pain in upper left ribs/just under left breast

[katej]

i have this chronic, sharp, stabbing, gripping pain that occurs on and off for a week or so and then goes away for months at a time. it is horrible. it feels like my heart is spasming, although my heart is not located there. if i take a deep breath, it gets worse, and if i lean forward and stay still it is controlled. i have had an ekg and chest xray that were normal. does it sound like a heart problem? i've been told it's anxiety, but i have had it for years even before i had anxiety problems. and it will strike even when i'm not feeling anxious at all. anyone had this??

[lesa]

hi kate i just had to reply to you i also was having the left side chset pain and also told its anxiety anyhow i got 5 ekgs 2 eckos and a chest x ray nothing was found though one thing was over looked for years i have gastronitis which thank goodness my neighboor is a cardiac nurse and went a bit deeper and found i have gerd also which if you breathe and it makes it better or worse this is not heart related but if it gives comfort or changes it is most likely trapped gas which hurts a lot ....try avoiding chocolate ,citric acid items (oranges etc..) and no fried foods for a week if the pain stops its most likely that darn trapped gas hope this helps ...

[peanutd20]

A related discussion, pain in upper left ribs/just under left breast/parentes was started.

[sewgirl20]

Hey,

I have been experiencing a sharp stabbing pain under my upper rib cage under my arm. It spreads to the center of my chest and makes it painful to breathe deeply. The pain can be mild to excruciating and can last from a few minutes to hours. The pain is usually on either my left or right side. I find that laying down and applying pressure to the side that hurts helps.

I have been experiencing this pain for years.  I have tried to find something that may be causing the pain, like keeping track of what I eat just in case that was a factor, but to no avail. I can’t find any pattern and the pain always occurs randomly and without warning. I’ve was told that my grandmother's brother experienced the same sort of pain though it became less and less frequent as he grew older.  I have been to the doctor and I've had EKG and chest x-rays. They both came back negative and the doctors can't explain it. Has anyone ever heard of this?

[pattik41]

Hi, Kate, I just read your note.  I was checking out the site because I have pain in my left side too, just under the rip section and also just above the waist line.  The pain extends into the left of my ribs and under my arm...so I can definetly feel for what you are going through.  Sometimes, I wonder if I am having a heart attack.  I too, have anxiety disorder ususally for no reason.  It's pretty miserable, isn't it and embarassing at times....the pain though has been staying with me even though I'm not feeling anxious.  My liver counts are very high...but that is on the left side...I hope you are doing better.  This is pretty crazy stuff, huh?

Patti

[kimbacat]

have you had blood work done while you are having this pain?  it sounds a bit like pancreatitis.  the sitting up and leaning forward and moving my diaphram as little as possible is exactly the way I was when I had pancreatitis.  certain narcotics can make the pain worse, so be careful what you take to relieve your pain.  

take care

[gardenmaniac]

a close friend of mine is a nurse. She had left side stabbing pain....never even considered Gallbladder as the pain was on the "wrong" side...turned out she had stones, they took it out and she is fine...

[bradCHF]

My father used to get similar pains as far back as 30 years and about 3 years ago, they took his Gall Bladder out in emergency fashion. Now he knows what was bothering him for all those years. Doctors often overlook the Gall Bladder. (My dad had a heart bypass about 20 years ago and a second last year. After the first one his family doctor thought they finally found the culprit. My dad still complained and the doctor wrote it off as if he didn't think my dad knew his body)

Hope you get well soon. God bless.

[gbellabear22]

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[taap04]

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[bigkidf]

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[emilia48]

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[RobertCraft]

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[Carah87ma]

Well did you ever got hurt , bumped some where with your ribs? My cousin kept complaining of her ribs also to eat and to bend over, take a shower you name it she was fine she had bruised the muscle/ rib cage. The doctor said she would be fine.

[slimness]

i hope somebody can help me on my problem, for over 4 years i had quite a few problems, it feels like somebodys shoved a tennis ball under my left rib cage, and it feels like a steel bar  going across to my right rib cage, sometimes if i turn my body i get cramp really painfull in my left and right sides, when i eat it feels like im having a heart attack, the first tests they done was a stress test and a angiagram, i ended up with 2 emergency stents, still i have the problem under my ribs, ive had a barium enama which id never have agian and a barium meal still the problem is there, can anyone help????????

[gardenmaniac]

it is tough to be sick at any age.....but yes..it has been difficult when college is supposed to be the "best time of your life" & you are sick....but hopefully that is behind her & she can enjoy the rest of college. (not too much I hope!!)

[juliana]

Thanks for all the info all the best to your daughter it is bad enough having this at my age but to have in your teens must be terrible.

all the best

[gardenmaniac]

my daugher's symptoms were not very consistent. That was one of the less encouraging comments from her surgeon also, hence ordering more tests. He said that it just wasn't consistent gallbladder symptoms..right side pain, x- amount of time after a fatty meal. sometimes she had pain, sometimes she didn't. sometimes she was nauseaus..sometimes she wasn't...sometimes a food would bother her, sometimes it wouldn't... she had occasional diarreah, don't recal her being constipated.

I think that one of the things that happens is that you stop eating a well balanced diet. She ate rice, pasta, plain white bread, white chicken, some baby food fruits & veggies, animal crackers. she would get weak & started to drink Slim Fast with fat free milk. ( don't drink Ensure, as it has a pretty high fat content) the Slim fast kept her energy level up a little better. so, it makes sense that your bowel patterns might change too. Two weeks before surgery, it didn't mater what she ate..she hurt. She had final exams & the pain meds made her too woozy, so she had to just tough it out.

Again...if they are thinking gallbladder, ask for a HIDA scan. It was not a hard test for her & it was the ONLY test she flunked! Twice! i know you are probably sick of tests, but this one measures how well (or if) your GB is working. Be sure to get one with CCK, that will give the doc's an ejection fraction percentage.

good luck!

[juliana]

Hello I have been reading your postings about your daugher glad to know that she is doing well since her operation some of her experiences seem similar to mine doctors cant agree whats wrong but I continue to suffer I was wondering did your daugher have any bowel problems constipation etc before her operation.

all the best