Constant abdominal pain

I have had a constant pain in my abdomin (abdomen), just below my rib cage, for 3 or 4 days now.  It is not extremely painful, but quite uncomfortable, especially when moving/bending over. It tends to hurt a bit as well, if I take a deep breath, near the end of the intake of air.  The severity of the pain tends to fluctuate a bit, but it has not ever gone completely away.
Any advice on what this might be or what steps to take?
Thank you.

[Spiczar]

I have a condition called a hiatal hernia.  It's a stretching of the area on your diaphram where your esophagus and stomach join (called the esophageal sphincter.)  This allows a part of your stomach to swell up into the lower few inches of your esophagus.  Aside from bad indigestion and chest pains at times, I also have the pain you describe in the area you point out.  It's very manageable with medications such as Pepcid, Zantac, Prilosec or Nexium.  A soft-tissue x-ray or an upper-G.I. scope can confirm the condition.  I'd see a doctor in any case and have them check it out.

[justmom]

I agree it does sound like it could be a hernia, but may not be.  I too have been having constant abdominal pain now for over 3 months.  At first my doctor thought it was a hernia, but because I work out regularly with weights and it doesn't seem to cause me a problem when I lift or bend but does when I am walking on the tread mill he ruled it out.  I ended up going for a Berium test and it was discovered that I have diverticulosis of the colon.  I was diagnosed just over a month ago.  Since then I still have the abdominal pain and constipation has turned into diarehea.  I have been this way for over 3 weeks now.  I went back to my doctor at the beginning of this week and he says that there is no possible way that the pain or the diarehea has anything to do with the diverticulosis.  Although I have other symptoms on top of these two that would say that the diverticulosis has turned into diverticulitis, the doctor still disagrees.  Says it is impossible for diverticulosis to turn into diverticulitis when there are only 2 pouches of diverticulosis in the diverticula.  (wow that was a mouthful lol)He says there has to many in order for it to turn into diverticulitis.  I can't find any information that says you have to have many of these pouches for your colon to become inflamed and infected.  Does anyone know?  My doctor is now looking for colitis or crones as the possible reason.  I should know by the end of this week what's going on and whether I will be undergoing the good old scope.  The berium enima was bad enough and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  I have now been diagnosed with 2 diseases in the past 2 years, the other is diabetes.  That sure doesn't help my sugar levels with all the stress my body is going thru now with the pain and diarehea.  I have to wonder sometimes if it isn't my diabetes that has caused the diverticulosis and whatever else may be wrong?
I hope you find out whats wrong with you soon and hope that it isn't anything more serious than a hernia.  Good Luck