Gastric symptoms + shoulder pain

[Avena]

For years I have seen a connection between gastric pain/reflux (for me in the expression of extreme hunger/never feeling full) and a very painful right shoulder/arm. All other kinds of pain in my body respond well to NSAIDs or Cox2. This particular pain is different as it does not respond to any of them.

I am back on esomeprazole and hope to get both the gastric and the shoulder under control in a few days. But in the meantime... It would have been interesting to hear if this sounds familiar to anyone?

 

[Gondwanaland]

For my level of education in human health (I'm a patient poking the internet for solutions to my own health problems) my understanding of your symptoms is:

extreme hunger/never feeling full

Nutrient malabsorption probably caused by NSAIDs and "azoles". I have read a number of articles on sites of famous integrative health practitioners backed by published research and known metabolism pathways stating that these medications interfere with liver functions. The lowering of the stomach acidity by the azoles hinders the absorption of several vitamins and minerals (esp. B12).

very painful right shoulder/arm

I have had it since 2011 when I had to take heparin and warfarin.

My take on it is that this medication caused me severe leaky gut and consequent inflammation, plus disrupted my gut flora.

I just got rid of it a couple of weeks ago by addressing my gut flora with prebiotics and probiotics.

A few weeks ago my husband took an "azole" for parasites and all of a sudden was complaining from this right shoulder pain. He suffers from many pains, took NSAIDs for several year until he got a drug-induced hepatitis from them and had to stop (then he started taking my supplements -magnesium, MB12, etc- and is feeling great relief), but it was a 1st time for the right shoulder.

For me it is a confirmation that medication damages the gut flora and the gut lining, and also compromises the liver.

Now that I found out that my husband primary pains (lower back, ulnar nerve) are inflammation from his poor capacity of break neurotransmitters down (2x +/+COMT) and to recycle vitamin B12, we have been managing the pain using vitamins rather than drugs. My hope is to fix the pain in its source.

 

[ahmo]

@Gondwanaland has probably nailed it. Here's from page 5 of the linked pdf:

Pain from liver and gallbladder disease is often referred to the right shoulder. The referral pattern from diaphragmatic irritation is mediated via the phrenic nerve that provides motor and sensory innervation to the diaphragm as well as to mediastinal and pleural tissues. The phrenic nerve is derived from C3-C5, so that pain referral to the shoulder in a C4-C5 distribution is really a segmental pain referral. Trigger points and a regional MPS affecting the shoulder that looks like an impingement syndrome or frozen shoulder can occur in persons with hepatic or gallbladder disorders.
http://www.painpoints.com/professionals/downloads/jmp_myofascialvisceral_gerw02.pdf

In fact reading this puts my 2 past frozen shoulders in a new perspective. I'd understood them to be likely autoimmune, which may be so, but my liver is the organ on which I lavish the most care. Here's another link that came up when I searched for viscera related to right shoulder pain: http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/hcv/liver/pain.html

 

[Gondwanaland]

Pain from a gallbladder attack may be felt in the back of the shoulder.

 

[Avena]

Thank you guys! This was helpful. I have tried beet supplement for gallbladder related nausea earlier, will try it again now