Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

I get attacks of severe abdominal pain and doctors keep telling me it's normal?

I wasn't sure which community to post this in but I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me.

I'm currently 18 years old (female) and I've been experience these "attacks" of discomfort for a few years now but they're getting more frequent and more intense, I'm starting to really worry that no one can give me an answer.

It's a bit difficult to explain but I'll try to be as clear as possible. These attacks happen every couple of months (it used to be once or twice a year, it's now almost monthly.), in the afternoon I'll start to feel what feels like a stitch but as the night goes on it gets much worse. It's more of a discomfort than a pain. The only way I can describe it is like a bubble and it's pushing outwards from under my ribs but only on the right side. It's sore when pressed on and no matter what I do, I can't stay in the same position for longer than a minute. The discomfort will only get more intense as the night goes on until it reaches the point that I have to go to the emergency room to receive some medication that's actually affective, or I finally manage to fall asleep from exhaustion. When I wake up in the morning the discomfort is gone and it just feels like I've done a heap of sit ups.

I've been to the ER 3 times and also have seen a surgeon and no one can give me an answer. I've had ultrasounds and ct scans done and it doesn't show any issues. They always suspect the gallbladder/gallstones but conclude that that's not the case. One doctor mentioned perhaps it might be a spasm of the gallbladder but the rest of them just tell me that it's common for young woman to experience abdominal pain. But this is so severe it can't be normal. There doesn't seem to be a pattern (exercise, diet or a specific food).

I have been diagnosed with PCOS and also have 3 very small benign lesions on my liver but I've been told that would not have anything to do with this pain that I experience. I don't know what I can do to help myself.

Thank you in advance.
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1530171 tn?1448129593
Hi cari01394.
PCOS has been associated with higher risk of developing NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), so please have your liver function monitored
regularly, since the benign lesions could be early signs of NAFLD.
PCOS has also been associated with systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. About 80%of PCOS sufferers have or develop insulin resistance with the possibility of  excess male hormone production.
It is important to keep an eye on this as well. You may need to discuss it with a functional medicine doctor who is more knowledgeable than the doctors you are currently seeing.
Proper PCOS treatment -forgo the conventional treatments which only work short-term- may be the key to solve your issues.
The causes could be  dysfunctional follicles due to exposure to xeno-estrogens from embryo on to puberty.
One serious consequence is low progesterone, causing an imbalance known as estrogen dominance.
Your current doctors are again likely to keep you in limbo, as they themselves are mostly oblivious to the existence of this imbalance :(
The effective treatment, should this be the case indeed (very likely to my opinion) is natural /bioidentical progesterone cream supplementation, exercise and optimized nutritional intake with emphasis on low carbs.
Enter the Zone by Barry Sears is a good read on this subject.
Best wishes,
Niko
Helpful - 1
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Gastroenterology Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem