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pain in left-upper abdomen: pancreas or gallbladder (or something else) ?
I have a long history of "stomach" problems for last 7 years - now I am 33. Most of the problems went away when bacteria was discovered and treated with antibiotics.
However for last 10 months I am feeling pain/pressure in my left upper abdomen. Initially it was an occasional feeling of pressure that came and go (there could be whole week of feeling ok). In last 3-4 months the pressure changed into pain and the pain is almost all the time there.
I will list my symptoms:
- pain/pressure in left upper abdomen. There is hardly an hour when I do not feel it. Sometimes it lasts for minutes, sometimes for hours. On 1 to 10 scale I would say it is around 2-3.
- the pain may go to my back (left side mainly) or to be close to my left shoulder
- in last 2 months the pain is more intense - I wake up during the night several times
- my stool is loose and a little bit yellow. I am mostly on vegeteranian diet, but when I eat meat the stool floats. I rather tend to have constipation, but anyway the stool is loose.
- I am not sure if my pain is related to eating - maybe a little bit, but I am feeling it so often that maybe I do not notice the regularity
- from total of about 10 hours pain per day I may have one or two minutes pain on my right side (under ribs or under right shoulder)
- sometimes in the evening I feel itching
- about 2 years ago I had very strong attack of pain (I would say 8 in 1-10 scale) on left side of my abdomen, that went to the middle. However in ER the doctor did not diagnose it as pancreatitis - he said gastritis. I never had that strong pain again.
Tests that were performed in last 6 months:
-gastrocopy: normal
-colonoscopy: normal
-ultrasound: sludge-like deposits in gallbladder
-gallbladder contraction test: contracts in 32%
-CT scan: normal
-MRI scan: normal
-endoscopic ultrasound: normal, however the doctor said that my pancreas consistency is more solid than usually in my age
-some blood tests showed bilirubin 1.9, but another one showed 0.4
-any other blood test was normal
My first gastroenterologist (did only gastroscopy and X-ray) said it was irritable bowel syndrome caused by my spine that is not perfectly straight.
My second doctor was telling me that it was gallbladder problem and sent me to a surgeon.
Surgeron said that my symptoms can not be explained by gallbladder and sent me for additional test.
Now I wait for appointment with the 4th doctor.
I was taking stool softeners and citrucel, but it did not help. I also was takin hyocamine (against spasms), but it neither helped. Taking advil (9 per day) helps, but without it I can hardly focus on my job.
I have following questions:
- should I remove gallbladder or not ?
- can a gallbladder cause stool to be loose, clay-like in color and make it float ?
- are there any other tests that should be done ?
- what do you suspect to be the most probable cause of problems ?
Sincerely,
Jerzy B.
However for last 10 months I am feeling pain/pressure in my left upper abdomen. Initially it was an occasional feeling of pressure that came and go (there could be whole week of feeling ok). In last 3-4 months the pressure changed into pain and the pain is almost all the time there.
I will list my symptoms:
- pain/pressure in left upper abdomen. There is hardly an hour when I do not feel it. Sometimes it lasts for minutes, sometimes for hours. On 1 to 10 scale I would say it is around 2-3.
- the pain may go to my back (left side mainly) or to be close to my left shoulder
- in last 2 months the pain is more intense - I wake up during the night several times
- my stool is loose and a little bit yellow. I am mostly on vegeteranian diet, but when I eat meat the stool floats. I rather tend to have constipation, but anyway the stool is loose.
- I am not sure if my pain is related to eating - maybe a little bit, but I am feeling it so often that maybe I do not notice the regularity
- from total of about 10 hours pain per day I may have one or two minutes pain on my right side (under ribs or under right shoulder)
- sometimes in the evening I feel itching
- about 2 years ago I had very strong attack of pain (I would say 8 in 1-10 scale) on left side of my abdomen, that went to the middle. However in ER the doctor did not diagnose it as pancreatitis - he said gastritis. I never had that strong pain again.
Tests that were performed in last 6 months:
-gastrocopy: normal
-colonoscopy: normal
-ultrasound: sludge-like deposits in gallbladder
-gallbladder contraction test: contracts in 32%
-CT scan: normal
-MRI scan: normal
-endoscopic ultrasound: normal, however the doctor said that my pancreas consistency is more solid than usually in my age
-some blood tests showed bilirubin 1.9, but another one showed 0.4
-any other blood test was normal
My first gastroenterologist (did only gastroscopy and X-ray) said it was irritable bowel syndrome caused by my spine that is not perfectly straight.
