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Gastroenterology  (Expert Forum)
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Upper left abdominal pain for 5 years - gone into the back a few months ago
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Upper left abdominal pain for 5 years - gone into the back a few months ago

by EliDale, Sep 15, 2002 12:00AM
I see my gastroenterologist a few times each year.

Reflux / Barretts esophagus has plagued me - which I now believe to be under control. Whenever I talk to my doc I always tell him of my constant upper left abdominal pain, feel sick/ishy stomach a lot, get sharp pains now & then and basically seem to go to the bathroom after each meal..else get gassy a lot.. He has done upper GI's, abdominal scans, colonoscopys, panendoscopys etc... which have showed nothing.....Whenever I mention pancreas problems--he kinda shrugs it off. I don't know what to do anymore ? I need help but not sure who to turn to as I feel I may have something seriously wrong. Thank you very much for any insight. Again-- this pain is 24/7 and sometimes gets real bad-could be after a meal or waking me up at night
Member Comments (9)

by EliDale, Sep 15, 2002 12:00AM
Just to add - whether I eat or not I always have this pain- it's something that never goes away-- only flares up real bad @ times-- and I am @ wit's end

by EliDale, Sep 16, 2002 12:00AM
I should also mention I have a family history & history of high triglycerides. I was put on Lopid years ago but felt horrible. ALso was on lipitor - which brought #'s down-- but felt rotten. So bascially do not take anything now for high triglycerides

by virgo57, Sep 16, 2002 12:00AM
I think maybe it's time for your doctor to send you to a specialist. My sister went through the pain you described for years and had test after test. Her pain was enough to make her double over after meals, and would keep her up at nights with vomiting. After seeing two different GI specialist and having this pain for at least 2 years as it started in the year 2000..the first specialist said it was a broken blood vessel in her pancreas..they put her on prevacid and she had to stay away from acidic foods and NO alchol drinking.

Last week the second specialist put her out and went down her throat..( she has had this test done at least 3 or 4 times...but this specialist found a stone in her pancreas and removed it. She is still alittle sore now and we are crossing are fingers and hope this stone was the culprit of so many years of pain.

Don't let your doctor "shrug off" your concerns that it may be your pancreas. Tell him you want it checked out or to send you to someone who will. After all you can't "shrug off" the pain...your the one who has to live with this pain day after day. Be firm and ask for some more tests,. It's your right to ask...your doctor should want to find out what is causing this pain just as much as you do. If not, get a new doctor.

Best of luck and health, virgo

by poohbear28721, Sep 17, 2002 12:00AM
Hi! Ask your doctor to do an ultra sound. Sounds to me like you have a bad gallbladder. I had the same symptoms years ago and they treated me for an ulcer for 3 years. Finally the pain got so bad that it bowed me over and i couldn't straighten up because of the pain. the little doctor at the ER was the one that said it sounded like I was having a gallbladder attack and ordered a ultra sound. At the time he said that that was the only test that would show up gall stones and when they did the test...Bingo that was my problem all along. After they removed my gallbladder I haven't had that awful pain since. Good Luck!

by poohbear28721, Sep 17, 2002 12:00AM
Hi! I have one more thing to add.  The pain caused by a stone that is lodged in the bile duct, I always go a little releaf from the pain by sitting in a tub of warm water.( as warm as you can stand it without burning yourself). The warm water helped unlodge the stone and it didn't hurt as much for awhile.

by KingKong, Sep 20, 2002 12:00AM
Regarding pain in upper left side - I also have had pain in that area for years.  When asking doc's about it, they say nothing is there to hurt.



Recently had severe chest pain, to ER and ruled out heart attack and sent to GI specialist.  Will be going down my throat next month.  He thinks I'm having esophageal spasms which feel just like heart attack.  I also have reflux.  Still get no answer about upper left side pain.  Ultrasound was negative for everything.  Go figure.  Hope you get some help and relief.

by FloridaGuy, Sep 22, 2002 12:00AM
It's funny you should say this.. because I have had that same pain for 5 years as well.. and I do have Barrett's esophagus also.. I'm on nexium and I have no reflux symptoms.. but my doctor says that my left sided pain has nothing to do with it. I've had all the tests done and nothing shows up.  Right now as I type, I'm in pain :(  I've been through blood tests, CT scans of the abdomen, upper and lower G.I. series, etc... I had a doctor suggest to me it was splenic flexure syndrome - where gas gets trapped in the folds of the large intestine where the large intestine changes direction (from horizontal to vertical).  If anybody has any other ideas.. please let me know :(

by irishangel, Nov 22, 2002 12:00AM
I am so relieved I've found this topic! I'm currently being tested for left upper abdominal pain which I've had for 3 months now.  Blood test show nothing, CT scan and ultrasound of abdomen show 2 huge gallstones.  Surgeon wants to do more GI tests to find out why pain on LEFT side though. Having colonoscopy and GI series next few weeks. Abdominal CT scan also showed density on RIGHT lung, so having chest CT next week.  I also have reflux and just had my thyroid out 6 months ago.  I am convinced this pain on my left side is pancreas related, as I have all the symptoms of pancreas