am i crazy?

Question

like the rest of us here, i have been told by every single doctor that i've seen that i am fine. I'm 19, and feel like a crazy old person complaining about pain in the area directly underneath my right ribs, but after ending up in the emergency room after not being able to physically breathe in my biology class, let alone wait the 5 hours in the er, I'm dumbfounded. It honestly felt like someone had dropped a hundred pound weight on my chest and made it so i couldn't even think to take a breath. ct scan came back normal, ultrasound of Gaul bladder and liver came back norma; blood tests and urine test came back normal. Am i nuts or is this something i should be concerned about? four months later it still hurts to fully take a breath, and going to the doctor's office is just a waste of time, and i feel like if i am told i have gastroenteritis one more time I'm going to scream!

This discussion is related to Pain in upper right quadrant under rib cage.

sabol100 · Answer

Has anyone been diagnosed with gastroparesis?  This is a condition where for some reason your stomach stops digesting your food properly.  Along with the pain in the URQ, I was very nasueous and throwing up frequently.  I was at a point where I could barely eat and I was losing weight (which I could not afford to lose).  My PCP suggested gastroparesis and the symptoms as far as the nasueous feelings and throwing up were spot on.  Also, a sensation of being full after eating just a few bites.  She put me on Reglan and though I still have eating issues, the nasueous feelings are mainly gone and the throwing up has stopped.  As for the pain in the URQ, I still have spells, such as this evening.  I've had all the tests and neg. results.  My PCP still thinks a possible gallbladder involvement, but can't prove it for insurance purposes.  Good luck to you all and don't let anyone say or make you think it's "all in your head".

Jifners66 · Answer

This is kinda long, sorry.

I am 26 years old, slightly overweight and a light smoker. For the past 6 months I have had this nasty pain/pressure feeling under my right rib cage that spreads to my back, right shoulder, and down near my right hip. It all started with a terrible pain and fever back in Sept 08'. I took myself to the ER because I thought it was a gallbladder attack (I had all the classic symptoms). The ER did blood and urine tests and an abdominal CT scan and everything came back negative. They released me without any kinds of pain meds. Later that evening the pain was even more intense and ended up visiting another ER. Again they ran the "normal" tests and nothing could be found. I called my PCP and she ordered a chest CT and it came back with peracardial effusion. A few weeks later I went in for an ECHO and it came back neg.

After all this, I still had the pain but not as bad as before and then it came with a feeling of pressure under my right rib cage. About 1-2 times a month I was experiencing nausea and vomiting. My friend recently had her gallbladder taken out and told me that she had the same symptoms. So it Jan of this year I went to my PCP and she ordered an ultrasound (neg) and a HIDA scan (neg).

Yesterday I ended up in the ER (yet once again) because the pain/pressure has been getting worse since last Sunday. I also am constantly nauseous, vomiting, and running a low grade fever (that comes and goes). They ran blood and urine tests and did another abdominal CT and said that they couldn't find anything (Wow, big surprise! NOT..hehe). At least this time they gave me some pain meds (which I have found out since Sept don't work. Even the Diladid that they gave me in the ER never made the pain go away, and they also gave me Compazine for the nauseousness). 

I have an appt next Weds to see a GI specialist and I am hoping and praying that he can shed some light onto this situation.

As many of you probably feel, this is so frustrating and we have lives to go on with and sometimes it feels like you don't want to b/c the pain/pressure gets so bad. Like right now as I sit here and type it hurts. I just can't believe that there is pain but "nothing is wrong". It does make me feel like others think I am crazy at times, but they aren't the ones going through it. 

Good luck to you all and I hope someone gives you the answers you deserve!! :O)

danigirl34 · Answer

i am a 34 yo female and have been dealing with this pain for about 5 years now. pain, ache, charlie horse like cramps and some tingling in my upper ab below my right ribcage. it also radiated into my whole right side. i first felt this pain when i was pregnant with my now 4 yo son. i have had EVERY kind of test done. i did find out i have celiac sprue, but this pain has not changed with my gluten free diet. 

i really thought i was imagining this but after reading all these posts, i am going to call my gastreo doc tomorrow and have him look into it further!

CTGlady · Answer

Drs don't always know what's wrong, especially when you have multiple symptoms, or if you have multiple conditions. 

I am a 25 yr female, and had my gallbladder removed at the age of 23. I had dull to increasingly intense pain in my right side under my rib cage for a couple of months. One day while I was at work, I almost thought I was going to pass out. I went to the doctor and they ran some tests and sent me home and didn't even call me with my results. I went to a family friend doctor - outside of my covered "insurance network" and he had the other medical place send my blood results and when he analyzed it I had high levels of something in my blood that pointed to iregularity in the liver - turns out after a sonogram that my gallbladder was full of gallstones. So I had it removed 2 weeks later. It has now been 2 years, and I can't eat fatty/greasy foods without running to a bathroom. But more recently I have been having pain in the right hand side of my back under the rib cage - which could be my kidneys, or liver...if I developed gallstones in the liver (which happens sometimes especially if you don't have a gallbladder). In any case, I'm going to wait and see if it's because I've been eating more than I ever have been since I had my gallbladder removed, or if its because I have been working out intensly everyday for the past week (for the 1st time in years) which may be taking a toll on my body.

My advice to everyone, is don't let anyone tell you that you are not feeling what you think you are feeling, explain everything that you feel even if you don't think it's related, and get a second opinion always!

GhostOf1901 · Answer

You know, it's funny you mention that. I'm going through the same thing now. I can't take a full breath without pain from the gallbladder area. (I was in the ER this past week for massive pain they first thought was pancreatitis.) I've been diagnosed with gallbladder dyskinesia and think there might actually be a stone now lodged in the biliary duct. Small enough to let stuff through (and to not be detected in a Ultrasound), but still big enough to be painful, especially when breathing.

Go to a gastroenterologist and request a HIDA/CCK. This should help with finding out how well your GB is working. 

During that time, you may want to consider trying a gallbladder cleanse. There are a few out there, but the most basic involve lemon juice and olive oil. I'm not sure about the function of the lemon juice, but the olive oil will help thin the bile, so at the very least, start taking this with your salads and with bread. This should help some. 

Good luck.

TrudieC · Answer

Have you explored relaxation methods?  Sometimes when we tense our bodies due to stress it can really cause a lot of issues.  Try going for a therapeutic massage and try some muscle relaxants to see if you get any relief.  If you do then talk to your doctor about methods he'd suggest to help calm the tenseness.