1. < Chronic Pain

Has anyone been diagnosed with Abdominal Wall Pain

Posted by rufus444 @smiles444, Dec 15, 2017

Starting on May 1, 2017, I began having abdominal pain that wraps around to my left back. The first time it happened, I went to the emergency room because I thought I might have an apendicitis. The hospital did a CT scan of my abdomen, everything looked okay. I went to the emergency room several times over the summer with excruciating abdominal and back pain. I had a hida scan done, a colonoscopy and an endoscopy and CT and ultrasound scans of my abdomen. Everything looked normal. In September of this year, a doctor at Mayo felt the area on my abdomen and did a Carnett's test. He suggested it could be abdominal wall pain. I have had two steroid injections and I am still having pain in the same area. Has anyone out there had this type of diagnosis and still having pain?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

juliepm | @juliepm | May 8, 2019
In reply to @richman54660 "@juliepm Hi, I could be totally wrong but perhaps you tension in internal nerve plexus that..." + (show)
@richman54660

@juliepm Hi, I could be totally wrong but perhaps you tension in internal nerve plexus that is affecting nerve functions / producing pain. Think about how it feels to get punched in the solar plex (or for men kicked in the crotch; for ladies menstrual cramps). Tension internally on a nerve can make it malfunction and that causes a viscious cycle of pain.

It depends on where the plexus or nerve is and where the pain is. It wasn't clear from your description. Myofascial tissue / muscles clamping on nerves is a common source of pain and there is no test / no imaging and meds don't help it much, either. Stretching and exercise just might.

If so, extremely deep breathing (especially inspiration) and stretching of the psoas – which attaches to diaphragm- might help. If possible, search for psoas stretches (sometimes called hip flexors). Include very deep breathing with those stretches. For the solar plex stretch grab a taller table and crouch over it pulling Google pandiculation) you’ll get an idea what to do while pulling and stretching the solar plexus (celiac plexus) region. See if that helps. That really could be the issue that drives your pain. That caused my back pain and sciatica - without a doubt. It took me a while as I had chains of trigger points- and I firmly believe I had digestive issues from a tight nerve plexus somewhere (for me it was psoas for sure and I believe my sitting pain was from tightness near the pelvic plexus (right near the sitbones from the hypogastric nerves and others)). For me, DDD drives the process, I think. I've had great luck with intense stretching and exercise (including TRX core work - I haven't had a backache in months since I tried that). I still have a little sitting pain and I know at least some to most of that is myofascial tension. Try the pandiculation and deep breathing and find some stretches / exercises. It’s worth a try. See if that helps. Best of luck, Rich

Jump to this post

Richman 54660 Interesting, and thanks for the reply. Worth a try!

REPLY
richman54660 | @richman54660 | May 8, 2019

@juliepm. There is a book called “a headache in the pelvis” by Anderson and wise. They talk about Myofascial pain and trigger points. Some can be internal. Deep internal can be trickier to get rid of. Pilates reformer work might also help if I’m right and I’ve found combinations of flavonoids (rutin /quercetin), resveratrol, turmeric knock the pain down a bit (monitor blood pressure) and easy on the rutin. Good luck.

REPLY
lasirvent | @lasirvent | May 9, 2019
In reply to @edda "Yes, I had the same thing happen to me. I would wake up in the middle..." + (show)
@edda

Yes, I had the same thing happen to me. I would wake up in the middle of night with tremendous pain and ended up going to the ER several times. They took CT scans and blood tests, but everything came back normal. I can take pain and I am not a nervous hypochondriat. Ended up going to a gastroentologist, who came to the conclusion, that I had IBS, after some endostropies. But I still wake up at night with terrible pain and I do not know,
what causes it. I have sometimes put some hot or warm water bottle on it and it seems to help. But is that the answer? And I wake up two or three times.
Doctors seem not be worried, but I am, since I never had problems before. Could eat and drink anything. Travelled internationally a lot, and never even
had an upset stomach. Of course used common sense, when eating some things unknown to me. Now I skip dinner often, because I am afraid of that terrible pain! Does anybody had that problem?
I take ducalex and stool softeners and also a probiotic VSL 3 every day, to make sure, that I do not get constipated.
Should I seek more medical advise?