My second doctor was telling me that it was gallbladder problem and sent me to a surgeon.
Surgeron said that my symptoms can not be explained by gallbladder and sent me for additional test.
Now I wait for appointment with the 4th doctor.
I was taking stool softeners and citrucel, but it did not help. I also was takin hyocamine (against spasms), but it neither helped. Taking advil (9 per day) helps, but without it I can hardly focus on my job.
I have following questions:
- should I remove gallbladder or not ?
- can a gallbladder cause stool to be loose, clay-like in color and make it float ?
- are there any other tests that should be done ?
- what do you suspect to be the most probable cause of problems ?
Sincerely,
Jerzy B.
A related discussion, Upper left abdominal pain and back pain with wet sensation was started.
I am actually going thru this problem right now.....the pain under/by my left and right rib cage comes and goes, I feel it in my back too! I has a ct scan done and it was all normal. I am very scared and having a endoscopy and a colonoscopy performed. Hope is all good!
A related discussion, Upper Abdominal Spasms was started.
A related discussion, abdominal pain was started.
I've had the same problem for a few years of bloating, lots of gas, constipation/loose stools alternatively, pain in ULQ under the ribs. Went to some docs and they found nothing.
I read through the posts on this thread and another website and decided to try a home treatment for candida yeast overgrowth in the colon. It seems to have helped so I wanted to pass it on - some of it has been mentioned already. I use a herbal candida remedy from the health food store that contains caprylic acid (there are also stronger prescription medicines for this), psyllium husks w/water and a probiotic of acidophilis and bifido bacterium (acidoph. is for small intestine, bifido is for large intestine - where the problem really is).
The idea is you're killing/ retarding the yeast growth in your colon with the fungicide, pushing it out with the psyllium and replenishing the the colon with good bacteria which keep the yeast down. You may have to alter your diet as well.
At first I started with just the probiotics, but found that the combo of all three worked best. The fungicide stopped the gas almost immediately.
If you lookup candida on the web you will find that it can cause lots of other symptoms as well as affect your liver. This worked for me anyway. Hope it helps someone out there. Good luck!
I read through the posts on this thread and another website and decided to try a home treatment for candida yeast overgrowth in the colon. It seems to have helped so I wanted to pass it on - some of it has been mentioned already. I use a herbal candida remedy from the health food store that contains caprylic acid (there are also stronger prescription medicines for this), psyllium husks w/water and a probiotic of acidophilis and bifido bacterium (acidoph. is for small intestine, bifido is for large intestine - where the problem really is).
The idea is you're killing/ retarding the yeast growth in your colon with the fungicide, pushing it out with the psyllium and replenishing the the colon with good bacteria which keep the yeast down. You may have to alter your diet as well.
At first I started with just the probiotics, but found that the combo of all three worked best. The fungicide stopped the gas almost immediately.
If you lookup candida on the web you will find that it can cause lots of other symptoms as well as affect your liver. This worked for me anyway. Hope it helps someone out there. Good luck!
I've had the same problem for a few years of bloating, lots of gas, constipation/loose stools alternatively, pain in ULQ under the ribs. Went to some docs and they found nothing.
I read through the posts on this thread and another website and decided to try a home treatment for candida yeast overgrowth in the colon. It seems to have helped so I wanted to pass it on - some of it has been mentioned already. I use a herbal candida remedy from the health food store that contains caprylic acid (there are also stronger prescription medicines for this), psyllium husks w/water and a probiotic of acidophilis and bifido bacterium (acidoph. is for small intestine, bifido is for large intestine - where the problem really is).
The idea is you're killing/ retarding the yeast growth in your colon with the fungicide, pushing it out with the psyllium and replenishing the the colon with good bacteria which keep the yeast down. You may have to alter your diet as well.
At first I started with just the probiotics, but found that the combo of all three worked best. The fungicide stopped the gas almost immediately.
If you lookup candida on the web you will find that it can cause lots of other symptoms as well as affect your liver. This worked for me anyway. Hope it helps someone out there. Good luck!
