Attacks and Back Pain

I had surgery in January 2007 and all is fine, except when I have "attacks"  -- that always include killer back pain right in the middle of my upper back along my backbone at the same time as horrible pain in the pouch area, along with intense gas pains in my lower stomach...does anyone else have the associated back pain with the "dumping" attacks?

I'm always at the brink of going to emergency, since I think I'm dying when they occur, but if I can outlast them -- sometimes 4-8 hours, it eventually goes away, except for residual aching for a day or two...

Carol

Hi -
Do you still have your gall bladder? If so, the attacks could be from that - they are excruciating.
I don't really "dump" - I just get really sleepy if I eat something that does not agree with - so I'm no help. If it is really that painful though I would go get it checked out - who knows it could be nothing or something that needs to fixed and will only get worse.
best of luck -
Marta

Good point -- but no, I don't have my gall bladder -- but the pain is similar across the middle of my back as I remember for that pain -- it's only when the "attacks" are happening that the pain is there, which makes me wonder if my "innards" aren't shifting around a bit-- which is what my surgeon originally thought when I went to emergency once for it -- he took an x-ray and thought maybe my intestines were knotting up, but couldn't tell by the time I got there... so still trying to figure out why they occur.  I keep Googling it, but can't find if anyone else has similar pain/reactions -- it's not necesarily to sugar -- last night's was some mueslix mixed with Greek yogurt  and I think the mueslix swelled == I didn't even think of it while I was eating -- but WOW -- the pain all evening was enough to kill...

C

Could it be the Meuselix?  I would say gall bladder too but since you don't have it that's out.  I do get really bad gas pains and when they start I have to take Mylanta, if I don't catch it right away it is very painful and lasts for a long time.  I'v always had them so I was lucky I knew what it was.  If I take the mylanta (it's the only thing that works for me) right away the pains go away.  

Anna

I haven't tried Mylanta -- I do chew Tums, but when it's a bad attack, even they don't work...I'd always had bad gas pain attacks, but with the surgery, they are just intensified with a new back pain element added in --

Does it feel like you someone is sqeezing your insides out?  That's how I felt... I had a hernia.. and when it got tangled in my bowel I would have these attacks. Then finally one took me to ER acutually 2 now.. Ive had two internal hernias.  Quick surgery, Quick recovery.

I wouldnt put them pains off to much!

Stacey

More like a knife slitting through my back  -- and more just intense pain in the high stomach/pouch area -- but always "food" related -- did your hernia attacks come on without having eaten something to set it off?

I just about gave up last night and went to the ER, but remembered that the last time I went, they gave me a muscle relaxer, so I tried that last night and it finally let me fall asleep and all felt fine today -- just a bit nauseous all day and sore.

carol

My first thoughts would be hernia or adhesion. I hope that it turns out to be something simple, but don't put it off too long if you are really hurting.

~Suz

With hernia or adhesions -- I'd think they'd hurt on their own without food involvement, since I can always trace these to "food" attacks -- so I wonder if those attacks just happen even when you don't eat anything?  I never have the attacks by themselves...

Carol

I sort of thought of it in terms of food moving through your intestines, which creates a lot of intestinal movement during digestion, and that movement could be pulling on intestinal adhesions. Though, I would  imagine that you could expect some pain at times other than eating, as well.