Was hoping someone with some knowledge could answer this one as I also have upper left back pain which feels muscular and my doc says not pancreas pain. It is aggravated by movement and relieved by lying flat.

Don't know the answer. I do know that pain from the pancreas can radiate far away from where the pancreas is located. Who knows? This is a disease that doesn't always make sense. Good luck. Prayers and hope you get some answers. Barb

My pain is under my left shoulder blade and is a burning pain and YES pancreas pain can be caused there -in fact, its pretty common knowledge amongst drs.

My local doc once used the phrase "referred pain" but not sure what that really means. I guarantee you that my severe pancreatic pain (AP) radiated all over the place, both sides and up my back. yes, lying flat does help.

I also have both side back pain. It wraps right around my ribs on both sides... upper and lower. Something inside is definitely not happy.

Your doctor is wrong. Referred pain means pain that originates in one part of the body is felt at another location. This is very common, in spite of absence of nerves in that area.

I just had an attack Sat night. I thought my spine was breaking in half. It felt just like my spine wanted to snap. If I didn't have other symptoms I might have thought is was from herniated discs as I have those, too.

Those who don't experience the pain themselves or are not pancreatic specialists are mostly clueless.

I get this now even with my pancreas gone. It tends to come on when I feel like my digestion system is not moving very fast. It feels like a sharp pain as if I have been running? I think for me it is biliary colic pain.

pancreatitis can only be diagnosed by symptoms . and blood tests

the pain is known to be similar in most cases

it is not like shoulder pain when you hurt your arm

it is referred pain. similar to gall bladder pain. just a bit worse

depends on what the cause of the Pancreatic pain is . unknown cause. often. or Cystic Fibrosis which is a different case. and these people will need Enzymes for life

pain on the left front is often bowel. but can come post pancreatitis attack. Acute attack. rather than long term pancreatitis

the pain in back .. front . shoulder .. is referred pain.
but sometimes doctors will check heart out first. in ER.
it is a 11/10 pain.

do you have buscopan ? good for pain in digestive tract
add quick eze
and M .. that white stuff.. if pain does not settle after that.
seek help


gall stones can trigger an Acute attack of pancreatitis. the stones may not show up as they can pass. ( in someone who no longer has a gall bladder )



an attack of Pancreatitis is frightening.. you can hardly breath with the pain - its off the charts pain. after an acute attack . and bloods till are up. you may feel unwell for a long while.
others get over it quite quickly. the bloods will usually reflect this.

but it can mimic heart attack - but once experienced AP. we usually know what it is.

Hello my fellow sufferer! I've been having the pain in my pancreas after my second ERCP on October 8, 2008. My life and my family has never been the same after that surgery!!! I am in pain everyday, always! I am very grateful of my sleeping pills (Lunesta 3 mg) because it help me sleep and that's the only time I don't feel the pain because I am sleeping for at least for 4-7 hrs., otherwise I will take my hydromorphone and oxymrphone a lot! Yes, I have the pain in my left shoulder blade (a lot!), my middle spinal column, and sometimes on my right side shoulder blade. My pain in my shouldef blades are part of my chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic divisum. Recently, I had a mammogram because my pqin in my left shoulder blade gotten worst and I thought I had a cyst or any problem on my breast, but the result of my mammogram was normal or negative to any cyst or cancer. Thanks God! The radiologist doctor talked to me after the mammogram and told me that everything was normal, and it could be part of my chronic pancreatitis. I think the best we could do for the pain in our shoulder blade is to have a light massage to at least loosen up the pain. I guess that's m explanation for this pain. Take care and God bless to all of us who suffers this very unfortunate disease.

Hey Lucy,

A quick update on this. I've changed my diet pretty significantly recently, eliminating all meats and basically just eating smoothies, blended soups and breads. This hasn't been super fun but I can say that I have much less shoulderblade/spinal pain since cutting meat out of my diet. If I eat meat, upper back pain for sure. No meat, very little upper back pain. You may want to give it a try.

Cory