URQ pain

[Susan]

For the last 6 weeks, I have had a lot of pain under my right rib cage. About 1 1/2 to two hours after I eat I get stabbing pains under my right shoulder blade once the stabbing pain stops, I get what feels like labor pains under my right rib cage that lasts for about 30 minutes. Than I am sore under my right rib cage like some one just kicked me. Sometimes after this happens I itch all over. I was in the hospital a month ago, because the pain was so bad. The doctors were sure it was my gallbladder. They did an ultersound, blood work, CT scan, and CCK HIDA all the test came back fine. The doctor thought that I might have a pulled muscle and put me on celebrax. Last week I went back to the doctors again, because the pain is getting worse, the doctor now beleives that it's my gallbladder, but it just hasen't showed up on the test yet. I am lightheaded, naueous all the time, don't eat much, and when I do eat most of the times it goes right through me. Now the pain is not only under my right rib cage but, in the middle of my stomach above the navel. I have lost 10 pound in the last few weeks and feel horrilbe. I hate not knowing whats wrong and feel at times like I'm going crazy. The doctor has sent me to a surgeon and I go to see him next week. If any body has this simular problem and have any advise to give, I sure would be grateful. Thanks  Susan

[kerry]

Susan, I have been going thru the same thing now for about a year and half.  I had the same symptoms, went thru all the tests and was told to get my gallbladder out.  That was last Jan and I am still sick.  Have you had a HIDA scan yet, that will show if you have an inflammed gallbladder.  I would definately get that test before seeing a surgeon.  I'm replying because even though I had mine out, I'm worse than ever.  Seems I might have Sphincter of Oddi which is a spasm of the bile ducts. This tends to inflame the gallbladder. Everything I eat goes right thru me also, and I have horrible RUQ pain that radiates to my back. I'm always nauseous and the pain in middle is awful.  I get by drinking ensure and have an appt with a doc in 2 weeks who is supposed to be good with this problem.  Email me at ***@**** if you want to talk, because you are probably going thru the same thing as I am.  Good luck!

[ed]

I am having what seems to be the same problem you are except not in as bad a state.  I have constant pains under my ribs which have spread to the center of my chest.  I have had all of the same tests you have had and all have come back negative.  I am feeling it is a gall bladder as well.  Has your doctor done an ultrasound?

[Stuart]

I can't believe I have found people with my exact symptoms! 1 1/2yrs of lwr rib pain, Pain moving around, itching, I feel like the big one is coming! My last and present physicians whether they don't have enought time to spend due to patient volume or figured my HMO's wouldn't pay anyway have told me I was full of p**p. I left my new one today who gave me a bunch of Paxil and told me to get some melitonin to get better sleep. Danced all around my pain and symptoms, I guess with no outward symptoms or physical signs he chalked one up to the hypocondriac god. If anyone has some advice on what I should do or specific tests that have been successful in a firm diagnosis of these probs. please e-mail me so I'll have some ammo-next time I go in!  Thanks!!

skin.***@****

[Coutney]

Guys I have same pain,under right rib-cage! I
have been to several doctors and several test,
including liver,thyroid,(blood test) Sonogram
of liver/gallbladder. Tests showed high choles
terol and stones in gallbladder. BUT my symptoms
are not indicitive of stones. Classic symptoms
of stones are severe pain attacks.  We all
could have TROUBLED GALLBLADDERS. I'am probably
the most skeptical person in the world, I need
proof but I have found help with natural herbs
and at home procedures! Like I said I'am a non-
believer, or at least I used to be! Please try
http://www.onelist.com/archives/gallstones
It is not just about gallstones, You will learn
much about both liver and GB, you can always
unsubscribe! If you join say hi, my name is
georgie.   Good luck!  It is our bodies we have
to become assertive and try to help ourselves
if we cant find traditional help or answers
thru medical profession.  I would still recomend
you continue w/ your physician. Just find out
how you can help yourself!

[Cheryl]

Hi Susan,
   I have had similar pain recently.  Just upper right quadrant pain this summer, had gall bladder tests done, and they were all fine.  I began having problems with diarrhea this fall, with urq pain getting worse and also having upper abdominal pain and pain around my navel.  I have just been diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease.  Have your docs considered this?  I'm certainly not an expert but your symptoms sounded so similar that I felt I had to respond.  I also had stopped eating much (because it went straight through!) and lost about 20 lbs.  Prednisone helped me a lot.  I am now off of pred and taking asacol.  Symptoms are much better.  Hope you find an answer soon!

