Back pain after eating

[Springnanny]

Hi everyone. Since I came out of hospital after a MINOCA, I get terrible pain between my shoulder blades after eating. My GP seems flummoxed and put me on different medication that doesn't help. I'm still getting angina at night but the eating problem is really getting me down.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

I suffer from reflux disease, and also possibly have a small hiatus hernia. I have been taking a PPI for the last 15 years or so which generally keeps my symptoms in check although I do have flare ups from time to time. Before I started on PPIs and when I get flare ups I most often than not, get my pain in between the shoulder blades like you, rather than chest pains. Apparently some people do get their pain there with reflux disease although the majority usually get chest pain. As your problem seems to be food related and your if GP is treating you with a PPI and it is not working then there is other medication available (famotidine?) which some on here use and apparently that works . Personally I avoid alginate indigestion remedies since they are loaded with sodium. But in addition to medication you can help to reduce your symptoms by lifestyle measures. Avoid foods that are gas producing e.g onions, acidic foods like citrus and tomatoes, relaxants like coffee and chocolate, and irritants like spicy foods and alcohol especially neat spirits. I suggest you keep a food diary which may help you find your trigger foods. Next eat small and often rather than big meals, and avoid eating after 3 hours before you go to bed. Certainly when I get a flare up I go back to a basic bland diet to allow my body to calm down and heal. Also postural measures like sitting up in bed may help at night, don't lie on your right side and avoid bending over and compressing your abdominal area. Finally if you taking dispersible aspirin try coated aspirin instead, which is what I take. Hope you get sorted.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hello,

Have your Cardiology team said why they thought you has your Myocardial Infarction non obstructive coronary arteries MINOCA?

There are several possible causes of a heart attack which a responsible for bout 10% of heart attacks. MINOCA is a working diagnosis and disproportionately affects women.

The possible causes are microvascular dysfunction and coronary vasospasms which are types of angina/ ischaemia non obstructive coronary arteries INOCA/ANOCA.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, SCAD, a blood clot or small peice iof plaque blocking the coronary artery are other possible causes, along with arrthymias, very high or low heart rate and blood pressure.

Have you been prescribed beta blockers? This is routinely precribed to people who have had a heart attack, however better blockers can make coronary vasospasms worse.

I suggest you keep a log of your symptoms, and ask your Cardiology team to consider whether vasospastic angina caused by coronary vasospasms maybe responsible for your symptoms.

Chest pain at rest and during the night are classic symptoms of vasospastic angina.

I have lived with vasospastic angina for many years and as well as chest pain at night, I also experience chest pain after eating meals. It's called postprandial angina. Mine can be so bad that I loose weight. I have to eat smaller portions of food.

The BHF has this information about vasospastic angina.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Alison_L]

When was your MINOCA and what meds are you on?

[honeybubs]

Hi, I suffered for years with pains in shoulder blades down my back and in my right shoulder which I found out later was gall stones getting stuck. I had to have my gall bladder out. It was referred pain so difficult to diagnose until it gets really bad. Probably isn’t this but just thought I’d let you know what happened to me. A scan would tell you perhaps mention it to GP next time. Hope it gets sorted.