Maybe someone can relate, i have no idea what this is

[Anonymous4433]

Hello,I have chronic pains, illnesses and ibs.

I have this weird attack but have no idea what it is and my GP isn't much help.

I can only describe this. It feels like a piece of a very large broken glass is hooked on to a rope and someone is pulling it up from the base of my head. It starts around the middle of my back and I can feel it at the front too. It keeps getting tugged up and then gets stuck but something is pulling it up. It causes extreme sharp pain both at the back and front as it's being tugged up. Eventually it is pulled up, reaches the base of my neck and then moves into my right shoulder and then starts to go away leaving my arm really weak, lifeless. This leaves me very very drained. It can happen at any time, sometimes a few times during the day, sometimes once and sometimes every few days or weeks.

Can anyone relate or have an idea of what this might be?

[Blearyeyed]

I have Fibromyalgia so get a lot of nerve pain in unusual places.Does it happen after eating or doing certain things or does it just come from nowhere?

Sometimes really bad gastric reflux can cause very extreme rising pain that could feel like being scratched through the body and can radiate into the shoulder.

If it is GERD raising your head and shoulders on graduated pillows at night and making sure you sleep on your back or left side can reduce the acid moving into the throat area and causing more pain in the day.

It sounds like it also could be a nerve impingement or facet issues causing nerve pain in the spine .

Have you pulled anything in the last six months or could you have some misalignment?

Strangely this can even be a type of Migraine.

If it's happening often and affecting you the GP should check your heart and chest .

You should also ask for a back , neck and chest x-ray to check that there is no misalignment.

If it isn't related to stomach issues it may be worth having liver function blood tests done or a scan of the liver and gall bladder if the pain happens just after eating on the right hand side rather than in the centre of the chest.

If it is a nerve impingement it can take time for the nerve to stop causing pain for some time after the impingement has stopped.

Some gentle stretching and looking at your posture could help , try to keep your back and neck straight but relaxed during activity or sitting.

Rest and heat can also help .