I have upper right abdominal pain, under ribcage

[Claire555]

I also have abdominal pain, upper right under the rib cage.  I've noticed that even just bending over will start the pain.  I had my gallbladder out years ago.  I've had a CAT scan and abdominal ultrasound some areas of fatty liver and a cyst showing on the ultrasound.  Doc says this means nothing.  As the weeks go by the pain is getting worse and worse. I've also had a colonoscopy and an espphagus scope done in the last month.  I take Nexium twice daily for ersoion of esophagus and reglan for this pain.  It does nothing for the pain.  I've been in the ER once.

[Lalasoto]

I just joined this web site and love it already. Has your gastro doc mentioned anything about crohns disease? I was diagnosed about 3 yrs. ago and one common symptom is right side pain, similar to kidney stones (very painful). Good luck and God Bless

[felixcatfan]

There is also a yahoo support group for pancreatitis and sphincter of oddi dysfunction. I will be joining. I wish you the best health and care. It's hard to be in pain so much, I know.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pancreatitis_sphincterofoddi/

[felixcatfan]

Hi Claire55,

I know your message was posted awhile ago and I hope you have found some answers to your condition. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of time with tests and different doctors. :(  

You may want to look into the disease sphincter of oddi dysfunction. I have similar symptoms and my Gastroenterologist thinks this is what I have. It may not be what you have, but you can maybe ask your doctor about it.

I can tell you I have similar symptoms as far as upper right and middle upper abdominal pain where it feels like the only thing that kind of relieves it is laying down, when I get the pressure off. It feels like a lot of pressure like someone is sitting on me or laid a heavy weight. It also goes into my back near my shoulder blade on the right side. It hurts when I sit or stand and when I get bloated. I have had this pain for a couple of years now. I had my gallbladder out, and then this pain started after. I didn't have gallstones, but I had pain symptoms that the drs figured must be gallbladder related. All my tests come back normal: CT scan, ultrasound, colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, etc. I have been on blood pressure medication and a pain blocker (amnitryptaline or elavil) to both relax the muscle and block the pain. It helps some for a little bit, but I still have pain most days. I am now considering surgery.

Some great detailed info on this: http://hopkins-gi.nts.jhu.edu/pages/latin/templates/index.cfm?pg=disease1&disease=12&organ=3&lang_id=1
from the site quote:
"Symptoms
The major presenting symptom in patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is abdominal pain. The pain is characteristically sharp, postprandial, and located in the right upper quadrant or epigastrium. The pain may be associated with nausea and/or vomiting, may last for several hours, and may radiate to the back or shoulder blades. Fever, chills, and jaundice are uncommon symptoms. Patients may also present with acute recurrent pancreatitis. "


More layman's terms:http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/sphincter-oddi-dysfunction.html
from the site, quote:
"The disease you are describing is known as sphincter of oddi dysfunction (SOD). The sphincter of oddi is situated in the upper intestine, or duodenum, at the site where the pancreatic and bile ducts enter. Normally, this sphincter functions as a one-way valve to allow bile and pancreatic secretions to enter the bowel, while preventing the contents of the bowel from backing up into these ducts.
When the sphincter malfunctions, it becomes overly tight and does not allow adequate drainage of the pancreatic and bile ducts. The result is a pressure build-up in the ducts, leading to recurrent episodes of pancreatitis or biliary pain mimicking gallstone disease.

SOD is an uncommon disease, so it often takes a while for the diagnosis to be made. Typically, patients who suffer from biliary colic pain or recurrent pancreatitis are investigated for gallstone disease, and many are sent to surgery for gallbladder removal. In most people, gallstones are indeed the causative factor and the pains do not recur. In a small minority of patients, however, the pain continues. It is in these patients that further investigations are done, specifically to evaluate for SOD.


The diagnosis of SOD is suggested by the typical pain or pancreatitis, such as you have experienced, along with lab evidence of pancreatic inflammation and/or abnormal liver enzymes. The diagnostic test of choice is a pressure study (manometry) of the sphincter. Manometry is done with a catheter that is passed into the sphincter through an endoscope that has been placed into the upper intestine, or duodenum. If pressure recordings suggest SOD, proper therapy involves an endoscopic cutting of the sphincter (sphincterotomy). Most patients with SOD have excellent results after sphincterotomy.

It must be noted that manometry of the sphincter is a very specialized procedure that should only be performed by expert endoscopists because it can increase the risk of pancreatitis. In addition to this risk, sphincterotomy for SOD can also sometimes result in perforation of the bowel. Thus, if your doctors are considering SOD as your diagnosis, you should be sure to check that the gastroenterologist caring for you has sufficient endoscopic experience both in diagnosing this condition and in treating it. "