View Full Version : Weird feeling on left side of abdomen
So in Dec 2016, I noticed some weird sensations on the left hand side of my abdomen. It's on around the pointy end of my left rib cage and some time, I feel a weird sensation around other parts of my left abdomen. It's not constant. In 2017, I went to a doctor (not my PCP) who did a physical exam, blood work, stool test and xray all clear. I then went to a GI doctor who did not seem worried and though it was costochindrities. Then I went to my PCP who ruled out costo and she had me do blood work and an ultrasound of my abdomen. All clear. In May 2018, I did a follow up round of blood work and ultrasound of my abdomen and all was clear. This past week, my symptoms are back and I'm scared it's stomach or lung cancer. I am trying to get an appointment with a GI doctor so they can scope my stomach and image my lungs just to make sure. I am freaking out.
Imaleopard
26-10-18, 18:55
I have the same issue, still haven’t found a cause....
Lets look at the facts - So, you first had these symptoms in December 2016. That's nearly two years ago. They came and went, you had some tests literally everything was clear for anything serious. The specialist thought it might be costochondritis (which I happen to know about), which is entirely benign. This was then over ruled by your PCP, but they also found nothing sinister or 'wrong'...not once, but TWICE (recently in May 2018). It totally disappeared and now its back.
The overriding factor here is that only one possibility was mentioned, and it was something totally benign. Nothing else was found by the healthcare professionals after a good deal of testing. Cancer doesn't come and go, disappear, wax and wane and it certainly would be stage 3 or stage 4 by now and you'd be very ill.
The human body sometimes has 'odd things' that appear and disappear. Pains and niggles are part of being human, they are usually literally nothing to worry about. Could this just be one of those unexplained pains/niggles???
I hear you loud and clear but the HA defies logic. I am just scared of what it could be so much so that I'm now resorting to an argument from ignorance fallacy. I just don't know what could be causing these sensation.
Lets look at the facts - So, you first had these symptoms in December 2016. That's nearly two years ago. They came and went, you had some tests literally everything was clear for anything serious. The specialist thought it might be costochondritis (which I happen to know about), which is entirely benign. This was then over ruled by your PCP, but they also found nothing sinister or 'wrong'...not once, but TWICE (recently in May 2018). It totally disappeared and now its back.
The overriding factor here is that only one possibility was mentioned, and it was something totally benign. Nothing else was found by the healthcare professionals after a good deal of testing. Cancer doesn't come and go, disappear, wax and wane and it certainly would be stage 3 or stage 4 by now and you'd be very ill.
The human body sometimes has 'odd things' that appear and disappear. Pains and niggles are part of being human, they are usually literally nothing to worry about. Could this just be one of those unexplained pains/niggles???
I just don't know what could be causing these sensation.
Do you know what - and this is going to probably freak you - sometimes you don't NEED to know. I'll give you an example, for a few months last year I had a pain in my back when swallowing, on the left hand side. I won't deny it worried me for a couple of weeks. However, when I applied some logic I realised it wasn't happening all the time, in certain positions it was better and some days it was awful and some not there at all. I waited and monitored as although concerning it clearly wasn't 'life threatening'. I took care to adjust and improve my posture at the pc, sit properly when eating and generally try and eliminate anything minor that could cause it. Now......some 5 months later...its gone. I still don't know, and won't ever know what caused it, but I know it wasn't anything long term or serious.
Getting HA under control is about making more rational judgements about what is 'likely' something serious and 'likely' something minor. Not every ache, pain, rumble, gurgle or spot needs to be seen as something serious - and sometimes 'things just happen' for reasons we don't know.
I've suffered with right sided abdominal pain for about five years and they've never really got to the bottom of it. Every so often I get an anxiety trigger for it and end up pestering the doctor to have it checked out - last time I was told there was such a thing as 'non-specific abdominal pain' and that it was probably that.
I've spent the last few days fretting about it again, even though in July I had an ultrasound of the whole area below the ribs, have had blood / stool / urine tests galore since then and all normal, yet still I keep thinking they've missed something!
I hear you loud and clear but the HA defies logic.
That's an understatement! :winks:
Positive thoughts
Do you know what - and this is going to probably freak you - sometimes you don't NEED to know. I'll give you an example, for a few months last year I had a pain in my back when swallowing, on the left hand side. I won't deny it worried me for a couple of weeks. However, when I applied some logic I realised it wasn't happening all the time, in certain positions it was better and some days it was awful and some not there at all. I waited and monitored as although concerning it clearly wasn't 'life threatening'. I took care to adjust and improve my posture at the pc, sit properly when eating and generally try and eliminate anything minor that could cause it. Now......some 5 months later...its gone. I still don't know, and won't ever know what caused it, but I know it wasn't anything long term or serious.
