Upper Right Stomach Pain

[Brooklea]

Hi there... I am a 23 year old female and I have been experiencing Sharp Stabbing pains in my upper right side of my stomach right under my ribs... They come and go and I have had my gallbladder removed and My appendix removed... So I know thats not whats causing the pain... Ugh I am so stressed out because I have been to the ER so many times and they just run test after test and dope me up on pain medicine and send me home :(

I had a really bad attack at the beginning of the week where I wan bent over in pain and couldnt move because the pain was so intense... I didnt want to go to the ER because they seem to brush me off and say oh its gas or something like that But I know thats not it ! I mean i know what gas pain feels like and this is NOT gas pain... It feels like someone has stabbed me and it hurts all the way through my back sometimes... Hard to breath and Also I have lost so much weight ! I dont know if its because of the fear of the pain coming back or what but i can not seem to get over the 100 Pound mark

I am not in any means trying to loose weight and I eat like a pig so I know its not because of the lack of vitamins.,.... I dont really know im just so desperatly confused... Anyone have the same symptoms that could shed some light would be greatly appreciated.... I am at my wits end here..

[star queen]

Your problem could be any number of things.  Your first move should be to visit an MD and get some blood work done to check your liver function, kidney function, complete blood count, and a 24 hour urine test to check for adrenal function.  You should also get a referral for a colonoscopy to make sure that your colon isn't the problem.  Gas is certainly a consideration when pain is in the area of the body you are indicating.  Gas is always there and can be VERY painful when it isn't moving.  Try BEANO, which will relieve gas caused from foods you are eating and see if that doesn't help.  good luck

[Brooklea]

Thank you ! I just made an appointment with my Md to get that stuff done... I really appreciate your help !!! I have tried beano and that has not seemed to make a difference... I am telling you i have tried many MANY OTC meds and nothing seems to aleviate the pain... grr.. But anyways, I am going to get my MD to refer me to a Gastrointoligist and see what he can or will do for me ! Thank you very much for your response :)

[Jaybay]

I hope you get the gastro referral.  I suspect you have developed sludge in your bile duct, or are dealing with Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.  Even though your gallbladder is gone, you can still get tiny stones (gallstones are just hardened bits of bile) in your bile duct.  The symptoms are just like a gallbladder attack.

The Sphincter of Oddi is a tiny group of muscles at the end of the common bile duct where it empties into the duodenum.  If those muscles are clenched too tightly, bile from the liver and enzymes from the pancreas can't flow properly and back up.  Same symptoms.

If your gastro doc has the equipment, he can do a procedure called MRCP to test for SOD.  From the patient's point of view, it is not different than endoscopy. A lighted tube is passed down the throat, past the stomach and down to where the sphincter of oddi is at.  Pressure can be measured, and if it's very high, the doctor can perform a sphincterotomy at that time.

If there is sludge found in the bile duct that needs to be cleared out, the procedure is called ERCP.  Google both MRCP and ERCP for more information on these procedures.

Another possiblity is that you may have developed scar tissue (adhesions) at the site of the gallbladder surgery.  If scar tissue attaches to structures too tightly, it can really make a mess out of your digestive system.  Adhesions don't show up on tests, and require surgery in the form of a laparoscopy to both diagnose and treat.  They are not removed, but rather cut to release any affected structures back into their original, anatomically correct position.  Scar tissue formation is a normal bodily response to injury - like infection or surgery - but sometimes it just forms too heavily or gets on something that will cause problems.

Good luck on getting that referral - don't take NO for an answer!

[Brooklea]

thank you so much for your response... Ok since i posted this I have had a upper gi endoscopy a colonoscopy and a x ray of my small bowel... today is the day after the procedure and the GI doctor said everything looked normal to him from the colonoscopy and endoscopy...

He does not have the results of the x ray of the small bowel yet and could take anywhere from 1 to 2 days to get back with me with the results...

With that said before they took me back to have those done yesterday I was running fever so they had to wait on it to come down before they started... Well I was talking to the nurse and she said "how long have you been running fever" so I replied with its been on and off for the past three weeks.... And the doctors have tried to figure out why but dont seem to have any answers... I have had a CAT scan and nothing showed up on that except they said i had cysts on my ovaries but thats normal... blood in my urine, and they did a complete blood count which came back fine...

Now, today im more confused than ever... Ok, so when they did the small bowel x ray i got to look at this screen and i saw something that looked like a paper clip from where i was laying so i asked the girl that was doing the procedure what it was.. She then said "You had your gallbladder removed right?" I said yes so she was like thats a clip that they put in there when they remove your gallbladder....

Ok, now what you said about adhesions. The FIRST time I ever had surgery to remove my appendix the doc said I had TONS of adhesions even though this was my first operation on my stomach ever... Well, when he went back in a couple of months to remove my gallbladder he said there were MORE there than the first time.... ?? I am so confused as to why they were there in the first place since i had never had surgery or trauma just a non complicated pregnancy and birth....

Anyways, i dont feel that the medicine has worn off completly so i am going to rest some more but i dont know how to thank you !!!!!!!!!

Keep in touch and i will let you know whats going on soon later on today im sure....

[Brooklea]

I just wanted to update this in case someone is having the same problems as me. I had surgery On Valentines day to look around and see if the docs could find out what was causing me so much pain and he found a HUGE adhesion that was attached to my liver and the inside of the insision when they took out my gallbladder.

Today as of Valentine's day of this year I FEEL WONDERFUL ! NO MORE PAIN