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Severe Upper Abdominal Pain

I am currently 14 weeks and 5 days pregnant with my first baby.  Over the past week or so I have been experiencing moderate to severe abdominal pain in the upper center portion.  The pain is a tearing pain as if someone is tearing out my insides.  Last night, after getting up to use the restroom, the pain started and the episode lasted for about 20-30 minutes including me vomitting at one point.  It seems that movement brings on the pain and not eating.  My doctor sent me for an upper abdominal ultrasound which I will get the results back from later today.  However, she thinks it may be reflux.  I do not feel that this pain would be brought on by reflux.  I have had minor reflux even before my pregnancy and the pain I'm experiencing is not a burning sensation.  Any insight into what else may be causing this type of pain in this region?
15 Responses
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290018 tn?1240365868
mine are gall stones and I have not had pain in my arm or upper right hand side of my stomach or back pain.  Only in the dead center.  My attacks have been so bad before I have to lay down on the floor in the middle of sears...NO JOKE.  Also I eat very very little fat...diet has not corrected mine...but I hear it can sometimes help.  
Helpful - 0
327948 tn?1224027237
I had gallstones pain was always in the middle ,vomiting,constipation.Don't eat anything greasy or fatty for a few days and if that relieves the pain it could very well be stones.
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327668 tn?1224792350
If it is gall stones you would feel pain in your arm, upper right hand side of your stomache as well as back pain. It can make you very tired, and nauseas. The pain can get really really bad. Attacks are horrible. I had mine taken out after 3 months of trips to the emergency room and they finally diagnosed it. They had to give me an emergency operation to remove the gallbladder. I still get small attacks, but no where near as painful as they used to be.

If you can try to deal with your galbladder through diet, that would be great, but if not just be aware, the surgery doesn't always make it all go away, it can definitely help though, but sometimes you get left with side effects and small attacks.
Helpful - 0
279473 tn?1222140763
Last year in September I was out at a bar with my husband and some friends, I had my first and only attack that day. It was the beer that caused my attack. I was on my way home from the bar and was driving and had to pull over, I was doubled over with pain. Like nothing I've ever felt before. My husband took me to the ER and they did an Ultrasound. Sure enough, I have a few gall stones but moreover, they noticed a thickening in the gall bladder. I was instructed to meet with a surgeon and so I scheduled the appointment. The surgeon basically reviewed the results of my Ultrasound and said that since I had this attack and my mother had hers out at the exact same age as me, than we would not hesitate to take it out. I was scheduled for surgery the next week. He said there is no point in not having it out right away because there was no need for me to live in pain. Basically, if you were told it was positive for gall stones and she is insisiting on treating you for reflux, than I would not really trust her to begin with. I would look up a good GI doctor in your area and have your regular doctor send over your results. Get an appointment asap with a GI doctor. Let them be the judge and see what they say, they may very well refer you to a surgeon. But since you are pregnant, I am not sure what they will do. They may want you to wait, but honestly if you can handle the pain from now until you give birth, maybe having the surgery while out on maternity leave would be the best way to go. Kill two birds with one stone!!! Either way, follow up with a GI doc and get a second opinion.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
How did they come to the conclusion that you needed to have your gallbladder removed?  I just heard from my doctor that the results of the ultrasound were positive for gall stones.  But she is still insisting on treating me for reflux as that is what she thinks is causing my pain.  There is no way that the pain I experienced is reflux.  
