Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Throbby/Zingy Back Thingy

One of my pains is not a pain, but seems to go hand-in-hand with the rib cage pain, that for me, starts in the back, over the kidneys and wraps around, forcing shortness of breath.

The non-pain underlying the rib-cage pain is a throbby/zingy back thingy that is irritating as hell and a little scary. It switches sides from the left to the right depending on the day, and only once has it been on both sides at once. If I had to imagine where it is coming from, I would say kidneys and/or adrenal glands.

I've searched the 'Net for some time to find anyone else with this kind of problem. I'm thinking this is the place to ask.

I cannot pin down "when" it is going to happen, but stress/fear sure does make it worse. As does not getting enough sleep. It's been worse for me lately, but I am not sure why as stress has been lower and I'm sort-of getting more sleep.

Whatever this is, it is distracting, irritating, and a little bit scary. Anyone else have such symptoms?

I did not even think to ask about this before, except I put my hand on a client's back today and I could feel something weird going on. It felt more like an electrical short in her body. She describes it the same as I do, but she calls it a throbbing. I think throbbing lacks the electrical (zingy) component, but everything else she said matched my feelings about it. She doesn't know what it is, either.

Okay. I take it the answer is no. Hm. Won't give up. Must be something.

Is it a nerve pain? If so, check out a "dermatome map" to see which spinal nerve is linked to that area. I know my nerve pains always relate to a spinal nerve in a region of my back that is causing problems at the time, and the altered sensations match exactly the dermatome map.

I think the area you are describing would fit with the T10-12 kind of region.

Thanks for the reminder! I have a laminated dermatome map right on my desk! lol. I rarely use it.

More like T7-9.

I have a chiro ... but his adjustments were making things worse, so I stopped. He's a friend and colleague, but is also about as clueless as I am on this issue.

Also, my x-rays from Tuesday show no pathology.

I cannot say the specific pain over the kidneys in back is something I have experienced.

Hope you can figure out what it is.

Tim

It sounds like the same pain the comes from Fibromyalgia. Feels like painful electricity zapping through your muscles. Stress and weather changes aggravate it.

But I get a similar feeling in my thoracic area when it's active. Especially around T5 or so. It throbs and burns and tingles. I don't know about the electric component you speak of, but I do get what I described.

Ice helps that and I try to make myself keep taking deep relaxing breaths to relax the muscles.

I notice your first post was last Friday. Often KA quiets a fair bit on the weekend. Be patient with us when that happens. Someone will always get back to you at some point, or just do what you did and move the post back up the queue.

Warm Hugs,

Thanks for the responses. I also have fibromyalgia, but this is different. And, because of the FM, I can't ice. This is so peculiarly different, it's the reason I was kind of wondering if anyone else had it. It does not feel, at all, like it is coming from the muscles. The muscle and joint pain in my back and ribcage are there, no doubt, sadly, but this zing comes from underneath and is not palpable by touch but can be felt like ... like ... the after effects of being electrocuted. Thinking back to times when I stuck my finger in an outlet or grabbed a live fence on the farm...the feeling of electricity zapping through is something you can never forget! lol. Anyway, it's like that, only it literally feels like it is coming from the kidneys or adrenals, not muscles. A short in the wiring, so to speak.

For many years I have had acupuncturists talk about my kidney meridian, always telling me it needed help. I've also had doctors concerned for years about my adrenal depletion. I wonder if this is a progression of that? Unfortunately, the two acupuncturists who used to be at my disposal, no longer are, and the two docs are deceased. Luck, is not my forte

It's okay if this is a rarity. I'm kind of used to having weird stuff that others don't have. But it does bug me. I'm nearly OCD about solving problems, so it bugs me that I can't solve this one.

I am enjoying this community. Not only did it steer me to the Vitamin D deficiency I have (on prescription D as I type), but also the starch foods list is fascinating. I'm condensing that table right now. I've been sugar-free and bread-free and relatively low-carb for decades, but this starch angle is shining a light on some things that others have missed, especially where my high-volume of food allergies/sensitivities are concerned. When I'm done, I will share my thoughts. It'll likely go into a blog on my website, but I'll at post here, too.

Last but not least: Physical pain triggers my depression and I got real triggered this week. Trying to climb out of it, but yesterday was b-a-d.

For depression, try SAM-e! Works miraculously!

Thank you for the suggestion, but acute depressions don't bother me because I know that they are temporary. It did, however, take decades to catch on that physical pain triggers it. I'm not sure how many people realize that this can be so, so I wanted to mention it.

I already found my go-to for chronic depression. I tried SAM-e and many other popular products years/decades ago. However, an experiment of a daily dose of a rounded teaspoon of cocoa powder (just plain ground cocoa beans, no additives), worked and continues to work best for me. Sometimes I add rhodiola which I now make into a tea versus buying a pre-made supplement.

Perhaps it is just coincidence, but my zingy has settled down a bit, and I just happen to be monitoring my starch now. Time will tell!

You know, on good days, I swear this cannot be AS. On bad days, I swear it is.