I read through the posts on this thread and another website and decided to try a home treatment for candida yeast overgrowth in the colon. It seems to have helped so I wanted to pass it on - some of it has been mentioned already. I use a herbal candida remedy from the health food store that contains caprylic acid (there are also stronger prescription medicines for this), psyllium husks w/water and a probiotic of acidophilis and bifido bacterium (acidoph. is for small intestine, bifido is for large intestine - where the problem really is).
The idea is you're killing/ retarding the yeast growth in your colon with the fungicide, pushing it out with the psyllium and replenishing the the colon with good bacteria which keep the yeast down. You may have to alter your diet as well.
At first I started with just the probiotics, but found that the combo of all three worked best. The fungicide stopped the gas almost immediately.
If you lookup candida on the web you will find that it can cause lots of other symptoms as well as affect your liver. This worked for me anyway. Hope it helps someone out there. Good luck!
I can't believe I stumbled upon this site through the Internet. I have spent the last half hour reading all your comments and it is nice to know I am not the only one suffering from these symptoms. I have exactly what all of you are explaining here. I have had left upper quadrant pain radiating around to under my should blade with ocassional nausea and palpations. I mostly experience the pain though on a daily basis varying in the sharpness. I, too, have had every test in the book. I had a CT Scan a few days ago and tonite when I got home I had a message from my doctor saying they want to see me to discuss my test and order further testing. I can't image what it could be but I am scared and anxious to find out. I have had these symptoms for the last 13 months. I am 33 years old and do not drink or smoke. I am in good health but am really tired of living with this pain and to be told my test are normal when I still do not feel like myself. I, too, have been placed on Prilosec with no relief. Not only do I have the left sided pain but terrible gas and bloating on a daily basis no matter what I eat. I hope to talk to my doctor tomorrow and I will definitely let all of you know what I find out. Who knows - it may be something that could help all of you too.
Well I assumed I had a peptic ulcer for years. The pain used to go with Zantac, for a while. But now I have a pain that moves from the left ribs to the left upper back. Sometimes it feels like there is something in my left sholuder area or back, something that catches, even a bit spiky. I have been horified it could be radiating from some kind of pancreas cancer (with no evidence for that of course), and have not felt able to write it off just as IBS or something. But this forum is reassuring- at least none of us have reported back with any nasty diagnoses. If I ever find out anything I'll let you know.
I cannot believe how many people are suffering from the same pain and there isn't any clear answer as to why. Stress could be a contributing factor, but PAIN is real. I am a 46 yr old female who has had stomach problems in the past. I recently was diagnosed with GERD which I do not experience heart burn, but acute acid larangitis; a hital hernia (which I am told does not cause the pain in the upper left abdomen). I have had the upper GI; upper endoscopy; sonogram and now my gastro spec wants me to have a small bowell series & if this is negative as all the others, go to a surgeon. He advised me that the surgeon would do an exploratory to try to figure out what may be going on. Surgery is pretty serious if you ask me - has anyone been given this advice from their doctor? Sorry, but glad to read that I am not along with this mysterious pain. Thanks
I am a 21 yr. old female and i am somewhat overweight. the other night, after eating dinner, i experienced a strange pain. at first the pain was mild, but irritating, then the pain got worse and i told my boyfriend that i thought i have food poisoning and to call my mom immediately. by the time she got there, the pain had become so bad, that i thought i was having a heart attack. i was experiencing pain under my sternum(right under and in line with my breasts)as well did it feel on the left and kinda the right. i began to get short of breath along with the stabbing pain and pressure. because i was short of breath, i became really upset and started to hyperventalate. my parents rushed me to the ER. when i got there, the tiog nurse took my BP(144/80...normal for me) and i was running a fever of 100.2(extremely rare for me b/c i always run below normal) when the pain went away, it seemed to slowly ease off and the nausea set in more than it was before. of coarse, i couldn't vomit. the doc said my urine test was fine, but some of my liver counts were abnormal. he felt sure it was gall stones. i had an ultrasound the next day which showed nothing..... well, the hepatitis tests were negative too.....i'm going to the doc today and feeling really discouraged about it b/c of responces i have had from him in the past...as i see some of you are too! i'm the kind of person who has constipation all the time, but lately....i have been having loose stools( light or yellow-brown in color)in fact during my "attack" i was upset on my stomach and having loose stools. i know how it is to go to the doc and have him think you are crazy. off and on, for over a year, i have been having UTI symptoms 1 or 2 times a month. only, nothing shows up on tests or cultures. out of this year, i had been 5 times and NOTHING, no bacteria, NOTHING...yeah right! i guess the burning and pain was all in my head! i went to a urologist and he scoped my bladder, diagnosing me with chronic cystitis....(from having an infection for a year) FRUSTRATING!!! anyone have any idea or wanna chat with me, IM me or e-mail me with ideas.
