Extreme right side pain under my rib cage

[Angie_6]

I had Pancreatits due to a bad Gall Bladder a year ago.  Since then I have been pretty healthy until recently.  About 8 weeks ago I started getting these severe pains in my right side under my rib cage.  When I take a deep breath it is like someone is stabbing me.  I have no fever and this pain is re-occuring.  Some days I am fine, others I can't move.  I have been to the emergency room twice.  The first time they told me my liver enzymes were real high but there was no sign of pancreatits and they sent me home with pain killers.  The second time they did and ultra sound, found nothing, and again sent me home on pain killers.  Has this happened to anyone?  I am scared but tired of going to the ER to be told to go home and rest.

[Kalio1]

I think you need further evaluation of your liver, preferably by a liver specialist ( Heptologist)
Have you been tested for hepatitis b and c?
Part of the problem is using the ER for this, you really need a doctor who can look into it more thoroughly.

[Betseyblue]

Have you had your gall bladder taken out? Theres is a thing called Post Cholecstecstamy (sorry for the bad spelling) Syndrome. Do you have issues with eating and having to run to the bathroom right after? You may want them to check you on that. I had mine removed over 2yrs ago, and had a sharp stabbing pain under my right side ribcage and that is what they told me it was. Also, take into consideration that it's possible if you have lifted anything lately that sometimes, we bruise whats called like the skeletal tissue in our ribcages. I had that happen once, but it only hurt when I breathed in. Hope that helped. Goodluck.

[GPG72]

Yes, I have had this happen to me...now as a matter of fact and about the same exact time last year.  Last year I was working in a Data Center dealing with servers...some very heavy, so at that time I thought, yes, I had bruised some muscles lifting and installing a server.  I have a two year old (then she was 1) and I bent over to pick her up out of the car to take her to daycare and got stuck in a bending position and couldnt breath.  Before that it had started on the right side and spread to the rest of my ribcage and I was stiff as a ironing board for a week.  Then slowly, it went away.

This time that it has happened, it seems to want to stay on the right side under my ribcage...I'm forced to take small breaths because when I take deap breaths, it feels like my right lung is being crushed by my rib cage.

[painintheright]

I have similar pain, but my pain is constant and dull. It does not seem to be affected by food, although I find myself bloated most of the time and I can't seem to burp when I feel the need to.
The pain becomes completely unbearable when I run, it feel like something just under the lowest right rib is about to burst or tear if I don't stop running.  I had the whole battery of tests a year ago and the gallbladder, kidneys and abdomen all checked out. I don't have nausea, I have not lost my appetite, and I don't have a fever. The only thing I can say is that this problem only took front and center attention after my appendectomy.

[gleesy]

i have the same pain under my right ribcage.. It becomes unbearable after 10/15 mins of running, whether i have eaten or not... Other than that am in good physical shape, need to know it just a simple thing, because its been going on for over a year. Doesn't occur at any other time than at peak exertion (soccer training fine)???

[Fatmax41]

i have lower right pain like over my hip. It stays for and hour and goes away. i dont know what it is? do any of you know. please help me!! i hurts reallllyy bad when i breath, i have to breath little by little because if i take deep breths it hurt very bad. I dont know what it is. i researched and found nothing. mabey you know?

[Rubitooz]

I have exactly the same pain as Angie_6 and painintheright posting. I"m at the stage where i feel a dull pain everyday now but when i run it's almost like the worst 'stitch' you could imagine and it takes a couple of hours to go away.  I'm going to my doctor next week and hopefully get some answers - have you found any yet?

[lauren81]

Angie,

I would also really recommend seeing a Hepatologist (Liver specialist). I currently have a tumor in my liver, and it causes similar pains by my ribs and up into my chest. Supposedly, it is due to the tumor stretching the liver "capsule" (the casing that protects your liver.) Obviously, I am NOT saying that you have a tumor, but the fact that your liver enzymes were high is a concern best looked at by either a gastronenterologist who specializes in liver disease, or by a hepatologist. Good luck!

[jennysweekly]

My pain is in the upper right rib cage and behind right breast. Hurts like broken ribs or tearing and burning just under ribcage.  Laying on the painful side is more comfortable than any. Hurts too bad to breath laying on back.  Really hurts front and back right side boob and ribs when i cough..thats the worse part..coughing.

