funny but extremely painful symptom

snommintj

I have pancreatitis caused by a met pressing on my pancreas. The pain is frequently unbearable. The only respite I've been getting is when I stand up for long period of time. Sitting doesn't offer any reprieve and laying down actually magnifies the pain. I've rigged a couple of pieces of furniture together and am squeezing between them to find a good spot and get sleep. I'm able to get a few hours at a time this way. Here is my problem. After I've been standing for a few hours, or after propping myself up, my right shoulder starts radiating pain in a very bad way. I'm almost under the impression that it is all in my head but the pain literally makes me cry. It is terribly intense and eventually encompasses my neck and throat. I can't describe the pain. It is something I've never encountered. It's not a burning, pressing, or cut feeling. It lasts about 2 hours then goes away. But here is the mystery. If I lay down or aggravate my pancreas, my shoulder pain instantly goes away. Then if I do something to ease the pancreas it reappears. I've found myself laughing at this situation while tears were still flowing from the pain. I have no idea what connection the two have but I know it's a painful one.

goodwitch

no pain is funny
could it be refered pain , still from pancreatitis but just experienced differently because of the position change? please call your doc for pain meds, no-one should have to suffer this much..... if it was a loved one you would insist on pain management, why not for yourself?
Glenda

lisa42

ouch
Hi John,

Man, I'm sorry you're having to experience this. I hope that you can get that met that's pressing on the pancreas zapped or taken care of very soon. Is that arranged yet?
Very weird about the shoulder pain seeming to relate. It's weird what nerves can do. It's probably pressing on a nerve that somehow comes out or radiates pain out to the shoulder. Weird.
You've gone through so much, I hate to see you go through more. I know you will keep on with taking care of things and getting those mets solved and out of there.
Have you been taking pain killers already? Sorry I don't remember if you said so before. With pain that bad, I'm sure nothing will take the pain away completely, but hopefully something will at least take off some of it.

You take care!
Lisa

KathiM

goodwitch said:

no pain is funny
could it be refered pain , still from pancreatitis but just experienced differently because of the position change? please call your doc for pain meds, no-one should have to suffer this much..... if it was a loved one you would insist on pain management, why not for yourself?
Glenda

I agree with Glenda....(great username, BTW)
get thee some pain management...and, well, maybe have a chiropractor look at your spine...maybe a disk is slipping from standing so long...just a thought!

BIG dutch hugs, Kathi

snommintj

lisa42 said:

ouch
Hi John,

Man, I'm sorry you're having to experience this. I hope that you can get that met that's pressing on the pancreas zapped or taken care of very soon. Is that arranged yet?
Very weird about the shoulder pain seeming to relate. It's weird what nerves can do. It's probably pressing on a nerve that somehow comes out or radiates pain out to the shoulder. Weird.
You've gone through so much, I hate to see you go through more. I know you will keep on with taking care of things and getting those mets solved and out of there.
Have you been taking pain killers already? Sorry I don't remember if you said so before. With pain that bad, I'm sure nothing will take the pain away completely, but hopefully something will at least take off some of it.

You take care!
Lisa

pain killers
sadly, I am one of those folks that simply doesn't respond to traditional pain killers. The stronger the pain killers the sicker they make me, plus they don't stop the pain. So far the best pain killer I have in my arsenal is aspirin + caffeine. It's ok though. I can usually deal with pain. I am super sensitive to benadryl injections though. I can get a half dose injection and be knocked completely out in 30 seconds and stay out for 8+ hours. There is also something else they gave me last time I was in the hospital, I can't remember the name but it typically isn't used as a pain killer. It works well as one for me. I usually control my pain well with various methods of meditation or simply not caring. The last few weeks have been taxing. I'm working toward a solution soon. Thanks for caring!

pete43lost_at_sea

laughing at this situation while tears were still flowing
Hi John,

You sound pretty tough and your doing the best you can. I hope you find some relief ASAP
hopefully you will find the real cause.

In the interim you could try my favoured method of scaring cows and neighbours is simple to scream and yell. You know like the girls do when delivering, it actually worked wonders for me while i was popping. Ah back in the good old days when I had anarse that worked. But its just on sick leave.

If you try this warn the neighbours first if they are close by. when I was on my mates farm the cows would come running towards the house. I must have sounded like another male. I fancy myself as a stud, except I did not think it would apply to cows.

I hope my silly story, has made you smile or grinace a little. ie to get you mind away from the pain if you can.

seriously wish you find an answer today.

I hope this is not too scary or weird, but in the midst of the worst pain, I would say to myself mentally. FUXXXX I MUST BE ALIVE TO FEEL THIS MUCH PAIN. Somehow the more intense the pain I would feel more intensley alive.