Getting HA under control is about making more rational judgements about what is 'likely' something serious and 'likely' something minor. Not every ache, pain, rumble, gurgle or spot needs to be seen as something serious - and sometimes 'things just happen' for reasons we don't know.
I hear you. Fear of death is one hell of a drug.
---------- Post added at 19:43 ---------- Previous post was at 19:42 ----------
That's an understatement! :winks:
Positive thoughts
You know how it is. You're of the most calming presences on this site.
---------- Post added at 19:44 ---------- Previous post was at 19:43 ----------
I've suffered with right sided abdominal pain for about five years and they've never really got to the bottom of it. Every so often I get an anxiety trigger for it and end up pestering the doctor to have it checked out - last time I was told there was such a thing as 'non-specific abdominal pain' and that it was probably that.
I've spent the last few days fretting about it again, even though in July I had an ultrasound of the whole area below the ribs, have had blood / stool / urine tests galore since then and all normal, yet still I keep thinking they've missed something!
I am going to see a GI specialist next Tuesday to check things out.
Meriland30
31-10-18, 03:36
Well I can tell you that if this were a on/off thing for 2-3 years, it is unlikely to be cancer, especially aggressive types like stomach or lung. I had a few older relatives who had stomach cancer (survivors) and both of them had severe bowel changes that prompted them to go to a doctor, not wax and waning pain.
If you insist, I would get a CT Scan with full contrast of your abdomen. That will and should be the end of your search. If they can't find anything in that, it is not likely there. I would do that rather than a endoscopy and the plethora of other tests you are looking to get done.
Well I can tell you that if this were a on/off thing for 2-3 years, it is unlikely to be cancer, especially aggressive types like stomach or lung. I had a few older relatives who had stomach cancer (survivors) and both of them had severe bowel changes that prompted them to go to a doctor, not wax and waning pain.
If you insist, I would get a CT Scan with full contrast of your abdomen. That will and should be the end of your search. If they can't find anything in that, it is not likely there. I would do that rather than a endoscopy and the plethora of other tests you are looking to get done.
That's exactly what I will be pushing for. I tried to get my PCP to order a CT Scan but she told me it was just getting unnecessary radiation exposure.
That's exactly what I will be pushing for. I tried to get my PCP to order a CT Scan but she told me it was just getting unnecessary radiation exposure.
She's 100% right. There is nothing seriously wrong with you. It's a waste of time, money and totally unnecessary.
Positive thoughts
Nice to hear of a PCP actually refusing a CT scan for very valid reasons!
Just got back from seeing the GI doctor and he was very skeptical that my symptoms are caused by cancer. He strongly advised against doing a CT scan based on my symptoms so I did a lipase test and I'll do an upper endoscopy later in the month. He told me that in pancreatic cancer sufferers, there is incredible weight loss (think losing 30 lbs in a month) and the pain typically represents in the center of the abdomen and doesn't start and stop but is constant. I feel much better for now until I go do the endoscopy that is.
---------- Post added at 12:41 ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 ----------
Just got back the results of my lipase test and it's 11L which is low but the doctor said it was very reassuring and so we move forward with upper endoscopy.
Mandyhieronimus
10-11-18, 20:31
I had this in 2015. I felt like something was pushing my ribs out and when driving it was the worst. I also had a movement like feeling, like a baby was moving around in my belly. I had a CT with contrast of my abdomen and when that didn’t show anything, a colonoscopy. Do you know what they found? Nothing. Not even IBS or colitis, or anything. After I quit worrying about it, it completely went away. Good luck! I hope you find the answers you need to reassure you. Prayers for you!
My upper endoscopy is next Monday and my anxiety is starting to ratchet up. I'm scared of what they're going to find and what that means for me and my life. Things have been on a good roll over the last couple of months. I got married, we're about to close on our first home and my wife just landed her dream job which is going to be 5 minutes commute from our new home. All this good news has me very nervous because I feel like things are too good and this a show or two could drop. I'm just terrified right now.
Man, the stress is kicking in.
Hi everyone,
My upper endoscopy is tomorrow morning at 10 in the morning. It's currently 7:57 here on the west coast of the US. My anxiety is at full speed. I'm scared that they're going to find something very bad which means the end of my life. I don't know if any of you can relate but I just want to type this message to anyone who may be experiencing what I am. You're not alone.
So posting this update:
Had the procedure and it went very smoothly. The preliminary report says everything looks fine but they did take some tissue samples for biopsy. Don't know what to make of that.
That’s great news. They obviously saw nothing of concern, standard practice to take biopsies while they’re there, but very reassuring that all looked fine!
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