Dr. Danny Shouhed

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If your pain doesn’t start right away (but creeps in an hour or two after eating), that timing matters. Delayed, crampy pain that builds after meals, sometimes with nausea or vomiting of undigested food, can point to Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS). Unlike many GI conditions, SMAS pain appears later because food must move from the stomach into the small intestine before the blockage becomes an issue. Many patients notice that heavier, fibrous foods make symptoms worse, while softer foods feel easier to tolerate. Posture can also play a role, with upright or leaning-back positions increasing pressure and discomfort. If you’ve quietly adjusted what you eat or how you sit after meals to avoid pain without fully understanding why, your body may be signaling something more specific than a “sensitive stomach.” 👉 If this pattern sounds familiar, reach out to Dr. Danny Shouhed for an expert evaluation and guidance.

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Ava’s MALS surgery story is one of resilience, answers, and relief. After months (or years) of pain and uncertainty, finally having a diagnosis (and a path forward) can change everything. Ava’s journey is a reminder that persistent symptoms deserve to be taken seriously. We are so happy to hear she is doing well! 👉 If her story feels familiar, reach out to Dr. Danny Shouhed to learn more about MALS and treatment options.

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Have you ever felt a deep ache or stabbing pain along your left side, right under the ribs, or in your back, almost like a kidney stone that never seems to pass? That could be a sign of something called Nutcracker Syndrome. Unlike other compression syndromes that affect digestion, Nutcracker Syndrome involves the left renal vein, which carries blood from your kidney. It sits lower in the body, beneath the arteries involved in MALS or SMAS, and when it gets compressed, it can create that sharp, persistent flank pain. For some people, the pain seems random. It can flare up after eating, but often it’s not tied to food at all. It’s just there: deep, dull, sometimes radiating toward the back or lower abdomen. Occasionally, there’s blood in the urine or even swelling in the veins around the pelvis. But most of the time, the main complaint is that one-sided pain that keeps showing up, and no scan or test seems to explain it. Nutcracker Syndrome is tricky because it looks a lot like other conditions, like kidney stones, musculoskeletal pain, or even digestive issues, but the root cause is vascular. It’s rare, and it takes careful correlation between imaging and symptoms to identify it correctly. So if that left-sided pain keeps returning, especially when everything else checks out normal, it might be worth looking a little deeper. Sometimes, the answer lies not in the stomach or spine … but in the vein that runs quietly between them.