[Elizabeth]

Hello all,
    I seem to have the same symptoms as everyone else. I have had a lot of tests and scans etc... my amylase and lipase are elevated. My gastroenterologist seems to think I have chronic pancreatitis. He is puzzled because he doesn't know why. My gall bladder is fine, cholesterol is normal, triglycerides are below normal. Also, MRI and CT scans of my abd don't show chronic pancreatitis. I am taking enzymes (8 with each meal) that seemed to help initially but now the pain seems to be edging back into the very bothersome range.
    It amazes me that so many people have this pain under their ribs and so few can find a definite diagnosis. If anyone finds out anything new let me know.
    Elizabeth

[Charlene Gilbert]

I have similar pain and nausa. Had same test and all came back negative. They thought it was the gall bladder. I can't eat with out it being a major belching and nausa fest, usually followed by pain in URQ and right side of my back. GI Dr. said I have H.Herna and acid reflux, but these symptons are not related. Colon checked out Ok. Now Dr says it might be FLU??? I have gone back to eating as little as I can, mostly soup or soft bland foods as this does seem to help
with the pain. I am not due back to GI DR. until Feb. 7th and would like to know if anybody else has experienced similar problem and did anyone ever find the root cause? Help.

[Karen]

has anyone ever tried taking Bromelain.  It is an herbal digestive enzyme.  I have had GERD and very bad pains in URQ and mid back pain.  I have been taking Propulsid and Zantac and Carafate.  I stopped all and take 2 Bromelain with each meal and I feel better that way.
Just a suggestion. Karen

[Ann]

It's good to see other people with similar symptoms to mine. I am 52, apparently otherwise healthy - good appetite, good cholesterol levels, no problem with bowels or vomiting - but I have this persistent URQ discomfort.  It's not exactly a "pain" - I just feel like I have a grapefruit under my ribs and the whole area is sore. I can't wear anything with a tight waistband and I feel it most when I'm sitting at my desk at work. It extends in a line from my navel to my back, under my right ribs and it's driving me crazy! I feel fine at night and it doesn't disturb my sleep but I would just love to be comfortable again. I think stress makes it worse but it doesn't seem to be affected by food. I plan to go see my doctor again to get some gallbladder tests done.  I have put on about 10 pounds in the last 5 years and I don't know whether the extra weight makes it worse or whether the weight is a symptom of the condition. Does anyone out there have any thoughts on this??

[Jon]

I have been troubled off and on since college with pain under the ribs.  Most of the time it starts slow then builds throughout the day and can become quite unbearable --- agonizing actually.  Whenever I have mentioned this to my doctor, he attributes it to gas.  I was sold on that idea for a while and used all sorts of antiacids to treat it but they are pretty much useless for that now.  As strange as it may seem, a couple beers seems to help.  While I have been worried that it is something to do with my liver, the relief that alcohol brings makes me less inclined to think it is a liver problem.  I get regular checkups and nothing has ever been found in any blood work to suggest there is anything wrong with me.

[IBD Patient]

I have same pain in upper right quad. That is my only symptom. Though I have had Crohns Disease for 10 years. Does anyone know if the pain in upper right  is liver related as I have been told or what it is???

[zoé]

Hi all
Been feeling breathless since March, now getting retrosternal chest pain (dull, like something pulling inside) and shooting right chest pain (stabbing type). RUQ, right side and back pain too. Seen chest physician. Had CT chest. nothing too particular seen. gastro said probably it's not GERD.... since my symptoms doesn't seem to be relieved by antacid. ?Kidney problem? urine test ok. Thinking of whether it's due to gallbladder -- about 1 year ago i had U/S and GB dye X-ray (cholangiogram). Ultrasound doesn't show stones, and the cholangiogram also no stones but only minimal contraction post-fatty meal. Now that i again have pain for almost 2 months (daily).... some problem with gallbladder? Any idea?
Thanks.

Zoe
ps/ i am female in my late 20s.