Helpful - 0
279473 tn?1222140763
I had my gall bladder taken out last October. They did it laparascopically, and it is not a major surgery just to let you know. They do 4 tiny incisions, two on the right side of your abdomen, one a little above the belly button and one a little below the rib cage. I had the surgery done on October 3 of last year and was out of the hospital on October 3; it is a same day procedure. Also, 90% of the time it does not require a 6 week recovery. I was back at work by October 16. So less that 2 weeks to recover. I also recently just had a large cyst removed from my ovary back in June which they could not do laparascopically because it was so large. I had a laparotomy for that one and had my entire lower abdomen cut open and even then, I was only out of work for 5 weeks. So I wouldn't be concerned that you would need 6 weeks for such a simple procedure. As for the gaining weight thing, I have not gained a single pound from that surgery from then until now, except for the fact that I am now pregnant! But the removal of the gall bladder does not cause you to gain weight, ask your doctor. The only reason you would gain weight is because if the attacks previously were triggered by eating fatty foods, than most likely you would have avoided eating fatty foods. Most people get so damned excited that they can eat like pigs afterwards that they overdo it and that it what causes the weight gain. So if you have any self restraints at all, you would be just fine!!! Your gall bladder is not essential part of your body so after having it taken out, you are still able to digest food. Anyway, I just thought I would let you know since I had undergone the procedure first hand.
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Avatar universal
Yikes, sounds like fun.  I kind of hoping that's not what it is now.  I have insurance but I can't afford to take 6 weeks off of work.
Helpful - 0
290018 tn?1240365868
UMM....if it ruptures i think you could possibly die...lol.  If they are there and not causing pain they say leave it alone but if they cause pain you should have it out.  I think they can just remove the stones but I think they are really quick to some back so they usually just remove the whole gall baldder.  MY mother in law had it done...it's a major surgery but pretty simple...they just do like 3 or 4 tiny wholes and take it out somehow...but you have like a 6 week recovery where you have to be really careful.  I havent had insurance so I have not gotten mine out. It has been about 3 1/2 years and i usually just deal with it.  Advil helps the pain b/c it reduces the swelling but if you are preg I dont reccomend taking advil.  The other reason I have not had it out besides insurance and not having time to recover for 6 weeks is that they say it doesnt do anything but I dont think God would have put it there if it didnt do anything.  I know alot of people who after having it out had a lot of other health issues and gained a bunch of weight.  Also after having it out if you eat anything fatty it goes right trough you.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just curious, what do they do to treat this?  What happens if it rupture?
Helpful - 0
290018 tn?1240365868
I actually went into the er for this pain the first time i got it ...but it went away by itself all of a sudden so i just left assuming it was gas or something.  But I went in another time for some female pain and when I did they did a (i forget what it's called....where you lay down and they run your whole body trough that machiene and it takes pics.)  anyways they did that to see if I had anything going on in my overies and when they came back in the room they were like "did you know you had gall stones"   at this point I had had a BUNCH of attacks and had researched and knew i did...so I was  like "yeah i had a pretty good idea i did"  My attacks always come on pretty quick and might last anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hours but it goes away so quick...its strange.  But the pain varies in amount...sometimes it is just slightly painful and others I think it is going to rupture...My first attack was right after I had my son.  They say pregnant women get it easier.  I would have them check if I were you.  My very last attack it was a little more on the right side but the other 50 i have had have always been right in the dead center.  good luck
Helpful - 0
303706 tn?1296876149
I have a similar problem. It happens in the middle of the night only and when I get up to use the restroom, I experience a sharp pain on my right middle side, like towards the bottom of my ribcage. I don't know if you've ever had a foot cramp or a neck cramp, it's kind of like that, but in my side. It's nothing like period cramps, it feels more like I pulled something...is it possible to pull a muscle around that area???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
That is exactly where the pain is.  How did they find your stones?
Helpful - 0
290018 tn?1240365868
mine is in the center and it is my gall bladder.  They found the stones.  Mine usually acts up when i get stressed...They say it gets worse when you eat fatty foods but I dont really eat fatty foods so I dont know about that.  If you put your hand on your chin and followed it straight down between your boobs, under them and then about 2 or 3 inches...it's more of a soft spot...you can feel bone right above it but this is more squisshy. Probably about 6 inches up from the belly button.  (i'm 5'9) lol  But right in the middle.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Where is the pain?  Mine is in the center so my dr. said it is not gallbladder issues because the pain would be to the right and not in the center.
Helpful - 0
290018 tn?1240365868
i get upper abdominal pain like almost the area between my ribs and it is due to gall stones.  If it were something like that it would show up on the ultrasound.
Helpful - 0
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