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abd pain upper mid below sternum

Background info.  32 yo female, stopped breastfeeding my son end of August 2014, around same time I fell cleaning bathroom and landed directly on my ribcage on the edge of the bathtub, in between insurances I never got that looked at, about amonth of pain in the ribs.  Also started having pain below my ribcage off and on, in a certain spot below my sternum, to the right side. When I touch the area when I'm having pain it is tender and hurts, almost feels like a bulge but then the  pain goes away.  I also have been diagnosed with gallstones, and kidney stones.  I know what gallstone attacks feel like and kidney stone attacks feel like, and this pain is different.  Also, shortly after stopping breastfeeding my menstrual cycle returned in September and I have a lot of pressure pain down that area when I sit and am just wondering if any of this is related?

Any thoughts?

I have seen the GP she thinks I just injured a muscle in my abdomen from falling.  My chiropractor seems to think it could be a hernia.  I'm waiting to hear back from my gyno to see what they say.  
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Avatar universal
Tenderness on touch, is more like muscle micro-tear rather than other conditions mentioned.
Good wishes for speedy recovery.
Helpful - 0
4851940 tn?1515694593

Sorry, I omitted the word "not" in my previous message.  The sentence at the end of the first paragraph should read "..... ask your doctor to refer you for an ultrasound scan and possibly a urologist if you are 'not' under his care already.
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4851940 tn?1515694593
With what you describe this may be related to your kidney.  
I know you have other problems that could be the cause of this pain, from your gallbladder.  But as you also have kidney stones, I would suggest that you take a urine sample to get analysed and ask your doctor to refer you for an ultrasound scan and possibly a urologist if you are under his care already.

Kidney stones cause no problems at all if they do not move.  But once they start to move, you can experience all sorts of problems.  A kidney stone can be as small as a grain of sand, but it can still cause a lot of pain and damage as it travels down the urinary tract.  If the kidney stone is large and is causing you problems, you may need to have it shattered or surgically removed.

In the meantime, even though you may not feel like eating much, do make sure that you drink plenty and especially water.  You may already have been advised how much water to drink during the day, but 2 litres is usually recommended.  Your urologist may advise you to drink a little more than this.  

Kidney stones call also cause pain in the abdomen area called "renal colic".

Keep an eye on your urine to see if you notice any cloudiness, blood, a very dark colour and also smell it.  If it smells very strongly it could likely be a problem in the urinary tract that could be an infection for which you would need a course of the right antibiotics.

With regard your gallbladder problems, make sure that you keep off all fried and highly spiced foods as well as processed foods, which also includes white bread, cakes, biscuits etc.

If it is the gallstones that are causing you a lot of bother, an ultrasound scan or other imaging would indicate whether the gallbladder stones need removing.

Make an appoint to see your doctor again or see a different doctor at the surgery and discuss your concerns with him and ask to be get properly checked out.  The doctor can also do a blood test to check your kidney and liver function as well as analyse your urine and send it to the laboratory for testing.


Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
well the pain is not located over my ribcage its more in my abdominal area directly below my ribs upper mid slightly to the right abdomen.
Helpful - 0
535822 tn?1443976780
Could be you broke a rib or even t6wo, I have done that and its horribly painful, one cant even sneeze..Did you get an Xray done ? there isn't much they do for cracked ribs , but I found strapping myself up round the chest supported that area and it lessened the pain .Healing does take a while ...I have had several in my life from sailing ...lol its darn painful.
Helpful - 0
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