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I am sitting here in awe that someone has the same symptoms as my self, I have been dealing with Pain on my left side below my rib cage for almost 2 years, the pain circles around my rib cage under my arm, radiating into the back, I also experience pain in my left arm and center of my chest almost all the time. There is however a variation in severity. I left work today after having a spell which has the symptoms of a Heart Attack. I am a 26 Yr old Female. I have had all sorts of tests. My doctor thinks I am a Hypocondriac. Today I am also experiencing horrible gas pains. I am currently seeing a chiropractor who says that the pain is due to a rib slipping out of place and since I already have digestive problems inflamation of the stomach and other areas push on the rib causing this pain, the pain has lessened itself until today. I would love to put a name to this....PLEASE HELP!
Hi all hopefully i wont feel so crazy knowing all you people have the same problems. 1ST OF ALL JERZEY gall bladder is on the right so if your pain is left sided look for other answers. I'm 32 have suffered stomach problems my whole life. Stay awake most nights in so much pain. Had my gall bladder removed at 22 (which i'm told is young for those kinds of problems- gall stones) but syptoms never really improved severe abdominal pain left sided near ribs mostly but sometimes it seems to be right in the middle by belly button. My bowels are never right either i'm constipated or i have diarherra.I suffer from nausea daily. @ yrs ago with through upper & lower gi series lots of bloodwork and finally an endoscopy. The endoscopy showed what the dr called acute chronic gastritis and explained that my stomach doesnt empty properly also said the problem with bowels "could be"irritable bowel syndrome. Been taking Prilosec and varying doses of reglan for 2 yrs with little to no relief ( although reglan only med that helps nausea even a little ) back in Feb so bad ended up in er had been vomitting for hrs tried to explain my history with my stomach they told me it was the flu and sent me home. saw my internist later that same week and he ordered an abdominal catscan and more bloodwork. They came back normal so he stuck with original diagnosis. So i finally went for 2nd opinion. This doctor seems to think i have gastroparesis and ordered a stomach emptying test.I'll have the results in a few days. In the meantime i cant find any info that explains the difference between the 2 (gastritis & gastroparesis) They are both stomach ailments which have to do with the stomach emptying and they are both treated with reglan so i'm at my wits end.
I am a 45-year-old male. I also have had a feeling of "presence" or pressure in the upper left quadrant of my abdominal region. A little over five months ago I found myself in the emergency room with a kidney infection. The infection cleared up with antibiotics. However, I have had this pressure since then. Also, my stool has been lighter in color - sort of yellowish brown - and there have been small undigested particles of food in the feces. The stool is also sticky. It does not float, but it does seem sort of greasy. When I take large doses of acidophilis (sp.?) the stool is a darker brown. I have developed lengthwise lines or ridges in the fingernails. My guess is that I am beginning to suffer from malabsorbsion. I am fatigued. I wonder if I am suffering from cancer of the pancreas. I have tried to stay away from gluten and dairy products for the past two weeks, but the symptoms have not cleared up. Has anyone out there been through this who can help me understand what is going on?
I'm glad to feel some company though i
have great compassion for all my fellow sufferers.
What else do we all have in common? I have been a compulsive
overeater for as long as i can remember. I binge on sugars,
starches and of course fats. Now i know overeating can
lead to fatigue and disfunction of all the digestive organs
but i rekon there could be a chicken and egg effect if i had/have parasites, candida etc. I am involved in counseling to try
to resolve the emotional roots of my addictive eating....but i too wish i could find a doctor who could help me get some definative diagnosis and treatment for my symptoms. What ever happened with Lela whose son had the Sphyncter of Oddi cut? Did the dr. ever write a paper on that case? I'm going for all the tests this week..CT scan, Ultrasound, GI series...but after reading on this board i expect no new news. Any other folks with eating disorders manifesting these symptoms out there?
have great compassion for all my fellow sufferers.
