Feeling heartburn in my back?

[karrieg]

I get these pains in the center of my chest that go all the way to my back and I am wondering if it is just heartburn. I know it is not my heart because I have been getting them for years and it feels like a digestive issue. They first started when I was pregnant so I assumed it was heartburn because then it would happen when I ate chocolate or drank OJ. I don't have these pains on any predictable basis. I can go months without them and then suddenly they return and it is an hour or so after I eat that I get them. But when I do get it, it is very painful and even my back hurts. Does anyone feel heartburn in their back? Is that normal? I think it is a burning sensation I am feeling but it is sharp. I have it now and it seems to even be hurting in my right ear but I really think that is just referred pain (if that is possible). I have asked other people who get heartburn if it ever hurts in their back and everyone says no.

 

[jillyCD]

i think i know the pain you mean. kinda like someone ran you through with a hot poker? if you lay down does it feel like someone is driving their heel into the center of your chest? the best diagnosis i've gotten is esophageal spasms - mine are centered at the valve that is at the top of the esophagus. when i get acid breakthrough from reflux for several days it will start. it sometimes gets so bad i almost can't breathe and once was convinced i was having a heart attack. gaviscon liquid helps get things settled down for me. it also usually means i'm getting immune to my reflux medication and it's time for a new one. hope you feel better!

 

[karrieg]

Thank you for your reply, Jilly. Actually, it doesn't seem to make a difference what position I am. But I can relate the hot poker thing! Do you think it is related to CD or is it something different entirely. I have tried regular antacids and they don't do much. I guess I could try something stronger. I was reading online last night that gall bladder symptoms can also hurt in the chest and radiate to the back.

 

[KittyPants]

Prilosec has helped my heartburn immensely. My doctor has me on it twice a day. It is over the counter too, but it does take a day or two to start working.

 

[BigUglyCat]

Karrieg: I was thinking gall bladder. It was so painful for me that it woke me up in the night and I would have to lie on the cool bathroom floor (lovely, I know) to get any relief.

Keep us updated!

 

[jillyCD]

how are you feeling? may be the gallbladder thing. when mine went bad it was horrifyingly painful. start writing down what you ate when it happens. if the trend is after foods with animal fat, like milk or red meat or chocolate, suspect the gallbladder. mine made itself known after i drank a cup of coffee with half & half - which i normally don't do. i felt like i was dying! i didn't have stones, just sludge, and it was a year between attacks before it went completely bad. good luck

 

[theend2]

Your colon runs across that area I got that same pain when I was in a major flare that sent me to the hospital so I would not rule out possible crohns or ulcerative colitis.