Right Sided Discomfort

[zale123]

Hello,
I have had right sided discomfort for just less than a year that remains undiagnosed. The discomfort is not sharp; it's more of an ache. Maybe the best way for me to describe it is by saying that my right side, at the base of my rib cage, feels clogged. If I try to take a deep breath, I feel an intense pinch in the front of my liver area. I also feel a disturbance in the nerves of my right shoulder and upper right back. If I bend over to, say, tie my shoes, I come up feeling extra short of breath. What's most strange is that while my liver area is mildly sensitive to the pressing of fingertips, it's extremely sensitive to very light tapping: it feels like a stone is ricocheting off the nerves inside and I get the wind knocked out of me. My other symptoms include muscle fatigue, frequent urination at night despite having had nothing to drink, and bloating. My liver enzymes have always been in check, my bilirubin has been elevated a bit, and I had a normal ultrasound one year ago. My symptoms, however, continue to grow worse. Does anyone have an explanation for why pushing on my liver area doesn't cause the intense discomfort that tapping does? I would be very grateful for any suggestions or other ideas.

[zale123]

Hi & thank you again - what you say makes sense. I had a brief exam done by my doctor a couple weeks ago and was then sent to a physiotherapist for the shortness of breath issue. The physiotherapist noticed a lot of muscle tightness on the entire right side of my abdomen and tried to relieve it with acupuncture and subsequent stretching, but everything remains stiff. No one seems concerned about the painful tapping which I don't quite understand but now I'm being referred to a cardiologist for the end of the month. Thanks.

[reallybuzzed]

Hi again,
Unfortunately, many thing can go undetected, and it could make sense that something was there starting to cause trouble and is now getting bigger.  It seems that the unresolved pain in that area and the raised bilirubin would be enough to cause the doc to investigate a tad bit more.  Are you going back to doc soon?

[zale123]

Thank you for your quick response. Yes, I do still have a gallbladder. I had a CT scan of my abdomen around the same time I had an ultrasound - this time last year. That also didn't show anything concerning to the doctors. Are gallstones always detectable once their present or can they be missed early on? As I mentioned, my discomfort has gotten worse since last year.

[reallybuzzed]

Hi,
I can't really explain the neurology involved here, the neurology of it all can get pretty darn tricky... but I would certainly encourage you to have the docs look a bit closer at your gallbladder if you haven't already.  You don't say if you have a gallbaldder. I'd get them to check that out for stones for starters, if you still have one.  Hae you had a CT scan of that general area?