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tight band under rib cage

i have been diagnosed with oesophageal ulcer gastric erosions ?barretts oesophagus hiatus hernia. Was put on nexium which did indeed help over a period of about 2 weeks. Band under ribcage has suddenly come back despite taking nexium 2 daily what is the caiuse of this band under ribcage it is driving me nuts No problems eating although i was getting breathlessness before meds started



This discussion is related to Size of Hiatal Hernia.
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Avatar universal
Ok, so I had the same feeling of wearing a bra when I wasn't. Very uncomfortable and always needing to take my bra off even though it didn't really help. This happened while I had gallstones which caused me to have digestive issues. After reading all comments I believe it has to do with our individual reasons for "digestive issues"....I have had my gallbladder removed since having the tight band feeling and I haven't felt it since! Thank God! I hope this helps!
Helpful - 1
2 Comments
Not sure why some added characters ended up in my last comment.

Just for my own OCD I wish to repost as below:

Ok, so I had the same feeling of wearing a bra when I wasn't. Very uncomfortable and always needing to take my bra off even though it didn't really help. This happened while I had gallstones which caused me to have digestive issues. After reading all comments I believe it has to do with our individual reasons for "digestive issues"....I have had my gallbladder removed since having the tight band feeling and I haven't felt it since! Thank God! I hope this helps!
Thx for this post!
Avatar universal
I've had similar, like someone pulling a tight belt under my boobs, also bloating, breathlessness and fatigue. Hopefully others will recognise these. I was diagnosed with IBS which I thought was rubbish so started experimenting. Fasted for a day and then began testing foods. So far can eat chicken, vegetables, lamb so probably all meats and mushroom soup. Bread in small quantities but cut out all obvious sugar, Fibre is a no no. Tried bran and reacted immediately. Dairy seems ok. Tried Andrews Liver Salts, reacted immediately. Now drink two cups of detox tea per day. No reaction. Began to feel much better so deliberately bought and ate a very sugary doughnut. Wow! Came back with the vengeance. So sugar is definitely one of the main culprits. Still testing all foods. Hope this helps. I know how awful the damn thing is.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
I found it.

Before 4 years I made a comment here as below:
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I'm 37yrs, 170cm and 83kg. I have exactly the same pain describe here for almost a year, but it radiates between left to right and build up with sitting or while driving.
I did bodybuilding in the past, before this problem I maintained a sport habit with a high protein input. I do office work for the last 5 years and suffered some pressures in life last 2 years..  

I did CT for the liver, lungs. Ultrasound for the abdomen, Endoscopy for the stomach, heart diagnosis .. . I was diagnosed with colon ulcer, after taking the treatment the symptoms still exist. The symptoms terribly intensity when getting emotionally angry and it feels like a belt tight around my lower ribs. There are more stomach gases since this problem started.

Recently I received injections for gallbladder inflammation/stones, but nothing changed.

I discovered that drinking more water and taking 1-2 Aspiring tablets per day reduce the tension by 60-90%.

Much thanks for vnenov for sharing this information, hope vnenov  
can come back to tell us the what happened next.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today: It has been six years since this whole thing started. I had to take Omeperazole daily otherwise the acidity in my stomach is very intense that I could faint of pain. Until last month the pain continued and it got even wrose, before 3 years I had a chronic sore throat that couldn't be alleviated and before few months I developed serious numbness in the head, started form the right part of the scalp growing to cover the full scalp. I doubted it was tumor but diagnosis showed nothing. I also developed chronic nausea, pain in joints, pain in body muscles, inability to focus, and I could hardly perform at work.

Life was becoming quite miserable until last month I saw someone commenting about a disease called "Celiac", allergy to wheat products. As my last hope I started a gluten-free diet and suddenly and continued taking the Omperazole but started to feel no traces of acidity at all, I stopped the omeprazole and I got no acidity back. other symptoms started to reduce, got the body energy back, gases disappeared, no pain in joints anymore, numbness is going off, the pain under the chest is far less intense and a lot of fat around my hip got suddenly disappeared. It has been almost 6 weeks since I started the gluten-free diet and I feel like being born again.

Hope this can give answer to some of you and mind you that the gluten-free diet is a bit hard to achieve at the beginning, because most food on shelves or restaurants contain very tiny traces of gluten which could trigger a reaction in your body, however once your diet is stabilized you'll feel quite relaxed and hopefully an end to this traumatic problem.

Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Buscopan, three times a day, until symptoms subside. Seems to work for me :)
Avatar universal
i have constant  constipation. upper part of abdomen tight and pains  hard to breathe. have alot of mucus in throat all the time. The tightness in my abdomen  never goes away.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have what I call a "corset feeling" that goes all the way around my diaphragm, under rib cage, down to my hip bones.  I go through it once a month, a couple days before my period.  It didn't start up until I had been taking medicine called Butalb.  I quit that medicine in hopes that it would make the pain go away, but it hasn't.  It makes it hard for me to take deep breaths, and makes me feel nauseous.  It last for 24-48 hours.  I thought at one point it might be related to acid reflex, but I don't have any other symptoms.  Then I thought it was constipation, but I still get it when I am not constipated.  My doctor thought it was because I took Excedrin every day without food.  But I quit that too and I still have it.  I am at a lost as to what I should do.  It's like no one is willing to do anything for me to find out what it is.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Me too!  I am female and ever since around puberty, I have had this tightness of the diaphragm that was worse when I was 125 pounds. It felt like the diaphragm was being pulled to the spine. I am much heavier now and it is actually better.  I take deep breaths and push down on the diaphragm to loosen it.  Helps a little.  Maybe abdominal exercises would help.  No pain.  Just uncomfortable.  Never had endurance in school track.  Always out of breath.  I'm 52 now and still it is a nagging tightness.  
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Avatar universal
Hi, did you ever find out anything? I have been suffering for 9 years and I'm at my wits end.
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Avatar universal
It could be IBS. I've suffered this all my life, more especially in the last 3 years. Nausea, distention a tight feeling pushing up under the ribcage, intermittent severe bowel motions. After many investigations the consultant offered me a choice of anti spasmodically plus anti depressants to calm the bowels passing excess gas up the system to the stomach & other organs. He suggested a low fodmap diet instead as on the NICE website. After about 4 weeks I could move more comfortably, sleep without waking but it is quite restrictive. Essentially, it removes the ferment able foods from your diet, causing less pressure, nausea & gas.  However, stress still upsets the bowel but the diet definitely makes abig difference to my life, although inconvenient! Good luck.
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9475243 tn?1405300275
Hey ive had that tight feeling ever since my first panic attack as well!! have you found a cure for it?? ive lived with that feeling for 8 years
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Avatar universal

Did you ever get any help? I have had the same symptom of tightness under my rib cage for several months. I have seen multiple specialists (gastroenterologist, neurologist, spinal, pain). All of whom took me seriously and did multiple tests, but nothing showed up. I have tried all sorts of medications without relief. Also had steroid injections in my back which had no effect. The tightness is worse when I sit. It's driving me crazy. Any suggestions?
.
(I do have Celiac and have been gluten free for almost 50 years. I have the pain all the time even though I carefully avoid gluten.)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, I am a 43 yo female (fit, active and not overweight)  and I have had a similar pain/tightening that many of you have mentioned for the past 4 years. A feeling like a very tight band squeezing around my diaphragm where my bra strap sits.  The moment a get home I have to loosen/ remove my bra but it does not help at all.  I have had many tests for gall bladder, endoscopes, colonoscopy etc and nothing was found. Seven months ago my naturopath advised I give up gluten due to a thyroid related autoimmune disease. I did this the following day and have been very strict about it.  I have not had the pain around my upper ribs one day since...so seven months without pain, until today!! I ate out at a restaurant last night (which I don't do anymore to be cautious) and even though I ordered GF I am sure there was gluten in something I ate as the tightness returned today.  I am assuming it was caused all along due to inflammation due to the gluten. A few other minor niggles here and there have also disappeared. Not saying this will be the case for everyone but certainly it helped me (and saved me heaps in medical checks!) In the past I had googled "rib pain or tightness of diaphragm" so many times and never once read about gluten so hoping this post may help at least one person! It is an amazing feeling to be able to breathe (and wear a bra) again. The pain today reminds me how bad it used to be, I had almost forgotten!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am 33 yrs old and I have been feeling strange symptoms for the past seven years already though I don't experience heartburn or acid reflux.  I often feel something in the area immediately below the junction of my rib cage comparable to the feeling of a clamped nerve, twisted stomach or tensed muscle which is uncomfortable but not painful.  Hence, I don't do situp exercises anymore.  The symptoms becomes more intense when my stomach is empty and I'm taking deep breaths (especially when exhaling) while lying down in bed.  It makes me feel debilitated at times so I would just sleep and the symptoms become milder when I wake up.  My bowel is affected too.  I would feel some discomfort in the area in the morning after waking up but the stool won't come out until I get up from my bed which means that I have lost the normal push to defecate and I am now dependent on gravity for my bowel movement.  In addition, I have lost 10 pounds (I'm 5' 7" and I used to weigh 130 pounds) even if I haven't reduced my food intake and I feel weak even after eating.  Further, I noticed that I easily get tired and feel sleepy even after sleeping for 8 hours.  There are times that I pass thin stools but most of the time my stools are shapeless.  I had already underwent lower GI xray, transrectal ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, stool examination, lipase test, liver function tests but the tests did not reveal anything.  