[suffer]

Hi all
Been feeling breathless since March, now getting retrosternal chest pain (dull, like something pulling inside) and shooting right chest pain (stabbing type). RUQ, right side and back pain too. Seen chest physician. Had CT chest. nothing too particular seen. gastro said probably it's not GERD.... since my symptoms doesn't seem to be relieved by antacid. ?Kidney problem? urine test ok. Thinking of whether it's due to gallbladder -- about 1 year ago i had U/S and GB dye X-ray (cholangiogram). Ultrasound doesn't show stones, and the cholangiogram also no stones but only minimal contraction post-fatty meal. Now that i again have pain for almost 2 months (daily).... some problem with gallbladder? Any idea?
Thanks.

Zoe
ps/ i am female in my late 20s.

[Sandra - I may know! reply sandrwj@full]

Hi

I found an old posting of yours on urq pain and wondering if you ever found what was causing it.  I am also emailing a copy of this to all the other people I can find on-line that have this problem.  If you have time, let me know if this has helped you with a return email to: ***@****  FYI:  I have had every test out there with “normal” results!

I had SEVERE upper-right quadrant (urq) pain for 4 months (radiating to back and shoulder), and was reduced to taking 12 narcotic pain pills a day and giving my resignation at work.   However, I have just discovered what was causing it and I am awaiting my physician's call so I can tell him (I am home on a leave of absence to try to figure out what is wrong.)

I was taking Allegra D, which is a Histamine receptor antagonist.  Many allergy medications have the same H1 receptor antagonists as part of their mechanisms.  My thought is that some people who have urq pain are experiencing side effects of allergy medications with this type of antagonist.

Just last week, after 4 months of taking Allegra D and 4 months of extreme pain, I missed my Wednesday morning dose.  I went to work, took my narcotics for pain, and had a fair day.  That night, I took Allegra D again, and then again on Thursday morning.  I was "sicker than a dog" all day Thursday.  

Allegra D is meant to be taken twice a day, morning and evening.  However, after only 1 week on the medication, I kept forgetting to take the nightly dose and my sinuses were doing great so I just quit taking the evening dose.  This means I was only taking half of the prescribed medication with all these disastrous side effects!!

So on Friday morning, after being so sick Thursday, I forgot to take my meds again in the morning and I felt pretty good Friday.  Saturday was the beginning of my week off of work so I decided to sleep in, not take any meds, and just see what happened.  I ended up taking only 5 pain pills that day, and only 4 on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon I went to the pharmacist and asked for a printout of the medications I had taken in the past year.  I started Allegra D the first week of May, 2000 and had my first pain/vomiting attack 2 weeks later.  I asked the pharmacist what the half-life of the medication was (meaning how long it stays in the body) and she said it should be 80% eliminated in 3 days.  

As an FYI, my pain was CONSTANT after just 5 weeks of taking this medication.  The constant pain, now, Monday morning, is gone!  This is after three full days of being Allegra D free!  I still have a little discomfort after meals, but it is probably because my body is re-grouping and getting back to its normal processing.  My prayer, of course, is that I have no permanent damage as a result of taking this medication.

So, all this because "I feel your pain" - I know, it's not funny when you are still in pain.  But, feel free to print this out, take it to your doctor, request that s/he take you off all histamine antagonists and brave the allergies for a week or so and see what happens.  I wouldn't be surprised if even over-the-counter meds could cause the same thing.  Our bodies are all different so the severity of symptoms will vary with each.  But it is too easy just to quit taking allergy meds for a week and see if this eases the pain.

By the way, I am not in the medical profession, so this is not “medical” advice.  However, it is personal, friendly suggestions to attempt to help.

Blessings!
Sandra Williamson

P.S.  I am sneezing and had a sinus headache last night, so Allegra D was working for that anyway!

[stephen]

Better late than never.  I also have the pain below the right rib cage and just below the right shoulder blade.  I am working on the theory of ulcers as being the cause.  I'm taking three herbs that are supposed to kill the Helicobacter pylori bacteria.  They are pau d'arco extract, cloves powder extract and Inula racemosa.  I'm taking DGLE which stands for deglycyrrhizinated licorice extract for the pain.

[chris]

my navel is hurting

[chris]

my navel is hurting on stomach