Reflux, gallstones or something worse - help please

[Twinsmummy]

Hello all

I am sorry to be whingeing early on a Monday morning but would be so grateful for any advice that can scrape me off the ceiling as I am going insane.

I started to have indigestion around a very stressful time in August. By November I was burping up food and felt like I had a lump in my throat, but no acid feeling or heartburn. Around the same time I was diagnosed with a fairly large gallstone but my GP said the two were unrelated. She said it was classic GERD despite no burning and prescribed omeprezole and after a couple of days the regurgitating and lump feeling were much better, but I had a terrible upper abdominal pain, so bad I couldn't finish the course. To cut a long story short, I went through the same thing with laporazole, so I came off all of them. I saw a different GP who said that the medication would have sorted reflux or an ulcer and ordered urgent blood tests including amalayse to check my pancreas but they all came back clear. By this time the upper abdominal pain between my ribs was awful and was also between my shoulder blades and I was starting to have sporadic pain at the bottom of my left ribs.

I then foolishly googled pancreatic cancer and am now terrified. The symptoms seem to be pain in the upper abdomen, radiating through to the upper back, pain on the left flank. It doesn't necessarily show in blood tests either. I also had a white poo once (sorry) and keep getting horrible yellow diarrhea that I don't remember having ever before. I have days where I am exhausted and I am struggling to concentrate on anything.

I know the odds of this type of cancer are very slim and that I have probably fixated on this as it has such a poor prognosis and has such vague symptoms but I am truly scared.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Cx

[Canadiana]

Wow. I'd like to know what it could be myself.
Since the beginning of January, I've been having the exact stomach pains you are describing. It hits my upper stomach, between the ribs, goes into my shoulders too. Sometimes I feel the burning in my jaw and arm too. Freaks me out!! I also get like a spasm or something on my left side under the ribs. I also notice when I get these attacks, I start burning up, and sweating, I think cause I get panicky when they hit :( at first I was thinking IBS, but the pain I feel is a severe burning, so I'm not sure if ibs would cause it? It could be acid reflux too. I'd like to know if anyone else has this issue too!

[Nico]

I get pains that feel on my ribs, especially on the bottom left rib (this can be very sharp). I also have bouts of acid reflux and indigestion (I now burp all the time), My doc thinks that all these things are cause by anxiety. I personally think they are all related to ibs, although the rib pain is strange. Anyway, the good news is it it unlikely anything to serious. Hope I sorta helped

[cbornet]

I get this too!! Pain in between my ribs, pain in my back in random spots. Anyone have any idea what it could be? I'm terrified of pancreatic cancer. But I'm only 19, so I think that's impossible. It's really rare in anybody anyway... I just hope it's only anxiety. Worried.

[skippy66]

Statistically it's probably a reflux issue. Relax, I have found that these things come and go over time.

[motherzdelight]

yep I suffer from these pains to . I was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack but it turned out to be GURD I also suffer from chronic diahorria and IBS I have had many blood test and they all come back normal so I guess we may have the same

[shelldavis]

Hi, I had a similar problem just before christmas which turned out to be gallstones, I was literally crawling on the floor in pain under my ribs, between my shoulders blades, the only was to ease it was by vomiting! I was also passing pale & yellow diarrhea (sorry tmi) Turns out after an ultrasound I have lots of little gallstones which kept getting stuck on there way out, hence the pain, I'd see if the doctors will investigate this a little further? unfortunately they wont do anything for me as they say its not serious enough yet, but I seem to have it uncontrol with a low fat diet, still get twinges and odd pain but no where near as bad as the attacks before christmas!! It was on par with child birth!!! :hugs:

[Twinsmummy]

Thank you so much for all of your replies, the pain in my left side feels like my ribs are inflamed, very odd, sometimes very uncomfortable for hours and then better for a few hours or even a couple of days.

I have since seen a gastroenterologist who told me that she is pretty sure it is all gallstone related and since I have had pancreatitis in the past, I can tell she thinks it would be best to remove it. I am not so sure, I started regurgitating food and having severe upper abdomen pain all at the same time, so she has suggested a CT scan, just got to wait for the good old NHS now:winks:

She did calm me down somewhat about my pancreas, I think I would be a lot more consistently ill if it was something really nasty, although I would be happier still if I had 'usual' symptoms of gallstones:blush:

I guess part of this lovely HA is to zoom in on a condition that you only stand a small chance of surviving and only if it is miraculously caught early. So we think by being hyper vigilant and needing the most effective tests straight away we are being responsible, instead of accepting a less serious cause as a probability! I think the Internet is full of too many stories about illnesses being diagnosed too late......rant over!!!!

I hope w all find a more accepting peace of mind.
Cx