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Suspected digestive issue causes pain beneath breastbone
For the last 12 months, my brother has been experiencing pains in his chest and back. Increasingly, the pains have focused right under his breastbone.
He feels the pains are digestive-system-related.
Initially, he suspected he had Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (chronic acid reflux).
But the diagnosis didn't seem to check out because:
* The pain is not a burning-acid-like pain.
* Foods like pizza or chocolate do not exacerbate it.
* A full stomach makes him feel better, not worse.
He tried lanzoprazole (Prevacid) (a proton pump inhibitor for acid reflux or ulcers). He was also prescribed a similar drug, pantoprazole (Protonix). Neither seemed to have any effect.
Blood tests detected nothing unusual. Likewise, an X-ray found nothing out of the ordinary (although my brother says the X-ray covered only the upper part of his torso).
The pain has become more frequent over time and is now nearly constant.
There doesn't seem to be any consistent trigger or pattern to the pain, except that it hurts more when he is sitting down.
He has one additional strange symptom: if he hasn't eaten for a while, his stomach gurgles -- loudly -- and he senses the gurgling feeling moving across his abdomen.
His doctor is at a loss to say what is wrong. Meanwhile, my brother and I are really hoping to find out what he has and how to treat it.
Many thanks in advance!
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Following for answers. Suffering similarly with no diagnosis.
I would get back into Dr. And ask for a CT scan. I have had two episodes that caused pain in my back & ribs that turned out to be lung conditions. One PE and the other complicated pneumonia. But mine were followed (after a month of pain 1st by extreme SOB). If not for the SOB, I don’t think I would have known it was a problem with my lungs. There are many other lung conditions besides what I had that can cause this type of pain and I’m not sure why your Dr didn’t think look into this possibility? Was this issue discussed?
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3 ReactionsSounds like symptoms of a large hiatal hernia causing the stomach to protrude into the diaphragm.
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2 ReactionsYour brother needs to go the doctor. Do not speculate. I have GERD and it does hurt just below the breast bone. There were time when it was so severe I went to the ER. I do not have a hiatus hernia (confirmed by endoscopy). But one’s heart and lungs are there as well. Plus musculature that could be inflamed or even a stomach infection like h. Pylori might be an issue. I hope you get this resolved soon.
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2 ReactionsPs. Just to add, gurgling sounds familiar. Also, if the pain happens in episodes, it could be stomach spasm. It sounds like there is also a gas issue. This is what I had. Try anise tea. That helped me with the gas. Also, the stomach meds were not helpful but reducing my stress levels were. Trying some gentle yoga postures that flex the spine and open up the chest area. Daily brisk walks. When my stress went down, my system calmed down.
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1 ReactionDid he go to a GI doctor?
Gurgling is associated with gastritis(as one who has had that). It’s important to get an endoscopy. They did a biopsy and it turned out to be h pylori which was then treated. Also need to make sure it’s not an ulcer. The symptoms can vary some depending on where it is located. My advice is not to delay being seen.
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2 ReactionsHis Dr. needs to order a CT scan for his abdomin / chest area. Xrays won't show a diaphramic hernia. I've had a small one for a few yrs but never bothered me until recently. The pain was exactly like above only 20x's worse.
The pain was so wide spread along my midsection & back. I actually thought for a short time that it was my kidneys. I ended up in the ER, hospitalized for 2 days. Now back down to Mayo MN to repair it finally in March.
Do not over exert.
I think the reason your brothers pain is worse when sitting is because it puts pressure on his internals, I found that in a mostly reclined (not quite flat) position helped.
There are many great responses to your inquiry. We all hope your brother gets some answers.
Has your husband been to a cardiologist or a gastroenterologist? If not, he could ask for referrals and see if they can nail it down.
Get him to a (good) doctor! Soon!
As Sim pointed out, there's a lot of important body parts in that area that could result in serious trouble, but let's hope it's just gas. My point is, don't delay. : )
You must be a really good sister! Bless you
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