justquit76

Hi. I've been having some medical problems in the past year and was wondering if anyone else has had, or know somebody that has had the same problems. I have been a heavy drinker for about the past 10 years. I have finally weened myself down to 2 or 3 beers a day from 9 or 10. About a year ago I started having back pain in my upper back; just below my left shoulder blade about an inch away from the spine. It started as more of just an annoyance, but the pain has gradually gotten worse. It isn't a stabbing pain; just feels like someone pushing their thumb into my back. The back pain also came with a cough. I don't smoke, so I know its not from that. Its not a hacking cough either. More like dust in my throat kinda of cough. I've had Xrays, blood tests, diabetes test, a full cardio exam complete with nuclear dye and stress test, been to the chiro numerous times...nobody can determine the cause. The one thing that I did discover is there may/may not be something with my lungs. I have never had an asthma attack, but they are able to induce one on me. My lungs look and sound fine, but with a deep breath the pain gets more intense. They've put me on every kind of asthma medication on the market but nothing helps with the back pain. I guess what I am wondering, could alcohol be the source of the pain? Anybody ever experience somthing like this? The back pain is with me regaurdless of whether I am drinking or not. I stopped drinking for 2 weeks, but the pain didn't go away really. Anyone got anything? Doctors are stumped.....

Bamboozle

Did they check your pancreas, too? Just curious...

justquit76

yeah, they have tested every organ in my body. I've seen 4 different doctors now. I'm starting to feel like a lab rat...

Trisomy21

Something like that happened to me one morning, woke up with a weird pain under my left shoulder blade, every time I breathed in it killed. In fact, I couldn't really breathe that well, felt like I had collapsed a lung :O
Was just a severely pulled muscle, lasted for a good month though.

fugfuggy

it's amazing how many problems went away when I stopped drinking. Don't know if this is the same but I would get those pains in my upper back and that cough that you speak of was the catalyst for me puking every day. The pain in the back was not constant, it was more of a cramp that would come and go every day, as well as a very stiff neck. I also had sharp pains in my chest, right shoulder, and my stomach was all jacked up. ALL of that has since gone away.

If you have been to a chiro did he suggest that maybe a rib is out of place? That is what it always felt like to me.

nandm

Welcome to SR and our alcoholism forum!

CarolD

Hi and Welcome to SR....

I'm sorry you are having pain and I have
no idea what the problem might be.

It's a shame that the doctors don't either.
Gentle hug

justquit76

thanks for everyones insite to my problem. I thought about the rib too. xrays didn't show anything wrong though :/

NYMinute

Get different doctors.A local girl , a nurse , went to the doctors because she had pain.They couldn't find anything and dismissed it.Turns out she cancer and later died from it.