I’d like to add my welcome, and thank you for sharing very insightful posts on Connect. As Teresa mentioned, there can be a number of causes for shoulder pain. Since you mentioned GERD and hiatal hernia, may I ask if your doctors have ruled out laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) or silent reflux? Although the shoulder may seem like an unlikely place to develop pain after eating a meal, most people with silent reflux do not experience heartburn, and have few or no symptoms.
We have several discussions on Connect which you might interest you:
– Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux – made a decision to visit the Mayo Clinic https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hello-ive-made-a-decision-to-visit-the-mayo-clinic-in-a/
– Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LRP) – severity and outlook? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/laryngopharyngeal-reflux-lrp-severity-and-outlook/
–Does surgery work for LPR https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/does-surgery-work-for-lpr/
@marlaxyz, you may be correct in suggesting the possibility of a link between chemotherapy/radiation and arm or shoulder pain; although this study was conducted in breast cancer patients, it may interest you to read about “Treatment Related Impairments in Arm and Shoulder in Patients with Breast Cancer”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4016041/
@jrofri, @marlaxyz are you taking any medications for your GERD? Have you considered alternative methods such as acupuncture or seeing a chiropractor?
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor
@marlaxyz There is a MALS discussion group on Mayo Connect. You might get more insight from that group. @kariulrich is a Volunteer Mentor who knows something about MALS. Perhaps she can offer you some suggestions.
Teresa
Yes, I am taking Rebeprazole, 40 m, 2x day for ACID in my stomach. I have been to an acupuncture but it was not deep acupuncture, just superficial. Yes I go to a chiropractor who has given me ideas to try. She has been helpful.
Thank you, Teresa; I was remiss in mentioning the MALS group. Here’s the link to an active, incredibly informative discussion about discussion, “Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS)” https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/median-arcuate-ligament-syndrome-mals/
Liked by Kari Ulrich, Alumna Mentor
Hello @jrofri , I would like to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry to hear you are having these issues with pain in left shoulder after eating. I failed to find any mention being made whether the pain in your arm is affected by movement. I don’t intend to make a diagnosis as I am not a doctor but in order to understand your symptom a little better can you tell us if the pain becomes worse if you turn your head right or left or maybe when you move your arm above your head?
@vdouglas
Von
No the pain does not become worse if I turn my head R or L. It seems to very slightly improve when I move my arm above my head. I have a hand vibrator that I use to defer the pain, but that is exactly what it does. It does not decrease the pain. I have a fullback massager which I use to defer the pain, again it does not decrease the pain. I have used ice bags, or heating pad. The pain I have comes about 15 minutes after I eat, and lasts 3 hours. Then it is gone until the next eating experience. On a scale of 1-10, the pain is greater than the scale. Finally, I take 2-500m of Tylenol. It takes about 15 minutes for that to kick in, and I usually get some relief. I cannot use Ibuprophen because it caused an ulcer in my stomach. Tylenol puts me to sleep, and I am on Lyrica for perifieal neuropathy (10 yrs). I seem to be sleeping my “golden years” away. Thanks for responding to my post. It at least helps to have someone talk positively, trying to find answers.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor
@marlaxyz Nice to meet you, and thank you @hopeful33250 for tagging me. I am a little late in this conversation, I apologize. I would love to hear more about what you are experiencing with your pain, is it primarily after you eat or can it happen anytime? Please feel free to message me here or come over to the MALS page that @kanaazpereira posted below, maybe we can offer some insight from our experiences. I look forward to hearing from you.
Hey Guys, it’s been a little while since I posted back. I had to go to PT for Siatic nerve problems I experienced over the holidays. Yesterday I was talking with my PT specialist about the eating and referred pain in shoulder. She said “you would be surprised how many of our patients have complained of this kind of pain.” I was estatic because I finally got some validation that this is a real problem. I asked her, “okay, what’s the stem of it all? How does it get taken care of?” She replied, “No answers. ” That took the air out of my baloon, but I still feel better knowing that there are people out there experiencing the same problem I have. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was taking Rebeprazol for “producing too much acid” and It worked for a little while, but now it is not working. It seems I have to wean off it, which I have started, but now I am back to square one. “Come, grow old with me, the best is yet to be. HOGWASH!” with a little humor added.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor
Hi Oldkarl, My shoulder pain starts at the shoulder point, then works its’ way over to the neck and on up the neck to the ear. Pain can be a +10 on the 1-10 scale. Very difficult to deal with. No answers from the oncologist, cardiologist, and the gastrologist is just “trying” different things. Drs. have ruled out spleen since I have had a recent catscan for another problem, and they said my spleen looks fine, altho my Respiratory thinks it might be connected since the spleen can give off these symptoms. Eat, pain in left shoulder, and then subsides about 3-4 hrs. later. Lots of prayer going into this. Can you tell me what “pain points of fibromyalgia has to do with this?
@jrofri Well, I can tell you a little– what little I know. I have seen a few web sites that included a map of “pain points” at different places around the body, including this spot. At these pain points, the FM responds to stimuli or to nothing, and produces a sharp pain. There are different spots for different folks. Why these points give the sense of pain I do not know, and nothing I have found yet says exactly why. But since FM (and PM) are both autoimmune, products of misfolded proteins, I suspect the fibrils getting into the nerves that relay these pain messages are the real culprits. When the fibrils invade the nerves, something bad always happens. It may be a pain, it may be death. And it seems that there are certain spots where the fibrils get into the nerves, such as the sensory-motor nerves between the brain and the heart, or the kidney, or the lungs, or whatever. https://bit.Ly/1w7j4j8
I have been saying for awhile that it has to do with “nerves” more than gastro because I have perifial neuropathy (no diabetes) (also no reasons show up on numerous testing to find out why I have neuropathy.(for more than 10 years prior to cancer)…..on up through the system all the way to the shoulder. Many of my continuous health problems are connected to the nerves. —-the latest one being a sciatic nerve in my butt down the leg, into the front, and into big toe. No sitting, standing, laying down, walking , riding bike…..nothing would help. Tylenol wouldn’t help either. I can’t take Ibuprophan because of my stomach. Had to go to emergency room to get some muscle relaxer into me. I’m beginning to think I could put out a shingle and offer advice. I can’t seem to get much from “practicing physicians”, God bless ’em. What would we do without them?
Liked by Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator
@marlaxyz
No, pelvic area. But i found that the effect of radiation are widespread.
BTW, there is another disease called MALs which seems to have similar symptoms. I haven’t really checked it out yet. The md i discussed it with didn’t have info and there are some tests re hiatal hernia that are next in priority.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor, GailBL, Volunteer Mentor