Constant Pain in right side

Question

I have constant unrelenting pain in my right side, radiating thru to my back & down my buttocks.
It get's worse with activity, but NEVER lets up.
I have seen a surgeon who did several tests & found I have sludge in my gallbladder. He will take it out, but
is also considering exploratory surgery because a hernia was found on my right side with a CAT scan.
This pain is so terrible I can only find relief with pain pills, & I can't stay on them because they affect my breathing/heart rate. I had an appendectomy & contracted MRSA & dealt with a long illness & am just going back to work(tomorrow) after a year off. This pain is centered where the appendix was out & the MRSA ate me up. I am trying to postpone a surgery until I get working awhile, but, don't know if I
can stand the pain that long. Has anyone had this kind of pain & if so, will trying to endure it & hold off the surgery
increase any risks? I REALLY need to got to work!

This discussion is related to Can Sludge in the Gallbladder cause pain.

Jarileigh · Answer

I had pain like you describe, even painkillers did not control the pain in my side. My left side. Left ovary was removed with tumors, cysts, and adhesions (very painful) and the relief was immediate, even through the post op pain upon awakening I could tell the pain was gone. The back pain radiating down my buttocks to my leg remained. To the extent I could not walk, the leg would give out. 
 It could be more than 1 thing. Or something systemic like Chron's. Best of luck to you!

Jarileigh · Answer

I had pain like you describe, even painkillers did not control the pain in my side. My left side. Left ovary was removed with tumors, cysts, and adhesions (very painful) and the relief was immediate, even through the post op pain upon awakening I could tell the pain was gone. The back pain radiating down my buttocks to my leg remained. To the extent I could not walk, the leg would give out. 
 It could be more than 1 thing. Or something systemic like Chron's. Best of luck to you!

lizziecee · Answer

Hi Pamela, sorry to hear of your health problems.  Has your doctor considered Crohn's disease?  This is an auto-immune disease where the body attacks its' own tissue, in this particular disease, the large and small intestines. Crohn's usually, but not always, starts around the terminal ileum, the last part of the small intestine, which is situated next to the appendix.  Appendicitis is usually suspected because of the location of the severe, debilitating pain.  An upper endoscopy, with biopsies of suspicious tissue, is the definitive test. 

Other symptoms of Crohn's are: severe weight loss, greasy or floating stools, diarrhea, mucous or blood in the stool and loss of appetite.  

I have had Crohn's for 38 yrs, but it took 9 months to diagnose it as I did not "present" properly, i.e. weight down to 80 lbs, diarrhea up to 10 times a day, but no pain nor loss of appetite. I am currently going through a "flare" and have all the symptoms mow as my Crohn's is labelled PanCrohn's colitis as it is right through the GI tract from mouth to anus, with ulcers and crypt abscesses.  It is not curable, is not usually terminal, and can be kept in remission by the correct medication and/or surgery if strictures (narrowing) is present. Some sufferers only get one or two flares and the disease seems to burn itself out.  It is not diet related, but most sufferers keep to a low residue diet - high protein, low fat, and low fibre.  Nutritional drinks such as Ensure and Fortijuice can help with the malabsortion until the inflammation is brought under control.

I do hope you can get a proper diagnosis soon and get on to appropriate medication.

Liz, 
Crohn's Community Leader.