I would appreciate any feedback from anyone with similar symptoms regarding diagnosis and possible remedy. Thanks
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
All your symptoms sshound like mine exactly. Trying honey and cinnamon
Avatar universal
Has anyone with these symptoms ever taken a course of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin or levaquin)?  I took them and had an allergic reaction over two years ago and still suffer from these symptoms, and never had them prior.  ever.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Medical doctors are pretty good at diagnosing problems...
Healing our bodies has to be taken on by ourselves.
My mom was told by a few doctors that she needed three organs
removed when she suffered with a bowel obstruction.  My dad said
she should go to a fasting clinic that was run by a medical doctor.
She opted for the clinic and - long story short - got well and became
an advocate of fasting, juicing, and eating right for the rest of her life.

Dr. Richard Schulze was 16 years old when told by his doctor (actually more than one doctor) that he needed heart surgery or he wouldn't live to see age 21.
His parents died in their 40's or 50's from heart disease and he (Richard)
opted out of the surgery.
He studied nutrition, herbs, herbalists, and natural healing protocols and healed himself.  Later went to school, became a doctor and opened up a clinic where he healed people by the thousands over several decades.
Today, he is alive and well in his 60's - outlived his doctors - and shares information and products and books on the internet...Look him up!

One good book you can download free is: "There Are No Incurable Diseases"

Good luck to all of you...since it's 2014 now (Feb.3) I don't know if any of you will see this...I can only hope.

God bless all of you and may God grant you His grace to get well! :D
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Medical doctors are pretty good at diagnosing problems...
Healing our bodies has to be taken on by ourselves.
My mom was told by a few doctors that she needed three organs
removed when she suffered with a bowel obstruction.  My dad said
she should go to a fasting clinic that was run by a medical doctor.
She opted for the clinic and - long story short - got well and became
an advocate of fasting, juicing, and eating right for the rest of her life.

Dr. Richard Schulze was 16 years old when told by his doctor (actually more than one doctor) that he needed heart surgery or he wouldn't live to see age 21.
His parents died in their 40's or 50's from heart disease and he (Richard)
opted out of the surgery.
He studied nutrition, herbs, herbalists, and natural healing protocols and healed himself.  Later went to school, became a doctor and opened up a clinic where he healed people by the thousands over several decades.
Today, he is alive and well in his 60's - outlived his doctors - and shares information and products and books on the internet...Look him up!

One good book you can download free is: "There Are No Incurable Diseases"

Good luck to all of you...since it's 2014 now (Feb.3) I don't know if any of you will see this...I can only hope.

God bless all of you and may God grant you His grace to get well! :D
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Tight Band Feeling is HIATAL HERNIA!

the stomach herniates(pushes through) the hole in the diaphragm(called the hiatus).  You are feeling the diaphragm muscle spasm and/or be inflamed from this "foreign invader" (your stomach) being in your diaphragm.  The vagus nerve, also, runs through the hiatus and it's being compresses, so you can have cardiac symptoms as well(e.g. fast heart rate, anxiety).  All the other symptoms, like nausea, burning in the chest or throat, tasting acid are because the top of the stomach cannot close properly due to the herniation.  A chiropractor or massage therapist can try to manipulate the stomach back down under the diaphragm and give you exercises to help keep it there.  The diaphragm gets weakened over time from not being used to it's full extent.  Shallow breathing is the leading cause of a weakened diaphragm.  You'll need to learn how to breathe deeply using your diaphragm(abdominal breathing/diaphragmatic breathing) instead of taking big breaths just into the top part of your lungs(chest breathing).  This is what will strengthen your diaphragm.  Chiropractic or massage therapy can work in one visit or can take months of visits.
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Avatar universal
Age: Male
Gender: 55
Lifestyle:. semi retired
Associated psychological distress before pain started: yes mainly due to job type - v emotional day to day work dealing with death
Pain started since: 2 years
Pain duration:. more dull ache
Pain description: feels like a fullness under ribs, sometimes both sides, sometimes just one.  Also goes right down to lower ribs on both sides (near love handles).  Relief when going to bed at night and through the night.
Other present medical conditions: GERD
Present Sports: Walking
Previous sports: Walking
Pain worse when: sitting up, driving, just after meals
Are you suffering weight loss or increase: No
Any medical surgeries: No
Other info:
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
for the rest of us here, let's please share some of our lifestyle and other information which could be associated with this strange feeling, please use the below template to explain your situation...

