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SUDDEN SHARP PAIN IN MY RIGHT SIDE UNDER MY RIBCAGE

I HAVE HAD SUDDEN SHARP PAIN IN MY RIGHT SIDE UNDER MY RIBCAGE. BY SUDDEN I MEAN NO ONSET WARNINGS, JUST UP OUT OF THE BLUE, I HAVE NOTICED THEY ARE MAINLY BEFORE NOON, BUT HAVE HAD A FEW IN THE LATE EVENING HOURS. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DOCTOR, HAD BLOOD TESTS, HYDRA SCAN, ULTRA SOUND, ENDOSCOPY DONE AND THEY WERE ALL FINE. I HAVE HAD TO GO TO THE ER A FEW TIMES WITH THE PAIN & THEY ALWAYS DO BLOOD TESTS AND A ULTRA SOUND TO CHECK MY GALLBLADDER & THE TESTS ARE ALWAYS OK. THE PAIN IS SO BAD IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES AND I CAN'T EVEN STAND UP STRAIGHT. THE PAIN GOES AWAY AFTER A FEW HOURS BUT NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO HIT AGAIN, DAYS, WEEKS, EVEN A MONTH HAS GONE BY WITH NO PAIN AND NOW ITS BACK AGAIN. LAST TIME WAS 5 DAYS AGO WHEN I WENT TO THE ER ONCE MORE, I STARTED HAVING THE PAIN AGAIN THIS MORNING SMALL SHARP PAINS, AND I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO THE ER AGAIN FOR NO RESULT. I HAVE A DOCTOR APPT. WITH MY DOCTOR NEXT WEEK, ANY SUGGESTIONS?
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Avatar universal
I've had the same thing happen to me it's gone on for years but randomly just happened to me minutes ago. I was bent over at waist grabbing a shirt out of my drawer and Bam! I know it was coming because it gradually gets worst to where I hit the floor in fetal position and pretty much moan or cry in pain till it goes away usually in about 10-20mins, I also get hot and sweaty then it gradually mellows out and then just a little pain that eventually disappears. Hasn't happened in 6 months but has been happening since I was in highschool(2009). Usually it's always happened when I'm stepping over the tub wall to take a shower or in the shower. The first time it happened I was screaming from the pain in the shower thought I was dying.
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547368 tn?1440541785
Just wondering how you are doing Mathad.

I neglected to ask what side your pain is on -  right or left? At any rate I hope you have some answers and will return and let us know how you are doing.

My Best,
~Tuck
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello and Welcome,

First let me express my condolences over the lose of your father. I've lost mine too and I miss him every day.

I know your first concern is cancer. I have to say I might think the same. As fntn said above, there are multiple treatable benign conditions that could cause abnormal values for Bilirubin and ALT.

If you drink alcohol routinely those levels can rise. Medications can cause increases levels as can Hepatitis and other conditions. Try to stay positive.

I hope you'll share with us the results of your scan. I'll look forward to your updates with interest. If you have additional questions please feel free to ask.

Best of Luck to You,
~Tuck
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Avatar universal
There are a number of different benign reasons for impeded bile flow which is indicated by your blood test levels. When the bile cannot exit your liver, it will produce some pain and cause elevations on your Bilirubin. It also causes an invrease in your liver enzyme ALT as well due to the pooling of the bile within your liver leading to damage to the surrounding hepatocytes. Hopeful your doctor's will be able to track the reason down quickly will some imaging tests. Take care.
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Avatar universal
I'm experiencing a pain under rib cage for past 6 months.   After few diet changes the pain frequency has greatly reduced...  I was feeling better for last 2 weeks but yesterday I did a blood test and the blood test revealed a bit of abnormal values for bilirubin count and ALT... Going in for a ultra sound soon...  I just wish it isn't cancer ...  My dad just died , mom will be devastated if it is anything beyond treatment...
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Avatar universal
Try to move more on to the position where it pains if it is gas or a cramp it wil slowly go away, atleast in my case pain disapeared after an hour.
You can also try hot water bag, and drink luke warm water with 1-2 spoon honey.Also eat atleast two dates each morning and evening, you will be fine in about a month.
If  unbearable pain last for days  better visit to doc/surgeon before things goes worst.
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Avatar universal
I am a 44 year old female. I have been experiencing severe pain, for 4 days now. The pain initially started, at the top of my rib cage, where to ribs attach to the chest bone. After goggling my symptons, I thought I had Costochondrits. However, after I went to the Dr., the pain had moved downward to the bottom of ribcage.  She thoght maybe it was Acid Reflux.  I have never had or experienced anything like that before.  I disagree with her, mainly because, I did have feavor of 102 degrees. I don't think you get a feavor with acid reflux.  She did send me to get an Ultrasound and Blood work done.  Those results are not in yet. Just wondering if anyone has experinced anything like this before.  

