Pain in my right side- Pancreas or Gallstones?

[Christinak74]

I am a 34 year old female. 2.5 years ago when I was pregnant with my son I had a lot of pain under my right rib. I visited my family doctor at the time and he advised we would have to wait until after I had my son to diagnose. After giving birth the pain went away for 2 years. The last 6 months it has been back intermitantlly. It started after I would do a fair amount of walking, it felt like a stitch. About 2 weeks ago I started to experiance gastro issues. Stomach churning, gas nausea. I went to my dr and he has sent me for blood tests, x-ray and ultrasound. In the meantime one night the nausea and stomach churning became so bad I went to the ER he stated both the X-ray and liver and pancreas enzyme tests came back normal. The dr wouldnt listen to my history and felt sure it was my gallbladder and not at all my pancreas. I am having my ultrasound tommorow. I really cant eat anything at this point. The pain in my side is very mild and like a burning sensation but the gasto symptoms are unbearable. I start out feeling ok in the morning and get worse as the day goes on. My concern is that it could be something worse then my gallbladder, like pancreatic cancer, as I understand that gallbladder issues are usually more like an attack and for the last 2 weeks this feels like a constant in my like, any insight.

[Christinak74]

So for three months no pain or gastro issues...now the pain is back. So far no gastro issues. The cat scan I had in december came back clear. This is really frustrating.

[kimmber34]

Hello,I have been searching for someone with the same problems I have.
My name is Kim and I am 32 years old, I have been dealing with pain in my stomach (about 6 months), bloating, gas, heart burn, nausea, acid reflux, but I dont stop eating even though it makes things worse.. I have alot of cravings even though I feel sick.. I have had an ultra sound ct scan Hida test,scope, upper gi, h palori test, stool sample tests, barium x-rays ect.. most came back normal but the hida said that my gallbladder was at 33% and anything lower than 37% is abnormal so my dr. took my gallbladder out( two months ago), but nothing has changed I still feel horrible. He did another barium lower gi and it said that I had fairly diffused thickened small bowel folds (what ever that means) and so he did another scope to do a biopsy.(this was just yesterday) The strange thing is that I have a friend that does reflexology and when she was manipulating my feet she said she felt something in the area of my foot were my pancreas is, so I am worried that there not checking that organ. They say that pancreatic cancer is the silent disease because it is so hard to see it. I have mentioned this to my doctor before I had my gallbladder out and he said he thought it was my gallbladder, and now that I dont have one, I am beginning to think my doctor is just grasping at straws... I would appreciate any suggestions..

Kim

[Christinak74]

So I am now positive my dr was wrong. I was okay for about 5 days ( still had heartburn) but now the stomach churning and nausea is back. I am taking Zantac which does help with the heartburn and seems to take the edge off of the stomach discomfort but does not take it away. Is it possible that the blood work and ultrasound missed something completly? I had an CAT scan done yesterday but from what the dr's office is saying the results will take upwards of 2 weeks. Should I wait in discomfort or is there something else I can try? Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, advise?

[Christinak74]

So I got my results back and the ultrasound showed the pancreas, liver, spleen and gallbladder to be unremarkable. They cant rule out a blockage in the kidney ( I only have 1 which is congenital) The stomach issues my doctor feels are due to a bad type of intestinial bug) I have been on high dose antibiotics for 3 days and yesterday I was able to eat fairly well for the 1st time in 2 weeks. In the meantime I had lost 14 lbs. I'm still not totally unconvinced this was the issue but since I am feeling better I guess possibly he was right. He has sent me for an IVP for my kidney which I have had done before, to rule out a blockage as he feels this is the source of the RUQ pain. Any thoughts?

[Christinak74]

Also. sorry forgot to mention I am not a heavy drinker, no chronic pancreatis and no family history of pancreatic cancer.

[Christinak74]

Wow I had no idea how many issues could cause these symptoms. I guess I will wait for my ultrasound and go from there. I really just cant believe that all I have eating today is a cup of soup and I feel so nauseaus. I guess I am just hoping to get answers and advice.

Thanks

[GhostOf1901]

Unfortunately, until tests come back there's no definite answer. Could it be your pancreas? Yes, but it's far more likely to be your gallbladder. Additionally, there's the possibility that it could be your liver, stomach, or any of the ducts connecting the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver to the small intestine. Stones, dyskinesia, and SOD are among the many issues that may produce similar symptoms.

As for pancreatic cancer, I'd say unless you have a family history of it and reason to believe this might be an issue (ex, a long history of drinking or known chronic pancreatitis), your age would indicate against it. That's not an assurance, but the numbers are WAY in your favor here.