Pain on right side

[OzConcerned]

Hi... firstly, thanks for this forum!

I have been having a dull pain on my right side, not localised in any one area, although it frequently presents somewhere under the rib cage. Initially, I thought it might be the appendix... but I've not had it for about 2.5 months, and doctors say the appendix certainly wouldn't have dragged on for this while. The initial diagnosis was a muscle sprain/tear, as I play a lot of squash. It didn't feel muscular that much to me, although an internal pain probably feels this way. I have had an ultrasound and nothing unusual was found, including gallstones.  I will be seeing a GI specialist in 3 weeks time.  I also find I am producing a lot of gas - however, I also am not sure whether accumulation of gas can actually pain the way it does.  It is not the pain that bothers me that much - it comes around three to four times a day, and lasts a few seconds... esp when I'm walking after lunch; and then is relieved when I pass gas. More, I had been worried about more serious things like cancer. My bowel movements are more or less normal, but definitely loose... and I only have to go once in the morning (which is normal for me). Am 26 y.o male; no history of bowel cancer in my family. Can anyone relate? Should I be really worried?

[teacher23]

Hello.  

I have a similar problem.   About once a day i get a sharp stabbing pain underneath my right ribs (towards the bottom of them).  I have also had on and off diarrhea the whole summer.  THe pain (ironically) only seems to happen when i am having no other symptoms or discomfort.  When I start having nausea/burning or spells of diarrhea, i do not get the pain.  When i feel healthy again, the pain comes back, only once a day, but it is VERY painful and only lasts a couple seconds.  Early this summer i was also diagnosed with a aprasite (giardia) which started all this mess.  They says its gone, but i sure don't feel better.  

Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

Jesse

[MARowe]

I, too, have had interesting problems in the areas that you write of.  Unfortunately, I cannot bring to you insights as I'm still searching for mine.  However, I feel, that if any of us were to come upon a solution or answer then the benefit would be crucial to most of us.

For years, I have complained of an odd pain/discomfort ( I characterize it in this way because the feelings are interchangeable depending upon the condition of several things.  One of them is the length of time directly after eating and the amount of walking employed.  Others are as the discomfort arises.  Bear in mind that the discomfort is always felt but in varying degrees.)

I experience a pain located just under my right ribcage directly under the beginning of my right breast.  This appears as a sharp pain that also manifests a pain in my back.  It is as if a spear was placed through me.  They generally do not appear one without the other however the pain in the front is mostly apparent.  The problem becomes painful after having eaten, particularly after haveing eaten fatty foods, filling foods, anything that might stretch the stomach.  I find that flatulence relieves the problem a bit at a time by diminishing the expansion of the stomach.  This is generally encouraged by the use of TUMS.

At other times, the area in the front of the body, detailed before, is noticeable by a squirmy feeling, sometimes itchy.  If I were to place my finger upon the area infected, I could feel a patch of tenderness.  I have brought the pain largely under control by controlled eating but this is a nasty chore, unpleasant in its deprivation of some enjoyable foods (this is an immediate observation but would be acceptable if that were a medical declaration).  

Pain, in increasing severity, is also brought on by improper and/or prolonged sitting and walking.  I have been to several doctors, a GP and a gastroenterologist.  The GP treated it as a hiatal hernia and tested with Lower GI, and as a request to check for gallstones, an ultrasound.  All returned negative but for the presence of an unremarkable hiatal hernia.  After being referred to a gastroenterologist, an upper GI was performed with a camera to look at the stomach.  A slight gastritus was found and the presence of the hiatal hernia was confirmed.  The GE, however, was at a loss to determine the casue of the pain and released me to my GP.  He did suggest, however, that a muscle problem was the cause of pain.

Here I am without a cure or satisfactory diagnosis to my problem.  I have been forced to find my own ways to alleviate the symptoms.  Anyone with any ideas, please forward to, not only to this group for the benefit of others but, also, to my personal email.  ***@****.  Thanks for your patience!  I apologize at once for the longevity of this post.

...Matt

[OzConcerned]

Hi... thanks for that. Well, they did do an Ultrasound and didn't find any gallstones. But then, I suppose that too depends on the technician doing the ultrasound. And also, I've been told gallstone pain is very acute? I will ask my Doctor to refer me for a second test.  I'm dreading a c-scopy, but in the worst case may have to go for that.  

Are you able to relate your pain to a specific activity? I do hope you get well soon.

[Dani]

Ask your doctor to do a HIDA scan with CCK. THis tests the functioning of your gallbladder.People can have very small stones, or sludge, which is not detectable by US. Good LUck

[Froggy]

Have you been checked for Gall Stones?

I too have a pain in my right abdomin.  Mine starts from the center of my stomach going far to the right over my liver.  The pains range from a sharp, almost knee buckling, pain to small stabbing pains.  But there is always a burning sensation.

At first they thought it was Gall Stones but an Ultra-Sound test came up normal.  No Stones were detected but it did show an Enlarged Spleen.  Today I went in for a CAT scan and next week I'm scheduled for an Upper G.I.

I hope all you have are Gall Stones.