Abdominal Pain - Upper left

[AlGator]

I have a mild, burning pain on my abdomen at the bottom of my rib cage.  It is sensitive to touch; I can even feel it from my shirt rubbing it.  I also seem to be belching a lot.  It's been going on for about two weeks - started very mild but today bothered me most of the day - was worst in the afternoon and feels a little better now after dinner (but still there).  I also feel, occassionally and much milder, a pain on the right side in a similar location.  Thanks.

[SLadylani]

So glad went to the doctor! If you haven't had any sort of trauma to your abdomen, it's probably related to your spleen, but if it is, it will most likely show up in the blood results. Any sort of virus or bacteria  can last for three weeks or more depending on the virus/bacteria and if left untreated. This will hopefully show up in the blood work as well.

Have you been having trouble going to the bathroom? If the miralax is making you feel better, then why not stay on it, but if your going to the bathroom just fine, and the miralax has made no difference, I would suggest stopping it as this can cause more abdominal pain in some people.

Don't panic if the blood results come back completely normal. There's always a next step if that happens. Your P.A. may referr you to a GI specialist to perform more specific testing to find out what's going on. And remember, if the pain is excrutiating, there's no need to suffer! Ask if they can give you something to take for pain in the meantime.

I'm glad you're getting help from a doctor, and hope you find out what's going on so you can get releif soon! Keep us posted and best wishes! :)

Sara RN

[AlGator]

Hello Sara -

Thanks for your post!  I did go to the doctor (actually P.A.) on Saturday and she ran a bunch of blood tests.  I haven't had any trauma to the area, so she doubted it was the spleen.  Will any of the blood tests confirm whether it's the spleen?  I'm going on a ski trip next week and wouldn't want to risk falling if it might be the spleen!

If it was the viral gastritis, would it have been an issue for three weeks?   Also, I'm taking Miralax in case it's some kind of blockage.  It does seem better now than three days ago, but not gone.

Thanks.

[SLadylani]

I would go to your doctor, as soon as you can, to get a physical exam and additional tests if necessary to rule out anything serious such as issues with the spleen or impaction. It's also concerning to me that the pain your describing is so sensitive to the touch. It could be something as simple as viral gastritis (inflammation of the stomache/intestines), but it's best to rule out the major things first. Good luck and best wishes!

Sara RN