Have you been able to identify the cause of these symptoms? I have been living with type 1 diabetes for 30 years, and my A1C has been elevated recently, but I have been making efforts to improve it.

In February, I experienced intermittent right-sided pain beneath my right breast that would awaken me at night. An abdominal scan showed no abnormalities, and the pain subsided after approximately six weeks. In June, I was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and have been managing that since.

However, toward the end of September, I developed recurring sharp, burning, hot pains on the right side of my back that radiated to the front, specifically in the upper abdomen beneath my ribs. These episodes lasted between 30 seconds and two minutes and occurred randomly over a two-week period. I noticed increased pain with movement and developed a constant, bruised-like sensation on my right side, similar to a punch followed by sharp pains.

Due to the severity, I sought medical evaluation and have seen multiple healthcare providers. I have undergone numerous tests, including two abdominal scans, two CT scans with contrast, endoscopy, colonoscopy, MRI, a HIDA scan, and extensive blood work. Initially, gallbladder issues were suspected, and it was removed; however, subsequent evaluations confirmed that the gallbladder was not the source of the pain.

Currently, the most intense pain is concentrated in two areas of my abdomen, which has persisted for months. These episodes leave me bedridden and cause me to minimize movement to reduce discomfort. Limiting movement appears to lessen both the pain intensity and need for pain medication. While movement is not impossible, it exacerbates the pain, sometimes taking days to regain control of the pain to sleep comfortably.
I am now waiting to meet with a doctor to see if he will preform an ERCP to see if my bile ducts have build up that could be causing the pain. Also, another doctor is finding out if my insurance will cover some type of nerve block. I work a desk job and not a very active life, however I was stretching and trying to get my health better before all this occurred and wondering if it is some kind of weird muscle issue that won’t heal and has not shown on the scans. Also, mesmeric ischemia is something else I am having doctors look into. With being diabetic and my blood vessels already being affected, I am wondering if they have been affected in my abdomen and causing this pain like being beaten up with the random sharp intense pains that come and go.