What else do we all have in common? I have been a compulsive
overeater for as long as i can remember. I binge on sugars,
starches and of course fats. Now i know overeating can
lead to fatigue and disfunction of all the digestive organs
but i rekon there could be a chicken and egg effect if i had/have parasites, candida etc. I am involved in counseling to try
to resolve the emotional roots of my addictive eating....but i too wish i could find a doctor who could help me get some definative diagnosis and treatment for my symptoms. What ever happened with Lela whose son had the Sphyncter of Oddi cut? Did the dr. ever write a paper on that case? I'm going for all the tests this week..CT scan, Ultrasound, GI series...but after reading on this board i expect no new news. Any other folks with eating disorders manifesting these symptoms out there?
Wow! I can't believe I found people who experience this same pain. Let me share. I'm a healthy 34 year old woman who had an "attack" like this one night a couple of years ago. I had just finished eating a cheese sandwhich. I thought I was having a heart attack. I couldn't breathe, was gasping for air, vomiting and on the way to the ER I almost kicked my boyfriend's windshield out of his car I was in such pain. When I got to the ER they immediately started an IV and in less than 5 minutes I hadn't even noticed the pain just stopped.It ws a Tagamet drip running through the IV. The Dr. came in and just smiled. He said this was normal for women my age, race (African American), and who were slightly overweight (about 15 lbs) to experience gallbladder problems. Although I had an xray he was reluctant to taking it out. His suggestion was for me to lose weight, lay off the cheese and dairy, start moving out of my sedentary lifestyle and to take Tagamet at the very beginning of any symptoms and it should go away. He was right. For 2 years I did well and didn't have one reaccurance. Now unfortunately, I'm overweight again and you guessed it, the attacks are back. Now I'm exercising again and watching my diet a little more carefully. One common thread I noticed are a lot of posts here say they are vegetarians. I'm wondering if any of you are heavy on the cheese and dairy type vegans? I think this is a huge culprit just like being overweight. I hope I've helped someone out there, because I experienced that excruciating pain. Bless you all!
p.p.s. On top of all that, I also forgot to mention that the areas of skin on my back (where my kidney pains are) are absolutely ice cold.. If I get in a hot bath, the pain subsides a little.. My mum reckons that is a sign of a kidney infection..
Is this true ?
Is this true ?
P.S. Does anyone have any advice as to which route I should take to get a diagnosis ??? i.e. Which type of specialist would provide the best insight ??
cheers,
Nick
cheers,
Nick
I also seem to be in a similar boat to everyone else....
Here's a brief history .. :
(I realise that some of this may be irrelevant, but I'll put it down anyway)
I am a 22 year old male, have had echzema all my life and work in a normal office environment..
Shortly before xmas 1999 I experienced a bizarre thrush-like problem on my genitals.. It lasted a week or so and then disappeared.. Then on millenium new years eve I suffered pain
in my lower back on both sides of my spine (Kidneys I presume)..
The pain was so bad I couldn't sit down, but the strange thing is that I only drunk about two pints of beer that night, so it wasn't due to excessive alchohol intake. Since then I have had intermittant kidney pains and in the last few months they have become somewhat permanent.. I have also suffered from attacks similar to the ones described by other posters (I had one at night where I woke up and had difficulty breathing because (I presume) My liver was enlarged)...
When my condition gets worse, I sometimes burp a lot and get pains in all kinds of places.. I have had very similar back pains to those previously mentioned.. (It kind of felt like something was pusing on my spine).. My stools are a normal brown colour, but I have noticed that recently they've got a slight bronzy tint to them and leave behind a definate yellow colour on toilet paper..
The main reason for me first visiting the doctor. however, was because my skin on my arms keeps getting infected.. It comes and goes and never gets THAT bad, but the fact that it happens is bad enough.. I've had skin infections since I was about 15, but now they seem to come in a strange pattern.
My skin gets red around my armpits, all the way down my arms, hands etc.. But the most bizarre thing (which I have NEVER suffered from before) is that the skin on my neck (all the way round) gets increadibly painful.. It literally feels like it's on fire !! This only happens at night and gets better once I apply water to it and moisterising cream.. On top of all this, over the last few months, my skin just seems to fall off in massive amounts (only on the affected areas).. This sometimes is so bad that when I wake up my bed is literally covered in tiny skin particles.. I told my doctor about this and she just said
"Oh, your skin must be too dry" she then looked at my skin and said "Oh, it isn't !!"..... At first I thought it was a buildup of dustmites in my bed..(At this point I was getting HUGE red patches on my shoulders that burnt like hell) So I got a new bed !! This sorted out the patches, but I am left with the neck and arms problems..
