Unexplained pain and pregnant...desperate for help

[pinktiger269]

Hello,

My name is Morgan (22 years old, female) and I am hoping and praying someone can help guide me in the right direction.

I've been having a sharp/burning/stabbing pain to the right of my belly button in my lower abdomen for about 3 and a half months now. I first went to my family doctor who did a CBC which showed a slightly elevated white blood cell count. They advised me to go to the ER thinking it may have been appendicitis. I got a cat scan (they did not give me contrast) and the only thing they noticed was that I have slightly enlarged lymph nodes in my abdomen. I was sent home with vicodin and instructions to follow up with my family doctor...

The pain continued for quite some time and I would call my doctor and they would always advise me to go to the ER...  the second time in the ER, nothing was done except blood work which showed the elevated white blood cell count again...was sent home again with pain meds (they did not want to do another imaging study since I had just had one the week before). The THIRD time in the hospital, the doctor ordered another cat scan with contrast...hoping this would give the answer. Before I got it done, he came running back to the room to cancel the scan because my pregnancy test showed POSITIVE. ...no scan was done, elevated WBC continued...so an OB/GYN came in and they diagnosed me with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (even though it just didn't add up to me...I was negative for Clahmyida and Gonnorhea, no acutal pelvic pain, etc). They admitted me to the hospital for 2 and a half days..lots of antibiotics...was sent home. Nothing changed. They also did an ultrasound at this time, but nothing was seen because I would have only been barely 5 weeks pregnant so ectopic pregnancy and stuff like that was all ruled out. They did see a small, hemmoraging cyst on my right ovary...and they said that is probably where I ovulated from and that it is normal and that small of a cyst would NOT be causing the severe pain I was having.

So, this is a rather long story... so to make a long story short, I saw a few different G.I. doctors  ..leaving me frustrated because I'm in this SEVERE pain, but nobody wants to test me for anything because I'm pregnant. One doctor did a few things...he gave me a blood test for Crohns disease which came back positive (but he said was unreliable)...so I got a colonoscopy. They would not allow me anesthesia due to being pregnant (yea...ouch), so they could not get to my small bowel area, but my colon looked fine and the biopsies came back negative. That doctor put me on a medication called Apriso (did not help) and said we were going to treat it as if it were Crohns and to follow up in THREE months. This did not go over well with me because I am in A LOT of pain.

Over the past three and a half months, the pain seems to be moving up...up towards my liver region/gallbladder. I also have excessive belching and heartburn. I have had three ultrasounds of my liver/gallbladder all just indicating a "fatty liver" and nothing more. (Yes, I am overweight). No gallstones, nothing. My whole right abdomen from my bellybutton to my breastbone is very sensitive to the touch. I get sharp stabbing pains with no rhyme or reason...no pattern of what I eat or don't eat. No blood in stool, no diahrea, no thinning of stools, no floating stools, no vomiting, no fever...

I finally went to a G.I. doc at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and she ordered and MRI enterography to rule out Crohns. I had to drink a liquid, but I was not permitted the contrast through the IV because of being pregnant, so I was told that this MRI is considered a "limited study." The MRI came back fine...nothing showed Crohns...  so now here I am again... nothing... pregnant...and in severe pain.

I honestly just don't know what to do anymore. Everything is good with the pregnancy, it's just this pain... the weird thing is that the pain started exactly around the time I would've conceived...but I honestly think it is unrelated. I don't want to hurt my baby and jump into all kind of crazy testing (even though the docs around here refuse to do it anyway)...but I am so desperate for answers because I am in SO, SO much pain.

To sum it up: Right side abdominal pain for 3 and a half months from bellybutton to gallbladder and sensitive to the touch. Constant belching/ burping. Elevated white blood cell count consistently between 11,000-15,000 (it fluctuates). Positive blood test for Crohns, negative biopsy and negative MRI. Negative test for Celiac disease. H Pylori test negative. Ultrasounds of gallbladder okay-indicated fatty liver. 15 weeks pregnant. Liver enzymes/pancreatic enzymes okay.

Medications: Percocet as needed for pain, prenatal vitamin, Pantoprazole (40 mg/ twice a day)

So afraid of cancer, lymphoma, etc. No other lymph nodes appear to be swollen in armpit, groin, etc, but I'm still so scared. CT scan and MRI did not reveal any masses, but maybe this has changed in the past three months?

I am so desperate for help...I am in so much pain and I am so afraid of dying. I'm supposed to be getting married in September and have a baby due December 1st. I just want to be a great mother and wife and be around for my baby and I am just so scared. Any direction would be appreciated...   I am so scared. Thank you. (Sorry this is so, so long!)

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Crohn's disease is at times difficult to diagnose and you may be having Crohn's even if the other tests are negative. Other than this, it can be a food intolerance. So log in what you eat and the symptoms as they appear. See if there is a correlation between your symptoms and the food you ate sometime back. Intolerance can be to food preservatives, gluten, starch, protein, certain types of fats, eggs, meat, chicken, sea food, citrus fruits etc.
Along with Pantoprazole, discuss with your gynecologist and take antacid gels to decrease the inflammation of the gut lining. This will help a lot. Probiotics may also help.
Take care!

[pinktiger269]

mstiffy26 and MamaSpenz:

I just wanted to say thank you for your support! This is so scary and even know I don't know either one of you, it really means a lot to have "outsider support."

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and for your kind words! It means more than you know!

<3 Morgan

[MamaSpenz]

I'm so sorry to hear how lost you must feel. I have no idea what could be causing your pain, all i can say is manage your pain as best  you can with what the dr prescribed, and KEEP TRYING. Go to as many doctors as you need to to get an answer, it is important for that little one growing inside of you that you be healthy and ready for his/her arrival. Sadly, i think that the majority of your testing will have to wait until after the birth of your child, and who knows, maybe the pain will disappear after birth? But that does not mean you can't take the necessary steps to rule out any immediate danger to yourself or the baby.Make sure your OB doctor is aware of what is happening and is willing to work with other specialists to find out what is causing you pain. Be adament about this, be safe, and good luck. Prayers to you and your little one :)

[mstiffy26]

i 2 last year had an missed miscarage they called it and after having an opperation i started having sharp pains so i decided to have a smear which come back positive so i then went for all the check up and checked or any sexually transmited deseases which come back negative so had to have an internal which become very painful i was then told that i might have P.D.I and was puton medication and so was my partner i then went for another smear which thankfully came back normal and was told that i had alot of white blood cells which means nothing to me apart from white blood cells fight bad bacteria.
After finishing my meds i just keep getting told that to come back and see if theres still pain in a months time this has now been going on since sept last year and im still no closer to getting any answers im stillin pain and when i started passing blood through my stolls was told that it was piles ow the joys lol.
I can only imagine what your going through and the fear of any harm to your un born child and i truly hope you get the answers you need so not to cause yourself any unnessary stress.
Iv not really beenable to give you any answers but if i find a soloution to our problem i shall let you no.
Kind regards
and all the best in your up and coming wedding and the birth of you beautiful child
Mary
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