Age: 38
Gender: male
Lifestyle: office work.
Associated psychological distress before pain started: Yes, had two years of distress due to one family member passing away due to cancer.
Pain started since: two and a half years.
Pain duration: almost 24hrs - fluctuate up and down.
Pain description: fullness in the area under the rib, one side or both sides, moves to the back, very uncomfortable during sitting or driving, like a tight belt glued to the area under the rib, the pain can't be touched or felt, it feels like inside.
Other present medical conditions: duodenal ulcer, gastritis and very intolerable acidity and burning if didn't take Omeprazole daily.
Present Sports: Table tennis, regularly going to the GYM.
Previous sports: Football, bodybuilding, bowling, billiards..
Pain worse when: sitting, driving, eating hard meat or hard food or uncooked food, spicy food, milk, sour food, cold temperature, and it gets really painful when with anger or a bad mood.
Pain improve when: lying down, reducing the amount of food, sometimes after eating a large meal before sleeping.
Are you suffering weight loss or increase: No. .
Any medical surgeries: No.
Other info: the pain started as a burning in the right side under the rib, seemed like a stomach or a heart problem before it started spread under the rib....

Please use this template to describe your case, let's find the commonalities which could be the reason behind our condition.

Age:
Gender:
Lifestyle:.
Associated psychological distress before pain started:
Pain started since:
Pain duration:.
Pain description:
Other present medical conditions:
Present Sports:
Previous sports:
Pain worse when:
Are you suffering weight loss or increase:
Any medical surgeries:
Other info:

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for sharing your experience, I have been watching similar forums of people suffering from unknown pain and this is the first time someone come up with a cure, Can you please share the symptoms you had exactly because many symptoms were mentioned above, this will help the rest of us to know whether it's the same condition or different
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have had this symptom for about two years. I have  Post Prandial Distress Syndrome  acording to the Rome III criteria. Googld this.

Mine is worse in the PM. My bra is too tight.  I think that it is an irritation of the vagus, which also innervates the stomach. I take Buspar or buspirone, 15mg three times a day before meals and kep an extra dose on hand for the mid-afternoon.  This relieves the symtome of post prandial bloating and the bra-thing. It is generic and well-toleratic. Try it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had this feeling slightly before I had my gallbladder removed and now that it is gone I have the same feeling but ten times worse.  I constantly feel like I have to pull my bra band off of my stomach to get some relief.  I also have a burning type pain feeling that goes along with it.  I do think this might be caused by gastritis or some kind of stomach irritation even though I haven't been diagnosed with that.  Hope we all find some kind of relief!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Did you ever figure out what was wrong with you? I have same symptoms and had my gallbladder removed as well
Avatar universal
I feel the same way! I can't hardly stand to wear a bra, I feel like I'm being squeezed to death right in the center of my upper abdomen where you rib cage just meets. It's not so much pain as it is pressure! And when I eat I literally HAVE to undo my bra because it feels like my food is stuck there!!! To the point of throwing up sometimes. It also cause me to feel quite anxious!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know this is an old post. But would love to know if any of you have recovered fully. My tight feeling started under mt right rib then spread under my left rib. Now I have a very tight feeling going all around from the tip of my left hip up to under my rib across the upper stomach and down to my right hip. Also have a dull pain in stomach under my sternum. Was told by drs that I might have an ulcer and was given an any acid to take for a month and an gestrascopy ordered in 5 months time. While I was on meds the dull ach in my stomach was improving but now back with the vengeance. Also my bm have changed, mostly runny ones even though I take probiotic regularly. Was told that it could also be IBS. I was diagnosed with this 10 years ago and then had pain in lower abdomen. However I don't have pain just uncomfortable tightness. Really getting depressed! Anybody???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have pain in the xiphoid area.   My bra feels so tight n I wear a wireless bra.. I stomach gets so bloated.   I feel worse after I eat n under stress n if I'm starving.    I had a endoscopy done n showed I have gastritis n diverticulum but I'm not convinced its related to that.     When my stomach is bloated it feels so heavy     Does anyone have any idea what may be wrong?
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