help with undiagnosed chronic back, neck shoulder and jaw pain and strange symptoms

[deano1979]

Hi Guys,

I have an undiagnosed chronic problem, any help much appreciated.. Here goes..
I have had a discomfort in the middle of my back for a few years now, slightly to the left of my spine but under the rib cage towards the middle of my left shoulder blade. Ive always shrugged it off but over the last two years things have taken a turn for the worse and i cant get any answers.. two years ago I had a 6 week period of random episodes of what can only be described as a sudden feeling of anxiety accompanied by a feeling of movement even though i was standing or sitting still.. I was sent to cardiology for a full check up, EKG, Echocardiogram, blood tests and holter monitor all came back clear although the episodes had stopped by the time i went for the appointments (NHS waiting times). Also had a brain scan that came back clear.

The back pain/discomfort continued and i was sent to the musculoskeletal dept. they sent me away with exercises to try.. Then last august (two years after the initial episodes) the symptoms returned with a vengance! Leading up to august I had a feeling of not being able to get a satisfying breath in my left side and my back problem seemed to be getting worse. I was experiencing pain in my left shoulder too. Then in august whilst driving I began to experience pain in my shoulders and had an almighty rush of anxiety and a sense of doom that convinced me I was about to have a heart attack. I went straight to ER and had a full check up, blood tests, EKG came back fine, chest xray fine and i was sent home. I continued to have these episodes of unexplained anxiety/panic along with chest pain/pressure, shoulder pain rib and back pain (all left sided) pain down arms, and the breathing discomfort, several trips to the ER found nothing. Back to cardiology, echo normal, bloods normal, managed 12 minutes on a treadmill stress test, 2 holter monitors found only ectopic beats all normal.

Back to musculoskeletal unit, MRI of thoracic spine and neck shown only mild to moderate degenerative disc disease in the mid thoracic region. They said that wouldnt account for all my symptoms and discharged me.

I am now aching and have stiffness along the left side of my thoracic spine area, aching in my left shoulder, aching and stiffness in my neck (left side) aching along the lower left jawline and I am still having random episodes of this feeling of anxiety/panic although i have learned to control it significantly since it started and it passes quite quickly. Symptoms seem to appear more when sitting watching tv, at a computer or driving, not with exertion (with the exeption of this breathing restriction that can bother me at any time, although it eases off when i lie flat) I am taking propanalol (helped a little but not enough) I have done hours of research myself and came accross vitamin d deficiency so had myself tested and i was deficient (levels were at 20) I am taking vit d pills and have been for a few months, not helping! I also read up on magnesium deficiency and got a supplement that has helped with the stiffness in my back for a short while but it is slowly starting to come back even though i continue to take the pills. I have considered the possibility all this is down to plain anxiety and panic disorder but that does not make sense of all the left sided symptoms.. I think it is more likely there is an underlying issue that is causing the anxiety but i am stumped as to where to go next. My Doc isnt much help either. Thanks for reading all this if any of you can relate any help would be much appreciated

[SassyLassie]

Hello~I think I may be able to help. After reading your symptoms, I can almost guarantee that you have misplaced vertebrae in your neck and spine. This will certainly cause all the issues you are having, including the anxiety. I highly suggest seeing a chiropractor. He/she will take x-rays of your neck and spine and then do the adjustment, it may take a few times, but after that, you should be on the road to recovery.

Anxiety can cause the symptoms, but in your case, I think it is secondary to the misplaced vertebrae. The fact that all your tests come back normal is a good sign too.

I would continue the Vitamin D, the multi-mineral and also soak in Epsom salts, but please, see a chiropractor, or, if you are afraid of them, then see an Osteopath, I feel sure they can help you.

[mindofmike]

My suggestion would be to go see a chiropractor or physical therapy to help align your spinal cord. Sounds like years of bad posture is a contributor since you experience worsened symptoms in seated positions. As for the vitamin D deficiency, I would recommend some time in the sun (1 hr a day a few times a week) because some studies show vitamin D supplements to be highly ineffective. As for the magnesium supplements or even epsom salts can't hurt as most people are magnesium deficient.