Intestinal pain

For 9 years I've had a pain in my lower right side. I've been to 4 doctors and have had the run of tests. No polyps, leasions, etc in the colon. Nothing found. Suggestions from doctors were scar tissue (from years ago), ileo cecal (sp?) valve malfunction or allowing waste to back up, IBS, in my head. This past year, the pain in terrible and brings me to tears.  Sharp cutting pains worsened when walking - laying down helps and sometimes a strong fist pushed into the area to hold or massage helps - except for recent episodes where nothing helps. Most recently (month) I'm experiencing very bad pain, cuts my breath away and throwing up bile.  Sometimes there's an internal hard area near valve or large lump.  Not always there, massaging used to help.  I'm concerned about pin hole in intestine, leaking, etc.  No one seems to know anything or can offer help.  I don't want to end up at the hands of a guessing, surgically experimenting doctor but don't know what to do anymore.  65 Years old, have all female parts but no one deduces female problems due to symptoms and area of pain.

[Suziepie]

I can't stress enough to everyone on this board how important it is to have a good doctor.  I have mentioned this previously on this board.  Contact the Great Smokies Lab and ask them for a list of their best doctors in your area.  The web site is www.gsdl.com  There's no sense in guessing what's wrong with you and obviously the doctor you have might be good at diagnosing the common cold, but you need more than this.  Tell the clinic support person you speak to at Great Smokies that you want a good doctor that knows how to diagnose intestinal/digestive problems.  Your insurance might not cover it and your doctor might not give you a referral.  If you have enough money it is worth every dime.  I just got my daughter diagnosed this way and she had test upon test done.  Endoscopy, colonoscopy, gastric emptying, ultrasound, CT scan, pap smear.  She was hospitalized 3 times and no one could figure it out.  We did the Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis and there it was, a diagnosis.  She went to two pediatricians and a gastroenterologist and they couldn't figure it out.

[kimbacat]

even tho they don't 'suspect' it to be a gyn problem, have they checked it out?  an ultrasound or an mri could go a long way, diagnostically.  if it is adhesions (which is blamed when everything else has been ruled out), there isn't much to be done.  surgery can help sometimes, but usually results in more adhesions.  hope you find some relief soon

[Susan123]

Susan's husband here.  Thank you for your input.  She was taken to the emergency room where a scan revealed a very large  incarcerated hernia.  She was operated on immediately due to the strangulated intestine which caused all the vomiting.  The surgeon said if he had seen her 5 years ago, he would have diagnosed a hernia right away and it would not have gotten this far.  We are thankful for this surgeon and Susan is recovering nicely.