ABDOMINAL PAIN

[MISELAINEOUS]

I HAVE EXPERIENCED ABDOMINAL PAIN FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS...THE PAIN IS PRIMARILY UP UNDER MY LEFT RIB AND AND SOMETIMES RADIATES AROUND TO MY BACK..I HAVE HAD EVERY TEST IMAGINABLE...THE PAIN COMES AFTER I EAT...USUALLLY   DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND KEEPS ME AWAKE ALL NIGHT...NOW THE PAIN SEEMS CONSTANT DAY AND NIGHT AND I CAN FIND NO RELIEF SHORT OF NOT EATING ANYTHING...NEXIUM, PREVACID, ETC. DO NOT HELP AS IT IS NOT LIKE HEARTBURN (WHICH THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD)...I BELIEVE I HAVE DAMAGED MY STOMACH OR PANCREAS AND MY DIGESTIVE TRACT IS NOT WORKING SOMEHOW BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX...DOCTORS TELL ME THEY CAN FIND NOTHING THROUGH THE ENDOSCOPY OR COLINOSCOPY AND OFFER NO HELP....ANY SUGGESTIONS?...PLEASE HELP

[NC44]

Try a colon cleanse, hon.  Search the web for colon cleanse + parasites and you'll see most of your symptoms there.  Read testimonials and you'll see what a difference it can make. I speak from experience and am so glad I did it!  I wish you the best!

[Jaybay]

If you have a pancreas problem, EGD and colonoscopy won't tell you anything.  Have your docs run labs to check how your liver and pancreas are functioning?  That would be a reasonable thing to look at with your symptoms.  You could also ask about Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.  If that tiny little muscle in the common bile duct is clenched too tightly, bile and pancreas enzymes back up to the liver and pancreas.  Sludge could even be built up in there resulting in the same symptoms.  To evaluate for these problems, you need to ask your gastro doc if he can do MRCP on the Sphincter of Oddi and test the pressure.  If it's high, the procedure is converted to ERCP to make certain the ducts are cleared out, and usually involves removing the sphincter.  MRCP equipment is not always available at smaller hospitals, so you may need to go to a larger teaching facility to have this done.

Gallstones would be another thing to consider, although less likely since you have left-sided pain.  Some people get what is called "referred pain" when something goes wrong.  That just means the pain shows up in a different area than expected depending on what nerves are involved, and it makes diagnosis that much more difficult.  When my appendix went south, my lower right quadrant didn't hurt - it was all in the epigastric region.   Have you had an ultrasound or CT scan to check for this?  A HIDA scan to evaluate if the gallbladder is functioning correctly?  If you aren't getting anywhere with your current docs, it's certainly time to move on to a new one.