I hope you're able to find an equally easy fix, but if massage/PT don't provide it, you'll probably still feel better for giving it a try. 🙂

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1 reply
dalegantous | @dalegantous | Jun 9 1:41pm
In reply to @markymarkfl "Long shot on relevance, but I did have similar, occasionally acute pain in my back the..." + (show)
@markymarkfl

Long shot on relevance, but I did have similar, occasionally acute pain in my back the first few months after Whipple (open).

I've had a chronic bad back, but my Whipple week in an uncomfortable hospital bed was the initial trigger for it getting worse. Even after I got home and into a good bed, the "damage" was already done. Several weeks of sleeping in odd positions to alleviate pain where the Whipple incision was healing piled on top of that. It was worrisome for a while because it was the same area where back pain is often reported prior to a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

I was lucky enough to discover that it was all muscular. Massage and physical therapy managed to untangle all the knots in my mid-back muscles and provide some relief. I hope you're able to find an equally easy fix, but if massage/PT don't provide it, you'll probably still feel better for giving it a try. 🙂

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Thank you!

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marcia | @marciak9 | Jun 10 9:43am

I have had similar pain and my doctor said that it’s the pancreas leaning on a bundle of nerves called the Celia plexus. A prescribed extended oxycodone twice a day and then another 5 mg immediate release for breakthrough pain. I’m tired of the side effects of being on narcotics so we’re gonna go ahead, and put in a nerve block. I don’t know if that’s what you’re having but I know it is severe and short when I did get it.

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dalegantous | @dalegantous | Jun 10 3:10pm

Thank you! Sounds similar.

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ibizobysa59 | @ibizobysa59 | Sep 7 12:56am

I can relate to dealing with mysterious pain post-surgery, it's frustrating when you don't have clear answers. After a surgery of my own, I had unexplained pain that turned out to be muscular, and physical therapy made a big difference. Exploring massage or a nerve block, like others mentioned, could be worth discussing with your doctor. Sometimes, it’s just about finding the right approach to get relief.

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1 reply
recho | @recho | Sep 7 2:04pm

My partner still has “pain attacks” like you described, 1.5 years post-whipple. Wish I had solutions to share but I’m just writing to say you’re not alone. And hoping for the wisdom of others.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 9 7:02pm
In reply to @ibizobysa59 "I can relate to dealing with mysterious pain post-surgery, it's frustrating when you don't have clear..." + (show)
@ibizobysa59

I can relate to dealing with mysterious pain post-surgery, it's frustrating when you don't have clear answers. After a surgery of my own, I had unexplained pain that turned out to be muscular, and physical therapy made a big difference. Exploring massage or a nerve block, like others mentioned, could be worth discussing with your doctor. Sometimes, it’s just about finding the right approach to get relief.

Jump to this post

@ibizobysa59, welcome. Did you also have Whipple surgery for pancreatic cancer? How are you doing now?

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silver182 | @silver182 | Sep 10 10:13am

I had a similar pain after my Whipple, but it was directly related to the spinal tap for surgery pain. Come to find out the anesthesiologist who did the spinal tap missed several times and got into spinal column Improperly.

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