Woman Diagnosed with Rare Condition After Decades of Abdominal Pain

For much of her life, Danielle Klein lived with pain that no one could fully explain. It began when she was about 7 or 8 years old. Once or twice a year, she would experience episodes of severe abdominal pain that seemed to come out of nowhere. The attacks were intense, but eventually they would pass on their own, allowing her to return to normal life until the next flare-up appeared.

By the time she was 15 or 16, those episodes had become more frequent and debilitating. The pain settled in her upper abdomen and felt so severe that she would find herself curled up on the bathroom floor, unable to function. The flare-ups seemed unpredictable, occurring about once a month. Sometimes all she could do was go to bed and wait. A single episode might last for days, leaving her exhausted and unable to participate in normal activities.

“The attacks felt very random, but I wondered if they were connected to certain foods or eating patterns. Unfortunately, food became something I approached with uncertainty and anxiety rather than enjoyment,” she said.

Through her late teens and into her 20s, the pattern continued. Some months would be relatively calm, giving her hope that the problem was improving. Then without warning, she would endure days or weeks of terrible pain. The only option seemed to be suffering through it until it eventually resolved on its own.

Over the years, Danielle searched relentlessly for answers. She saw gastroenterologists who explored diagnoses such as irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors considered whether her gallbladder might be responsible, and she ultimately underwent gallbladder removal surgery. The procedure did nothing to relieve the pain. She worked with a dietitian and underwent food-sensitivity testing, followed restrictive diets, and investigated whether chronic constipation played a role. Because she also had endometriosis, she underwent surgeries to address that condition, but none of those interventions touched the abdominal pain she was experiencing.

“I tried everything to feel better: acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and trigger-point injections in my abdomen,” said Danielle. “Some therapies helped manage my overall pain, fatigue, and energy levels that came along with being chronically ill, but nothing eliminated my abdominal attacks.”

The pain itself remained remarkably consistent: a squeezing, clenching, stabbing sensation in her upper abdomen, just below her sternum and between her ribs. During the worst episodes, it reached a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale. She would hunch over because standing upright felt impossible.

A Possible Cause for Her Pain: Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome

In the spring of 2023, a chance encounter would change the course of her journey. A coworker at the children’s hospital where she was working mentioned a patient whose symptoms sounded strikingly familiar. The patient was being evaluated for median arcuate ligament syndrome, or MALS, a rare condition in which the median arcuate ligament compresses the celiac artery and restricts blood flow to organs such as the stomach, liver and spleen, and compresses the celiac plexus, which mediates sensation from these foregut organs. MALS can be notoriously difficult to diagnose because symptoms mimic many more common gastrointestinal conditions.

The symptoms immediately resonated with Danielle. She mentally filed the information away, thinking, “That sounds a lot like me.”

A year later in 2024, Danielle experienced another particularly severe flare-up. Frustrated and exhausted, she reached a breaking point.

“I cannot keep living like this,” she remembers thinking.

At that moment, MALS resurfaced in her mind. She began researching the condition and searched online for specialists in the area experienced in treating it. That search led her to Woosup Park, MD, a vascular surgeon with University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, and for the first time, the process of finding a true diagnosis.

The experience felt different from the beginning. As Dr. Park reviewed her symptoms and images, Danielle finally felt heard.

“He basically said, ‘Well, yep, it sounds like you have it!’ It was the first time I felt like I wasn’t crazy,” she says. “It wasn’t in my head.”

Rather than dismissing her years of suffering, he provided validation and a clear explanation.

“Danielle fit the description of a typical MALS patient,” said Dr. Park. “The condition heavily impacts women, who represent up to 84 percent of all diagnosed patients. It generally manifests in young adults around the age of 30. We were glad we could give her an explanation for her pain and lay out the steps forward.”

MALS causes pain through two main mechanisms: mechanical compression of nerves and reduced blood flow to the digestive organs. The median arcuate ligament is a band of tissue that arches over the aorta. In people with MALS, this ligament sits too low or the celiac artery sits too high, creating a tight physical bottleneck. Danielle’s pain was linked to eating all along.

“Many of our patients have been struggling for years before they make it to us and ultimately a diagnosis of MALS,” said Dr. Park. “When women have abdominal pain, there are dozens of conditions or diseases that could be to blame, and MALS isn’t generally on the short list.”

Surgery Provides Relief After Years of Pain

In October 2025, Danielle underwent surgery which was initially planned as a minimally invasive laparoscopic operation, but complications required surgeons to convert to an open procedure. The recovery proved challenging, but still, she gradually improved.

Over the next three to four months, Danielle cautiously reintroduced foods she had avoided or feared for years. She slowly discovered something remarkable: she could eat without triggering debilitating pain. Now, at 30 years old, Danielle describes the results as life changing.

“I never expected to feel normal, and I do,” she says. “I can eat the foods I enjoy, cook meals I love, and participate in activities that once seemed out of reach. I have more energy and spend time walking and hiking and enjoy a more active social life. My days are no longer defined by exhaustion and pain or by the constant fear of the next flare-up.”

That freedom has also influenced her professional life. Now working as a telehealth dietitian, Danielle often supports people living with chronic illnesses and brings deep empathy shaped by her own experience navigating years of uncertainty.

At her most recent follow-up appointment, the news was encouraging – everything looked great. While she will continue having annual checkups to ensure the condition does not return, her outlook is overwhelmingly positive.

For others still searching for answers, Danielle offers simple but powerful advice: “Don’t give up. As frustrating as it can be, keep trying to find a provider who wants to help you.”

After decades of pain and countless dead ends, that persistence ultimately led her to the diagnosis – and the life she had been waiting for.