I know you have got a boy, my kids would come in and smile. They would often close the bathroom door if I was yelling to much. I don't think they could hear the TV.

Prayers,

Pete

AnneCan

Sorry John
I hope you can get rid of the pain.

Lifeisajourney

shoulder pain
I don't know if my issue was the same, but I developed a terrible pain in left shoulder which would run down my arm to elbow. It was very intense and when the crying started after trying to live with a few weeks, we went to er. Thought it might be a heart attack since my arm from elbow to fingers are always tingling due to the chemo neuropthy. It turned out to be a pinched nerve which lasted probably a total of 8 weeks. I would have them check it out because the pain was intense like yours. I was so happy to just have a pinched nerve which they treated with steroids, which of course didn't aggree with my colon and probably caused my diviticulois,but it did go away eventually. Good luck, the only relief came with laying a certain way, but I was so happy it was just a pinched nerve. Of course they did do xrays and ekg also. I hope that is what you have, but I can relate to the pain, it was very intense...Pat

tootsie1

That's awful
Well, I'm glad you have a little bit of humor here, but I'm so sorry you're having so much pain. Please call the doctor and see if there's something they can do!

*hugs*
Gail

Kathleen808

John
John,
I am so dam* sorry you are in such pain. I have no solution but want you to know I am sorry and I hope you can get some relief.

Aloha
Kathleen

CherylHutch

Not funny at all
Awww John, this post upsets me. I hate pain... and I think I get more upset when I hear someone is in pain, more so than when I am in pain, myself. But having said that, I don't want to be in pain either! And there really is no reason anyone should ever be in that kind of pain. Discomfort, ok, maybe, but not pain... and certainly not intense pain!

Like you, I have a fairly high threshold to pain, part of it I think may be genetic but another part is, I have been living on pain killers for so long because of arthritis and joint pain that I think my body has gotten immune to them. Hence, I totally understand when you say pain killers generally don't work for you... but that is no reason for suffering through intense pain, or, heaven forbid, having to rig up a couple of pieces of furniture so they can prop you up while standing and getting some sleep.

Have you told your doctor/oncologist that this is the only way you can get sleep?? Because they have got to do something to find out what is causing the pain and what can be done to relieve it. As for the shoulder pain... I wonder if this might be nerve damage in some way? It does sound like it's related, but darned if I can figure out why the pain in your pancreas would affect your arm. I'm not even sure what kind of a doctor/specialist you'd need to have look at this but definitely you need to get some help with pain management.... even if it means hooking you up to a pain pump and giving you the steady heavy duty drugs!

Cheryl

Kathryn_in_MN

Pancreatitis
I had pancreatitis last spring - painful and not fun at all. (But I was thrilled that I ahd pancreatitis because my pancreas lit up on my PET and they thought it may be more cancer. It is amazing how much pain doesn't get me down if I know it isn't cancer!)

The shoulder pain sounds a little off. I would really get it checked out. Are you open to trying chiropractic just in case you have a pinched nerve or other issue?

I understand the pain med issues - I am the same. Vomiting or feeling on the edge of vomiting every moment is worse to me than just dealing with the pain - even when it is very severe pain.

Please don't just write this off as part of the pancreatitis. The other possibility that I worry about is a blood clot. Your symptoms sound a lot like my troubles with my last clot in my subclavian vein. Position made a big difference in my pain levels. I had shooting and stabbing pains, along with a dull ache, in my shoulder - all the way to the backside, and my neck. Please call your doctor about this.

I hope the pain is better soon.

tanstaafl

C sharp
One of our doctors uses IV vitamin C in late stage cancer patients, 60-100 grams after several sessions, in part for pain control even in pancreatic cancer since oxygen mediates pain where ascorbate is a high concentration anti-oxidant.

We use IV vitamin C partly for histamine control (cancer patients often generate a lot and histamine induces the VEGF growth factor) and epithelial maintenance and recovery on chemo.

Klenner, in North Carolina, used IV vitamin C in acute pancreatitis. Various burn units have high dose IV vitamin C experience and various ND, MD, DO use high dose IV ascrobate routinely in some states. They may have useful insight or clinical experience to share.

thxmiker

Deep tissue Massage
Go see a Deep tissue Massage Therapist. It will help get the knots out and let you relax. I used one for the first 3 months after surgery. A once a week visit relaxed my shoulders and back. Worst case you come out relaxed for a couple of days.

Just an idea.
Best Always, mike

herdizziness

John
John? I'm just wondering how you are feeling now? Any better?
Winter Marie