Jump to this post

Take Magneseum before going to bed for chronic constipation

REPLY
1 reply
juliepm | @juliepm | May 11, 2019
In reply to @lasirvent "Take Magneseum before going to bed for chronic constipation" + (show)
@lasirvent

Take Magneseum before going to bed for chronic constipation

Jump to this post

Never had constipation except after 2 c-sections

REPLY
debiobrien | @debiobrien | Jul 9, 2019

I have trouble swallowing food especially meats. most gets stuck in my throat above the flap. I have a motility disorder and only part of my esophagus works doe to damage for severe acid reflux and bile reflux form a bad gall bladder i took to long to get out. But for the past 6 months or so when i swallow especially meat i get a severe pain in the upper left part of my stomach. its only lasts a couple moments and once the food has passed that area the pain goes right way . has anyone else had this ?? im getting ready next month to have another endoscopy. about 2 years ago i had one and had a very small hiatial hernia in that area and im wondering if it has gotten worse and its what is causing the pain. again it mostly 95% of the time is cause form swallowing meats of any kind but beef and pork are the most severe.

REPLY
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 24, 2019

Hello All:

I thought you would find this video interesting. It deals with chronic abdominal wall pain. After you watch the video please share your thoughts.

Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Amy Oxentenko talks about an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, detailing the complexities of chronic abdominal wall pain (CAWP) – a condition that seems elusive to any workup.

REPLY
2 replies
Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Jul 24, 2019

@smiles444 I see that this discussion started a while ago- I assume you still have pain. I’m sorry! I experienced something similar for years before I was diagnosed with MALS - where a ligament from the diaphragm puts pressure on the celiac artery. I always had abdominal wall tenderness that did not have an explanation. Then , after meals I would have serious abdominal pain because of decreased blood flow to intestines. At Mayo I had trigger point injection at the one point, but there was no change.
After surgery for MALS the pain is gone. Don’t give up!

REPLY
juliepm | @juliepm | Jul 26, 2019
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello All: I thought you would find this video interesting. It deals with chronic abdominal wall..." + (show)
@hopeful33250

Hello All:

I thought you would find this video interesting. It deals with chronic abdominal wall pain. After you watch the video please share your thoughts.

Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Amy Oxentenko talks about an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, detailing the complexities of chronic abdominal wall pain (CAWP) – a condition that seems elusive to any workup.

Jump to this post

This video is not as informative as Dr. Seth Sweetser's post in the February 2019 Mayo Clinic Proceedings.Trigger-point injections--whether guided or freehand--do not last more than a few hours. I have not received competent care in my area and, in fact, have been brushed off by 14 MD providers over nearly 2 years, including Dr. Sweetser's gastroenterology group. I had to diagnose myself (via Carnett's) and still have no help. Patients posting on this site have had similar experiences, and "reassurances" from a well-meaning gastroenterologist are an insult. Yes, Dr. Oxentenko, it is very much a quality of life issue, and talk is cheap. Does Mayo know how to help us when injections fail, or not?

REPLY
rbassett | @rbassett | Oct 7, 2019
In reply to @pagray24 "@smiles444 Hi, I am going on 5.5 years since my first sudden onset of upper left..." + (show)
@pagray24

@smiles444
Hi, I am going on 5.5 years since my first sudden onset of upper left quadrant abdominal pain. I have had many diagnoses and yet it is still a mystery and truly excruciating at times. My pain is 8-9 days out of 10. How often is yours? Can you walk normally? What have you tried that works? I have seen 18-20 specialist. I use heat, a TENs, meditation, pain meds, lying still on a 45 degree angle and a number of other meds. Does the pain cause you headaches and nausea when it gets severe? It has been a 5 year science experiment and imaging studies of all types to still not know what or why. Abdominal wall pain, visceral pain, chest wall pain, chronic pain syndrome, etc. It has been labeled all of these. I have received easily 100 injections in my upper abdomen and wrapping around to my back. So, I feel your pain.

Jump to this post

Just to let you know, I have severe abdominal pain and nothing helps. My pain is 24/7 and levels from 5 to 10 depending on meds I'm taking. I get a shot soon to see if it's my abdominal wall or something else, but the pain never goes away.

REPLY
2 replies
juliepm | @juliepm | Oct 7, 2019
In reply to @rbassett "Just to let you know, I have severe abdominal pain and nothing helps. My pain is..." + (show)
@rbassett

Just to let you know, I have severe abdominal pain and nothing helps. My pain is 24/7 and levels from 5 to 10 depending on meds I'm taking. I get a shot soon to see if it's my abdominal wall or something else, but the pain never goes away.

Jump to this post

@rbassett, I'm crossing my fingers that you will find a diagnosis for your pain--and for some lasting relief. Please post after your shot with some details for the rest of us? Much appreciated, and good luck

REPLY
1 reply
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.