[smile6981]

I have the exact same thing!  Same area and everything.   I had a cough attack at work last Thursday and have had the pain since then.  I thought it was better on Saturday, but must have pushed myself too far.  Today (Sunday) I can barely cough, lay down, or raise my arm without it hurting beyond belief.  Coughing is by far the worst, but hard not to do with a cold.  I have tried heat and Aleve, but nothing seems to be helping.  Is it just a pulled muscle?  Like you, if anyone knows what might be wrong or what might help, please let me know.

[Noodle01]

I have severe right side abdominal pain right now.  If I move at all it is extremely painful  I have no idea what it is but for alot of the posters it sounds like you have costochondritis which is an inflammation of the cartiledge between the ribs it it extremely painful as if you bruised a rib.

[oneconcernedgirl]

Hm, well as I kept reading I got further and further away from relating to you.  For the very first question here concerning gall bladder removal then pancreatitus... I had the same thing happen. They actually messed up my bile duct when they removed my gall bladder and i had to get an ercp done and had a 10% chance of getting pancreatitus and guess what I got it.  That was back in August of 05 and a few months into 06.  But I have been having the pain in my right side again for the past 1 1/2 mo. so I am wondering if my liver enzyme count i up.  What that does is well your liver enlarges and thats the discomfort and pain you feel sometimes just for your count being up.  Your count being up can be several things but you do need to see a doctor and have them further access that.  Let me know what you find out, I dont' have insurance right now so I am trying to get it and hold ff before I go, but its getting really aggravating.

[oneconcernedgirl]

oh and if you can stay off the painkillers, document your pain and see if the pain comes and goes with anything.... since your enzymes are up something is definately wrong, but it may just be something minor...go to a physician or specialist..ER, doesn't surprise me they sent you home with no solution really.

[Liz3755]

I have just started having the same kind of pain, but it was preceeded by a bout of gastritis, once that was under control it began as a dull ache until it graduated to a terrible pain under my rib cage that tonight has begun to radiate to my back and it becomes more painful when I inhale deeply and lets not talk about SNEEZING!!! Tomorrow I'm going to see my Internist to see what's going on!! Good Luck and I'll keep you posted!

P.S. It's seems worse at night. Is that possible?!

[starryd]

I get this exact same pain, every day while I'm walking to and from work. It takes 35 mins to walk and I walk very very fast, after around 10 mins the pain starts and stays with me till I stop - its agony and has been happening every time I do running/walking type exercise. Recently I have been trying to control my breathing differently and I think if I continue to try different techniques I may ease it. But I want to know why this happens?? I also discovered the same thing happens to my brother who is one year younger. It happens him when hes running,playing soccer and is finding it a real pain too. The pain is centered and slightly spread out directly underneath the first couple of ribs on my right side.

[idee99]

I am having a bout of familiar right sided rib pain and bloating. I've experienced this many times to different degrees over the past 25 years, beginning soon after I had my gallbladder/appendix removed. I don't know if it is always the same condition or from different causes with overlaping symptoms.
Originally, I had bloating and diarrhea which the Dr. said could be due to bile dumping? He asked if I had been taking laxatives because my intestines were so slick when they should have a rougher texture. Through the years, I would say these symptoms have gotten worse instead of better. Is this consistant with anyone else who has had their galbladder removed for many years?
I do go through times when I have  bloating, stomache cramps and diarrhea almost immediately after a meal. Small amounts of food don't seem to affect me, but a full meal does. The bloating seems to cause the rib pain. It feels like there is just no room to contain the swelling and the abdominal pressure also affects my ability to take a deep breath. At times I can not bend because of the bloating and rib pain. I often cannot wear my normal clothes because the pressure of the waistline is too uncomfortable or restricts breathing even more.
I have had ultrasounds (that show minimal fatty infiltration of the liver, with no seeming concern from the Dr.)
X-ray to check for cracked ribs - negative
Diagnosis of possible costrochondritis, but no accounting for the swelling.
Diagnosis of IBS....could straining form constipation trigger alll this?!?
Endoscopies that revealed gastritis at times and none at others.
Once diagnosed with Barett's esophagus and years subequent, no evidence of Barett's.
I'm sitting here in my largest t-shirt swollen and slightly nauseos. I know if I go to the Dr. I'll go through the regular steps and come up with nothing and eventually it will resolve on its own...for a while.
My impression is that my intestines are inflamed and swollen and are putting pressure on my rib cage, but what is the cause? I sometimes get a smaller reaction on the left upper abdomen but no rib pain there.
I've looked at seasonal triggers as it seems to happen in the late summer early fall. I've noticed that it has happened several times when there were a lot of toadstools springing up in the area. I have taken notice of this because one of the worst ever bouts happened after I mowed our yard one year when we had toadstools. Could this be fugus/yeast related? The Docs don't seem compelled by this observation.
A week into my current episode, I did do some heavy furniture moving that I believe did exacerbate my symptoms. I'm paying for it now. In the middle of a project and can't do anything.