I have had (in the last 4 months) two blood tests. Both of which reported a higher than normal level of biliruben. The second one was lower than the first (with about a 2 month gap in between).. My doctor seemed to think that because the level had dropped it wasn't too serious.. (I, on the other hand, think that the level simply fluctuates).. I then had an ultrasound on my kidneys which was OK... I am now awaiting an oppointment for a liver ultrasound check and another blood test.. I also have an appointment with a dermatologist in July !! (JULY !!! What F**kin use is that??? hg hmm.. A..nnyway !)..
The final thing I can think of is that now, I cannot seem to drink any alchohol without my skin getting very itchy.. It goes very white and very red in patches (mainly on my forearms and hands)..
I realise that there's no simple answer to this, but why oh why is there no-one out there trying to sort this out ??
Is no-one doing any research ? or is it just a case of specific doctor's not having the right knowledge/experience ??
Finally, On a lighter note (Or darker, depending on your perspective).. I went to see my doctor last week (I should point out that I don't actually have a GP as such, the NHS lost all my medical records !! Wonderful) and she said "If the liver scan is normal there's nothing more we can do!! You'll probably need to go see a homeopath !" ehhhhhh ??? How the F*** can she say that ?? I've had two tests and some blood tests and that's the end of it ?? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!
I guess what I'm really asking of this list is :
Has anyone else experienced similar skin problems to me ??
Does anyone have any advice ???
Thanks a lot for everyone's time in reading this excessive post :)
Nick.
Here's a brief history .. :
(I realise that some of this may be irrelevant, but I'll put it down anyway)
I am a 22 year old male, have had echzema all my life and work in a normal office environment..
Shortly before xmas 1999 I experienced a bizarre thrush-like problem on my genitals.. It lasted a week or so and then disappeared.. Then on millenium new years eve I suffered pain
in my lower back on both sides of my spine (Kidneys I presume)..
The pain was so bad I couldn't sit down, but the strange thing is that I only drunk about two pints of beer that night, so it wasn't due to excessive alchohol intake. Since then I have had intermittant kidney pains and in the last few months they have become somewhat permanent.. I have also suffered from attacks similar to the ones described by other posters (I had one at night where I woke up and had difficulty breathing because (I presume) My liver was enlarged)...
When my condition gets worse, I sometimes burp a lot and get pains in all kinds of places.. I have had very similar back pains to those previously mentioned.. (It kind of felt like something was pusing on my spine).. My stools are a normal brown colour, but I have noticed that recently they've got a slight bronzy tint to them and leave behind a definate yellow colour on toilet paper..
The main reason for me first visiting the doctor. however, was because my skin on my arms keeps getting infected.. It comes and goes and never gets THAT bad, but the fact that it happens is bad enough.. I've had skin infections since I was about 15, but now they seem to come in a strange pattern.
My skin gets red around my armpits, all the way down my arms, hands etc.. But the most bizarre thing (which I have NEVER suffered from before) is that the skin on my neck (all the way round) gets increadibly painful.. It literally feels like it's on fire !! This only happens at night and gets better once I apply water to it and moisterising cream.. On top of all this, over the last few months, my skin just seems to fall off in massive amounts (only on the affected areas).. This sometimes is so bad that when I wake up my bed is literally covered in tiny skin particles.. I told my doctor about this and she just said
"Oh, your skin must be too dry" she then looked at my skin and said "Oh, it isn't !!"..... At first I thought it was a buildup of dustmites in my bed..(At this point I was getting HUGE red patches on my shoulders that burnt like hell) So I got a new bed !! This sorted out the patches, but I am left with the neck and arms problems..
I have had (in the last 4 months) two blood tests. Both of which reported a higher than normal level of biliruben. The second one was lower than the first (with about a 2 month gap in between).. My doctor seemed to think that because the level had dropped it wasn't too serious.. (I, on the other hand, think that the level simply fluctuates).. I then had an ultrasound on my kidneys which was OK... I am now awaiting an oppointment for a liver ultrasound check and another blood test.. I also have an appointment with a dermatologist in July !! (JULY !!! What F**kin use is that??? hg hmm.. A..nnyway !)..
