Pain between shoulder blades

[BeingmummyIsTheBestxo]

Currently sat in A & E after GP sent me via ambulance due to horrendous pain in between shoulder blades and radiating toy chest and abdo. Absolutely excruciating. Had some tea and just waiting for th doctor now. I'm freaking out because they said th ECG said sinus arrhythmia. What is this?? I do have gallbladder issues but this pain is not from that. Does anyone know what it could b? Iv literally been roaring in pain since 12 o'clock.

I do have diagnosed gallstones. But this doesn't feel like the pain I get with a gallstones flare. It feels worse!!

@BeingmummyIsTheBestxo it was right between my shoulder blades and going into my chest. It was so severe I actually called an ambulance as I thought I was having a heart attack and I've got a fairly high pain threshold.

Yes this is how I felt with my first ever flare. Maybe it is my gallbladder flaring up. I've not had an attack for almost two years so maybe I've just forgotten the feeling?! I don't recall my gallbladder pain being between my shoulder my blades, I used to get it in my upper abdomen and my right side x

@BeingmummyIsTheBestxo they said mine was causing the referred shoulder pain because of the size of the stone and where it was located so maybe you've developed more stones? I'd personally never had a flare before and didn't even know I had gallstones.

I was unaware until I start d having such bad squeezing pain iny upper tummy. I had it fo about two months and then got diagnosed when they said I had multiple stones, had another couple attacks and then nothing since! Last one was Sept 2022!

Sometimes they can get trapped in the bile duct.

Absolutely agree with @StandardSize14 - the time I referred to in my earlier post this is what I was diagnosed with in ED. Really tight squeezing pain around back/shoulders/chest. Paramedic and consultant both said that basically difference between heart attack and heartburn is whether Gaviscon works! Always have a bottle of Gaviscon Advance handy now just in case.

Pleased they found it wasn't your heart, sorry you're still in pain. Agree with others to go back to GP re gallbladder stuff.

Can you take nexium?

I've never even heard of that but I can take most painkillers except naproxen

My boss had this left site in an ambulance. Was terrifying he said

Was you diagnosed with heartburn sorry? I do get gas pains from time to time but this was just something else. I immediately assumed the worse, ie my heart or blood clot but A and E aren't concerned so it must be that or my gallbladder!

It's not a pain killer but stops acid reflux.

I suspect pps are correct and it's gallbladder related. I had a dodgy gallbladder for nearly 40 years. Age 22 consultant tested said keep an eye on it but in the meantime no fatty, rich foods. Late fifties had an ultrasound gallbladder chock full of sludge so they whipped it out.

Eat bland low fat go back to GP hopefully it will settle down again, but push for an ultrasound to see what's going on.

I had this when I had my gallbladder problem several years ago. I had gallstones and they'd become infected and that infection spread to my pancreas and caused pancreatitis, they also found I had a stone in my bile duct as well so there was a lot going on. I've had my stones and gallbladder removed but still get a flare up of pancreatitis from time to time if I'm not careful , the pain is exactly as you describe between the shoulders and cutting right through to the front of my chest. I take omerprazole daily now. I have to avoid ibuprofen as it can cause the acid reflux which brings the pain.

How was your diagnos d though? A and E sent me packing and said they can't find any infection or anything and inflammation markers were negative.

Yep, heartburn. I was so embarrassed but all the medics told me I'd done the right thing by getting it checked and like I said they really can't tell the difference until they've done bloods/given Gaviscon.

Gaviscon didn't resolve the pain completely immediately but I felt loads better even after the first dose. Was on lansoprazole (sp?) for a month as well.

In my mind heartburn was just the burning you get in the front of your chest when you get bile rising but turns out I was wrong about that.

You're definitely not pregnant are you? Ectopic pregnancy can start with pains in the tips of the shoulder blades.

I got taken in by ambulance as I'd got into such a state I couldn't eat with out searing pain and I was only eating soup or drinking liquids and then anything I did get down I began to bring up in the most horrific violent way in the early hours of a Sunday morning, so my husband called the doctor and an ambulance and I got taken to A& E , as I was in quite a bad way by then, I was admitted on to the ward and then went through all the tests and scans . I had to stay in, they gave me a course of antibiotics through a drip and morphine for the pain , they needed the infection to go down before they would do anything else.Then I got scanned and X-Ray ed then two operations and home, I was in for 11 days all told

Definitely not

Hmmm maybe it could be then!

Have you got any bicarbonate of soda. Mix a spoonful with water and drink it, if it's heartburn it may help. I get heartburn badly and I thought I was having a heart attack as well the first time.

Sound exactly like my gall bladder pain when I had a gall stone stuck.

As soon as I read your first post I thought indigestion - I've had some proper scary attacks with pain down my left arm, between the shoulder blades etc. Then the worry and anxiety makes it even worse.

The Gaviscon test is a good one but obviously the only way to be absolutely sure is to get it checked out.

The Vagus nerve is a tricksy bastard that keeps you guessing and worrying.

I've also had what looking back on it must surely have been a gallstones attack - I was in abdominal agony for hours and was sobbing in A&E- by the time I saw someone it had eased slightly and verdict was 'constipation'...erm ok 🤷🏻‍♀️

Like me.tiday. I was in absolute tears, sobbing like a baby. The pain was horrendous. My gallstones attacks have never been as bad as this!

Just having a bowl of cereal and the pain is back again!! It subsided for a couple hours and now it's back with a vengeance which to me says eating is triggering it. So it must be gallbladder flaring or indigestion related.

Really wide differential for this. Everything from pneumonia, msk back pain, gallstones, pancreatitis through to things like aortic dissection and posterior MI.... Mkst of the serious ones are excluded with bloods and an ecg, but if it really isnt settling, or worsening, id want a chest xray, or even ct scan.