Back Pain

[Tom Tolbert 0]

I'm getting desperate for answers.

I am truly happy with the results of my choice to have gastric sleeve surgery. But I do have a problem.

I had gastric sleeve surgery Nov 20th 2014. After two months sometime before Christmas I started to get a burning nagging sensation in my upper back along my rib cage. It is now 9 months since my surgery and I have lost around 110 lb. The back pain has been getting worse as I lose more weight. It is now getting unbearable. The pain starts in my upper back along the outer part of my ribs away from my spine and as the day goes on it moves down and starts moving around the sides of my ribs. The pain is a burning aching pain that can become unbearable towards the end of the day. It increases with activity. At the end of the day after I get home and get comfortable in a recliner it's fine. I have been to a pulmonologist and had a cat scan. My lungs and bones are said to be fine, no sign of cancer. I have been to my PC several times in the past 6 months, had all my blood work with nothing out of the ordinary. I have also been to my chiropractor. No one can figure this out. Please reply with any ideas that you might have.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[James Marusek 5,244]

I don't know what is going on in your case, but since you asked for ideas, I will throw these out.

A few individuals in our bariatric support group meetings complained of back or joint pain after surgery. It is as if the fat provided a cushion and as the fat dissolved away, the damaged joints which existed prior to the surgery became more painful after weight loss.

It might be due to a post-operative leak at the site of the surgery. The classic peritoneal signs are not always present post-operatively, and the emergency physician must be aware of subtle signs and symptoms that may point to this diagnosis requiring early surgical consultation. These include fever, increasing abdominal pain, back pain, pelvic pressure, hiccups, unexplained tachycardia, and restlessness. A pulse rate that remains above 120 beats/min has been associated with gastric dilatation and leak with peritonitis.

It might be related to a Vitamin deficiency, specifically a B1 deficiency.

I am no medical expert so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. Your medical staff is best qualified to determine the cause. But it sounds like you are already consulting with them.

[Miss Mac 6,261]

Look up DERMATOMES. One of my sister and I have a fairly rare condition called "Thoracic Radiculopathy". It comes from a herniated disc in the thoracic part of your spine and each disc pinches on a different dermatome. Mine acts up once in a while. It starts in the middle of my spine and comes around the left side under my armpit and over my lower ribs on the left side.

The dermatomes are nerve pathways that are close to your skin. Whe the burning pain is especially misbehaving, I cannot even touch my skin there.

So, just a suggestion. Since your primary doctor hasn't zerode in the cause, maybe you could ask for a referral to an orthopedist or a neurologist. It took a thoracic MRI for both my sister and I to receive a correct diagnosis that could be effectively treated.

Lyrica helps. So do Lidoderm Patches. It has bothered me a lot less since I got so much wieght taken off my bones. Good luck. I hope your issue can be resolved.

[maryannotginger 15]

Good suggestions above regarding joint pain as the deep, visceral fat 'dissolves'. I found I needed to get a new mattress because I could feel every spring and lump in the old one like the 'princess and the pea'. Very painful.

Also, make sure you are staying very well hydrated every day. Dehydration can lead to dried out discs and PAIN. Check with your physician.

[Djmohr 6,965]

Not to say this is what is happening to you but it is quite possible.

I have had back and neck problems for about 25 years. One of the reasons I became obese was because it was difficult to even move.

I have a osteoarthritis arthritis in my spine. I knew this before bypass.

I thought losing all this weight wood definitely take the pressure off my spine. About 3 months post op, my neck and mid back pain got so bad that I could hardly stand it. I knew I had a bad disc in my cervical spine and had been getting epidural injections to help with the burning, searing pain running down my neck and shoulder.

In January I went to see my orthopedic surgeon that had fused my lumbar in 2001.

First they told me they see a lot of bariatric patients because as you lose fat in and around your spine, you lose some stability. Also you may feel more pain because you are more active. We did a ct scan and X-rays (I cannot have MRI). Low and behold I now had severe stenosis caused by osteoarthritis arthritis. The arthritic joints had grown large Spurs that were also flattening my spinal cord.

On June 3rd I had a big surgery removing one of my vertebrae and replacing it with a donor graft and then fused 3 levels together. So far it has helped with some of the nerve pain but it has not resolved anything in my mid back which I was not expecting it to. I am still recovering of course.

We now are going to look at my thoracic spine to see if there are issues there. They are the same symptoms you describe but we wanted to get me through this bigger issue first.

It could be disc or joint related which causes pressure on the nerves. That nerve pain radiates around the rib cage.

Not sure that you wanted to hear all that, nor am I suggesting this is what is happening with you. It is just one idea that might make sense.

It could also be related to kidney stones.