The final thing I can think of is that now, I cannot seem to drink any alchohol without my skin getting very itchy.. It goes very white and very red in patches (mainly on my forearms and hands)..
I realise that there's no simple answer to this, but why oh why is there no-one out there trying to sort this out ??
Is no-one doing any research ? or is it just a case of specific doctor's not having the right knowledge/experience ??
Finally, On a lighter note (Or darker, depending on your perspective).. I went to see my doctor last week (I should point out that I don't actually have a GP as such, the NHS lost all my medical records !! Wonderful) and she said "If the liver scan is normal there's nothing more we can do!! You'll probably need to go see a homeopath !" ehhhhhh ??? How the F*** can she say that ?? I've had two tests and some blood tests and that's the end of it ?? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!
I guess what I'm really asking of this list is :
Has anyone else experienced similar skin problems to me ??
Does anyone have any advice ???
Thanks a lot for everyone's time in reading this excessive post :)
Nick.
I recently had gallbladder surgery in Jan of this year . it has been 6weeks and truly, I wish I had not had this surgery, as I have had more problems since this surgery than I did before. My doctor just seems like he's stumped every time I mention that I'm having pain in my back between my left shoulder blade down my left arm. I can tell when this attack is coming on as I will get a very hungry feeling in my stomach then pressure up my chest into my back and down my left arm. We have ruled out heart as this seems to come on 30 minutes to 3 hrs after eating. But sometimes if I turn a certain way or am stressed it will come on. I am on prevacid twice a day and a stomach sedative before meals. It helps the acid but not the pain . Help!! Jean
Amazing...
Well, let me join the club...
Have had upper left quadrant abdominal pain for over 12 years..
Developed it after I developed a strange flu like illness that put me down for a couple of weeks..(thought I was going to die it was so bad..lost 15 lbs....sleeping 12+ hrs a day....hot and cold flashes, extreme fatigue, etc.)
Ever since that illness, I have had some level of left quad abdominal pain, sometimes very strong pains, other times moderate but exist pretty much all the time..
Yep..worse 1-2 hours after eating (most of the time)...when fasting totally the pain is better...sometimes I accidently eat something that almost makes the pain go away...but it is not predictable or real repeatable...pressing in that area seems to help releive the pain a bit also..
Let's add moderately hypertensive (I think related to the pain...)
And now for the grand finale, PVCs and heart palps also...
Like everyone...had all the tests upper GI, Cat scan, Colonoscopy, etc,.etc....all basically normal...
No real diagnosis...Docs say..."everything is fine so you should feel good about it, right??"
Anyway, If anyone has any good ideas I would love to hear them...will answer questions if you need to know more..
Well, let me join the club...
Have had upper left quadrant abdominal pain for over 12 years..
Developed it after I developed a strange flu like illness that put me down for a couple of weeks..(thought I was going to die it was so bad..lost 15 lbs....sleeping 12+ hrs a day....hot and cold flashes, extreme fatigue, etc.)
Ever since that illness, I have had some level of left quad abdominal pain, sometimes very strong pains, other times moderate but exist pretty much all the time..
Yep..worse 1-2 hours after eating (most of the time)...when fasting totally the pain is better...sometimes I accidently eat something that almost makes the pain go away...but it is not predictable or real repeatable...pressing in that area seems to help releive the pain a bit also..
Let's add moderately hypertensive (I think related to the pain...)
And now for the grand finale, PVCs and heart palps also...
Like everyone...had all the tests upper GI, Cat scan, Colonoscopy, etc,.etc....all basically normal...
No real diagnosis...Docs say..."everything is fine so you should feel good about it, right??"
Anyway, If anyone has any good ideas I would love to hear them...will answer questions if you need to know more..
u cant believe how relieved i felt when i came across this site. I thought i was the only one with these symptomes. although diagnosing doesnt look promising from the looks of these letters! i have been having pain beneath my ribs for about 5 years now. no heartburn , like actual stomach acid regergitating, but a burning sensation from the left all the way to the right when i roll over. No sharp pains, just gas and it builds up and i have to sit up to relieve the pressure. i get p.v.c.'s and bouts of high blood pressure with attacks. had upper gi and several other tests , all negative, i finally gave up.