I'm starting to think it might be my Gull Bladder, or Liver now.  Hopefully the Ultrasound shows something, and I hear soon. I need to get back to work soon!
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Avatar universal
Hey, im an 18 year old female, and i am expriencing the same kind of pain, at first it resembled a stitch below the right hand side of my ribcage, it feels like a bubble of air and it forces me to inhale and exhale in short breaths to aviod any pain, it hurts sometimes to move, and is excruicating when i cough, (which doesnt help because i also have a cold), i am a smoker, im not sure if this has anything to do with it, ad a student so my consumption of alcohol has increased, im not sure what is under the right hand side of my ribcage, but i thought all these could perhaps lad to a conclusion for the problem, please let me know your thoughts on this because i have missed lots of uni becauase of it and my uni needs a legitimate reason for my bad attendence, please i you have any idea what this is let me know!
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello Catt,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am glad that you found us and took the time to post. However I am very sorry to hear about your acute undiagnosed pain.

As said above it is possible that a gallbladder problem will only show up on a HIDA scan.

If you have not been evaluated by a gastroenterologist I encourage you consult one. This could be related to a GI issue. I am far from an expert but I think it bears looking an investigation.

What I do know if that you not give up. I know how discouraging it can be but please keep searching. We are hear to support you so please keep in touch. I'll look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Best of luck and Please take care,
~Tuck



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1 Comments
Hi! I was looking at this & it sure looks familiar to me! How about your amalayse & liapase levels?? College lifestyles can be rough, you could have a “super-hero pain tolerance” and maybe, just a hopefully “NO” but maybe, your body cannot even produce enough of these enzymes and those levels don’t rise up for you as they do in other’s w/ normal pancreatic function. I got pancreatitis at the young age of 15.  Idiopathic . I had So Many, many, acute attacks! Hospitalized for weeks, all alone, far away from home! It truly is in reality, excruciatingly painfull  & literally feeling quite  close to death . Horrific pain! Get those levels checked and get a trypsinogen test as Mayo did for me when I went there 7 times to try to fix my broken, old body! It tests serum levels and that tells the functionality level of your pancreas, mine was 3%. Now, I have became diabetic, and at about 51 yrs. old I have been tentatively diagnosed w/ cystic fibrosis! Freaky, but it’s so fitting for me! Just need the sweat test to finish diagnoses. Found that out in the familiar ER, but w/ quite unfamiliar symptoms in 2016 as I lay there alone w/my 16 yr. old daughter’s tear filled eyes staring back at me, worry all over her face and right there, in the room w/ her,  I promptly had a heart attack! Literally, no joke, a heart attack after I got there. I’m like “dang my shoulders hurt back there in the middle, I’m gonna through up, my jaw hurts!!”...Bamm- heart attack, 12 people come running in!! Next thing I remember is being loaded onto a diffrent bed to  be transported to a more capable hospital. I loudly protested as every mile just separated me from my child only further, (yes, I’m a single Mommy.) They said “the next one, we might not be able to help you!” All I could see, & it was a hard sight, was my beloved daughter, concern consuming her entire being. I said, “Really, I just had a heart attack??! That’s not what happens on tv!! How COOL!!”
I know, it’s a  wildly stupid thing to say, but her frozen face melted and my little girl returned, & said “Mommy, I called Aunt Jo, you go get better and do what they say!!
Don’t sign yourself out early this time, we both need some space!!” Wow!! It’s ok! She stopped worrying and that’s what mattered!
And yes, I was scared, going somewhere I never had been w/ this fighter pilot mask thing stuck over my entire face, it was a freaky experience!
Then I was “free” and the guilt left and during that week they came up w/ the cystic fibrosis “suspicions,” all blood work positive, plus all the symptoms I live w/as best as I can, anyway, my friend, it adds up, stay on top and learn as much as you can because sadly, there are so many DR.’s that despite KNOWING you rely on Creon, that “your fine, your levels are normal! It’s gastric discomfort, eat right, sleep more...blah, blah, blah!”  Sorry but after awhile,
They sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown to me and quite more misinformed as well! I’m so BLESSED that my Dr. doesn’t feel threatened or like I am disrespecting his thoughts when I tell him what I’ve been studying regarding my health! He is humble and freely admits when he “doesn’t know what it is!!” I respect that!! Communication is key! I so hope you got better, I do! I hope you got answers too! Thanks for letting me share, never did anything like this before!
Blessings to all!
875426 tn?1325528416
From what I've read, sometimes the tests don't always catch a gallbladder in serious trouble.  

I had a lot of pain in my upper right abdomen/rib area and it turned out I had costochondritis.  The pain even made me nauseated.  I had ultrasound and HIDA scan with ejection fraction, but the liver lesions seen on my ultrasound (one a non-giant hemangioma) evidently were NOT the source of pain.  You might look up costochondritis and see if this doesn't sound like a possibility for you.  I was diagnosed by a surgeon and took cyclic NSAIDS and tried to rest the area for mine.   I also believe I used a heating pad and tried ice too.

I also had an abdominal x-ray one time I went in that showed what looked like a large pocket of air (gas) in the upper right side.  It is a common area for gas to collect.  Have you tried a big dose of over the counter simethicone (comes in chewable tablet) to see if it helps any?  What about pushing gently and seeing if there's an air pocket that you can move in case it is gas?
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