Do these symptoms mean anything? strange feeling under ribcage, rt side

[helpAmyBC]

A couple of weeks after a miscarriage and then D & C over 1 year ago, I went to my doctor to see about a "bulging" discomfort type feeling I felt directly under my right side rib-cage, like something was pushing or bulging there along my right side, front rib area.  She wasn't worried, didn't do further tests, thought it was just part of my healing from the D&C.  I still have that feeling daily and recently visited my nurse pract. for annual gyn. exam.  She thought it was fibroids pushing things up.  I saw a specialist.  He did an abdominal and vaginal ultrasound, saw no fibroids or apparently anything else worriesome (he mentioned I could be tested for pelvic congestion syndrome - but I think it isn't in my pelvic area really at all).  The ultrasound tech. kept asking me if I had been constipated?  I said no, I don't think so.  All she said was she saw a "mass of bowel" there that it was maybe sort of cloudy, couldn't see much there, and said that was normal.  I still have this feeling of fullness.  I do seem to go between times of either diarrhea and then maybe slight constipation.  I am 33, have always been in good health.  I have given birth to one child, 6 years ago.  I do seem to sort of stay bloated no matter how much or little I eat.  I don't eat much meat at all, pretty decent diet.  Have recently started taking fiber laxative caplets (2 per day) with my daily vitamin just hoping that will get rid of this strange feeling.  My stools sometimes have a thin clear to white stringish look through them (maybe just mucous).  Thank god nothing alive or anything -- I would probably die on the spot!  It doesn't look like parasites or anything to me.  I feel like a complete hypochondriac or that this must be psychosematic or something and hate to go to the doctor when nothing "hurts" and obviously they didn't see anything on abdominal ultrasound.  I have had a little bit of chest (maybe muscles) pain and sometimes feel like maybe it's just gall bladder or something, which I read is pretty hard to diagnose unless it is a complete attack.  Maybe the heart muscle pain at night could just be my worrying about this.  Any suggestions would be great of what the heck I should ask my doctor to look for?  I hate the idea of expensive tests (I have insurance but it is horrible -- doesnt' cover much) especially if there is a good change it is all going to be inconclusive anyway.  I'm not used to being sick and am spending too much time worrying what this feeling is in my side.  My family history has nothing very worrisome on either side, especially nothing related to colon, intestinal troubles.  I have also been really tired over the last year, but maybe it is just the unknown of this.  I can't feel anything from the outside.  There is no visible bulge of any kind to make sense of this "pinch" that I feel all of the time.
Thank you
Amy

[Kevin Pho, MD]

GI causes of upper right sided discomfort can include the liver and gallbladder, various causes of dyspepsia, or a non-GI disease (such as muscluloskeletal disease or lung disease).

The abdominal ultrasound does a pretty good job in evaluating the liver/gallbladder.  A normal test would make things like gallstones less likely.  Further evaluation of the gallbladder can be considered with a HIDA scan with CCK stimulation, looking at the gallbladder ejection fraction.

You can consider other testing such as an upper GI series or upper endoscopy to evaluate for things like GERD, an ulcer, or inflammation of the upper digestive tract.  

A CT scan can further evaluate the area in question, and can look for possible lung diseases in the area.

You can discuss these options with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com

[Kim1Champ]

Amy,

My symptoms are strangly similar. I had a miscarriage approximately one year and since I have had a myrid of problems. Differing from yours, my vague pain is under the left side of my ribcage. In addition over the last 6 months I have had constipation. I am 31, freaked out, feeling like a hypochondriac. I am going to be seeing a GI doctor on Monday. Reading your symptoms sounded way too familar. If you want to contact me email me at kim.***@****

Good Luck.
Kim

[yoshi]

it could be fungal/yeast infection from what you described-mucuous thin film with your bowel movement.
you need to take yogurt or tablets containing live culture,that lac bacteria.

[helpAmyBC]

Actually I was remembering last night that the ultrasound tech called it specifically A LOOP OF BOWEL not a mass of bowel as I had stated, if that makes a difference.

Amy

[yoshi]

have you sent your feces for testing??

[crtipper]

A related discussion, Fullness under right ribs and back was started.