I woke up this morning and was doubled over from pain in my left side just under my rib cage. I could not take a deep breath or complete a yawn. When I tried to do either it would set off a spasm-like pain in my side so bad I had to hold on to something to remain standing. This was the first time this had happened so I set off to find out what is going on. I started with my very old and outdated medical encyclopia. Settled on Carcinoid syndrone and begin to research. Came across problems that I have that I would never have associated with the pain in my side. Was wondering if any of you had any of the following problems and what we might have in common.
Recent problems are what appears to be arthritis with red swollen joints in my fingers. Actually both my hands swell all over. Small hard BB-like lumps appear at the joints. My spine and neck also become painful. My neck snaps and cracks when I move my head around. Constant ringing in my ears. Sudden red itchy blotches appear on my face, eyes, neck and chest. There appears to be swelling across my eyes and cheeks. Also a two by three inch section of my scalp (top of head to the right)became swollen. The scalp would become unbearably itchy and when I started to scratch the area I could feel the hair raised up in that section, the scalp would be mushy and too sore to scratch. It would get worse as the day wore on and deminish overnight. This lasted about a week. Off and on the sides of my hands and feet become very itchy. Had about a week of chills but when I took my temperature it was always low. Between 97.6 and 98.0 degrees. Had a physical was given antibiotics for a bladder infection. Now today this pain in my side. It is still there.
Now I would like to know how much we all have in common.
I am an almost 59 year old, 230lb. female. Am married and have three adult children. I have gone through menopause and did not take hormone replacement. Take medication for high blood pressure. Had a deseased thyroid at age 35 and have been on thyroxine ever since. Had my appendex out as a child. My job is in an accounting department and I do not get much exercise. Smoked cigarettes for 30 years but quit 15 years ago. Have red wine with most of my dinners but not every day. Have been trying to become a vegetarian in the last few months but still have meat once or twice a week.
Recent problems are what appears to be arthritis with red swollen joints in my fingers. Actually both my hands swell all over. Small hard BB-like lumps appear at the joints. My spine and neck also become painful. My neck snaps and cracks when I move my head around. Constant ringing in my ears. Sudden red itchy blotches appear on my face, eyes, neck and chest. There appears to be swelling across my eyes and cheeks. Also a two by three inch section of my scalp (top of head to the right)became swollen. The scalp would become unbearably itchy and when I started to scratch the area I could feel the hair raised up in that section, the scalp would be mushy and too sore to scratch. It would get worse as the day wore on and deminish overnight. This lasted about a week. Off and on the sides of my hands and feet become very itchy. Had about a week of chills but when I took my temperature it was always low. Between 97.6 and 98.0 degrees. Had a physical was given antibiotics for a bladder infection. Now today this pain in my side. It is still there.
Now I would like to know how much we all have in common.
I am an almost 59 year old, 230lb. female. Am married and have three adult children. I have gone through menopause and did not take hormone replacement. Take medication for high blood pressure. Had a deseased thyroid at age 35 and have been on thyroxine ever since. Had my appendex out as a child. My job is in an accounting department and I do not get much exercise. Smoked cigarettes for 30 years but quit 15 years ago. Have red wine with most of my dinners but not every day. Have been trying to become a vegetarian in the last few months but still have meat once or twice a week.
Wow! I can't believe how many people have the same symptoms I do. I thought I was alone, and the doctors can't figure it out. Obviously there is something. I have had the left-sided pain off and on for years. Have had all the tests, and nothing. I get the yellow stools whenever this pain shows up. I have been told that my spleen gets enlarged during these times; otherwise, I cannot relate it to anything!! I notice that most of us are women - could it be hormonally related? Do any of you relate it to your periods? The referral of pain to the shoulder is so common in pleurisy, and I've been told it is a form of that. An inflammation of the lining of the pleura in that area. Sometimes I do feel a "rub" like Velcro when I breathe in. It is definitely worse on deep inspiration. It also seems to be minimally relieved with bowel movements. What I've found that helps: Bactrim DS has cleared this up many times. Don't ask me why. The doctors don't understand it either. I've also found that drinking Mullein tea eases the pain. This is for lung inflammation, so maybe the pleurisy thought is not too far off. Hope this helps someone. It's just nice to know I'm not alone (although I'm sorry you all have this annoying, frustrating pain too)! -Kim-
Had a quedtion regarding Acidophilus. How much should you take and how long before you noticed improvement in the upper left quadrant pain?
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