As these symptoms date back to 1984, I don't know how they may be related to other diagnosis, but I will list them
Fibromyalgia
Vertigo
Herniated disks C5 and C6
Obstructive and Central Apnea (using CPAP for 10 years)
IBS
Follicilar Lymphoma Stage 1 grade AE - no treatment thus far as I have no tumors
Anemia
RLS

[cmeister]

i am having similar pain in my right side rib cage just below where my breast tissue ends but it hurts when i breath in or out completely put pressure on my rib cage in the area its hurting and when it gets really bad it goes all the way to my back right underneath my shoulder blade and i cant lay on my back nor can i lay on my stomach has anyone ever felt this pain before kind of like someone is stabbing you....

[medstudent1234]

Have you tested your cholesterol levels? There's a possibility that it maybe the cause. If you know that your liver enzymes are high then you must have done the cholesterol test.
If it's within the range then you need to get an abdominal CT to check for any  liver inflammation. Your GB was the cause of the pancreatitis the last time... It would be safe to check the GB too. If the pain radiates to the back then it most probably is related to the liver but do not get too stressed out cuz' the stress itself would cause an increased bout of pain.

[aunry]

I have it all the time and even comes and goes. Been to er several times, and yeah just pain killers. Some even tell me it is gas I do not think so. I do not know what to do. I am scared a lot of the times.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Since you have had it several times and ER visits have not been very fruitful, you need to look closely at various possibilities and try to eliminate them one by one. Since you do not have any other symptoms, it should not be anything very serious.
Chest pain aggravated by laughing yawning and deep breathing goes more in favor of costochondritis, which causes pain and tenderness at points where your ribs attach to your breastbone.  
Chances are that you have esophageal reflux (GERD), where the food in your stomach is thrown up into your food pipe or esophagus. This also causes burning sensation or discomfort in the chest area. Another possibility is hiatal hernia, where a portion of stomach herniates into the chest cavity through the diaphragm. This along with chest discomfort cause shortness of breath too. Gall bladder problems too can cause similar symptoms.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Do discuss these possibilities with your treating doctor. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[kayakkid56]

I've been having pain in my ribcage on the right side right underneath my breast. It can be pretty severe but goes away after about 5 -10 minutes. It can also radiate up to my jawline. Often it happens when I'm lying down. I was almost wondering if it was caused by my underwire bra. Or indigestion. But it happened today when I was just putting on my mascara. It doesn't happen all that often but it has been happening more often in the past 3 years or so. It sounds similar to what some other people are describing. Has anyone been diagnosed that has gone throught this?

[tanja23]

I have had really bad stomach pain since i was 10 years old every time i eat or drink something my stomach on my right side underneath my rib cage hurts so bad that i have to stop eating and wait until its gone, sometimes it last for a couple seconds and sometimes it lasts for hours. i have been to several doctors and know one seems to know whats wrong. Its really frusterating because you can feel what your body is telling you and you know it better than anyone else. i have had more than one doctor tell me its all in my head, but i know its not in my head because my father has the same thing. He got so fed up with doctors around here ( they never seem to care) that he made an appointment over in Switzerland. i hope THEY will figure out whats goin on. when we figure out i will post it.

[aisha212]

I too have side pain under my lower ribs on my right side.  I've so far taken acid reflux meds , an Ultra Sound, and an Upper Endoscopy.  The Acid Reflux meds didn't help/hurt the pain, the Ultra Sound came back normal, and the Upper Endoscopy came back normal as well.  The pain started after I got Mono and Hep A (caused by the mono, and has now cleared up) about 7 months ago and has been getting worse every month.  Its not related to eating, laying down, running, or anything really - just seems to happen at random.  So far nothing is conclusive or helpful as to getting rid of the pain or whats causing it.

My mom was having similar problems about 2 years ago and went through the same thing - test after test with no conclusive results. She finally had a "nuclear" test and that found that her Gall Bladder had completely stopped working. She had it removed and doesn't have anymore pain.  

[ReneaLayne]

I'm having similar pain as well, but it's mainly when I cough.  It feels like someone is stabbing me on my right side under my rib cage.  And when I breath in.  When I cough, I have to squat on the floor and keep my right side by my right knee.