Lower Right Quadrant Abdominal Pain. Please help!

[Adbhelp]

Recently I had a CT scan due to having pains in my lower right quadrant of my abdomen. Must of the time they are dull and discomforting but sometimes they are worse. I didn't remember hearing back from my doctor about the results (the test was done a year and a half ago) and so I called today to get my results since it has still been bothering me still for a while. After I left a year and a half ago, he purscribed me Librax and was 'told to call back in 2 weeks.' I don't know whether I forgot or he forgot to mention that. Either way, I took the Librax a couple of times as needed, but the pain wasn't really there at the time so I moved on and stopped worrying. Recently, I went to my general doctor for an routine exam and told the doctor and so he recommended having the results forwarded to him. I called the gastroenterologist who ordered the CT scan. He was out but I spoke to another doctor who went over my results. He said the results said there was a 'possible thickening of the distal gastric wall versus an appearance secondary to incomplete distension' The results also noted 'The stomach and small bowel were partially collapsed and fluid filled limiting evaluation' and 'Correlation recommended.' Now I am having some pretty bad anxiety to what this means. I am waiting to speak to my doctor who ordered everything and who I meet with, but until then I would love some more information on what this could mean and this could be signs of. Also, I have had some back pain recently, but I always thought it was from my bed (since its not the best) or driving too much. Please please help me.

[Richard A Pierce, M.D.]

Glad if I could be of help.  Given that you have ongoing or even worsening symptoms, I think following up with your gastroenterologist is important.  It certainly sounds like you need some further work-up so that you can receive the appropriate treatment.
Good Luck!

[Adbhelp]

Thank you Richard for getting back to me. I really appreciate it. I forgot to mention that I have had continued symptoms, a little worse than usual, since then which is why I called. Now that they told me that you can see why my anxiety might have spiked since I worried that I might have waited too long and allowed something worse to happen. I will speak with my doctor for further examination. Thank you for getting back to me. I am glad to know that the results didn't show anything of a serious nature.

[Richard A Pierce, M.D.]

Hi Adbhelp,
Although I don’t know your complete story, your CT results don’t seem to be particularly worrisome from what you mention.  Although it’s always nice to hear back from your doctor regarding any test results, the fact that your doctor didn’t call back suggests that he/she was also not overly concerned with the results at the time you had the study.  CT scans of his kind give the most information when the stomach and intestines are filled with the contrast material you drink, and are thus distended (stretched out a bit).  If the bowels are not distended, then the walls can appear slightly thicker than if they if they are distended.  This may explain the “possible thickening of the distal gastric wall” described in your study.  The statement about “Correlation recommended” is basically the radiologist’s way of saying to your doctor “I don’t see anything obvious going on in this part of the scan, but if the patient is having symptoms in this area, you should probably delve a bit deeper” - thus “correlating” the CT findings (or lack thereof) to what the patient is experiencing.  It sounds like your symptoms have largely resolved at this point, but I think that following up with your gastroenterologist and filling him/her in on your current status is a good idea.  He/she may want to conduct additional tests if you’re still experiencing problems – you may need anything from a repeat CT to an ultrasound or HIDA scan, or possibly even an upper endoscopy or colonoscopy if your symptoms persist.  This decision will ultimately be between the 2 of you.  I don’t think you should have a lot of anxiety, but again, following up with somebody who knows your entire history is always a good idea.  
Thanks for your question and hope this helps,
Dr. Pierce