Az123
02-06-21, 03:05
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post but I’ve read the forums for a bit. I’m not new to HA. It’s something I’ve dealt with quite a bit over the past decade or so. I’ve had it under control for the past few years but the pandemic seems to have damaged my mental state and I’m now spiraling downhill again, unfortunately. I know I’m not going to receive medical advice here, nor do I expect to. We’re probably all seeking some sort of reassurance but I mainly am just looking to vent.
I’ve had a pain in my upper abdomen for a while. The pain can be felt when I’m running, sometimes doing my yoga, and also when it’s pressed. It’s much deeper than the muscle, as it feels like organ pain. The main area of pain is about 2-3 inches below my sternum and 2 inches to the right of center under my right rib cage. If you just tap there or push with a little bit of pressure it feels like a deep, deep bruise that radiates to my back. The pain is very intense when it’s pressed and there’s nowhere else in my abdomen that feels like it.
I have also recently noticed darkening skin under my arm pits, belly button, and groin. I googled and found acanthosis nigricans, which is mostly related to diabetes. However, it can also rarely be related to cancer of the internal organs, mainly stomach, liver, pancreas, etc. I know it says rarely but that’s where my mind went with my abdominal pain too. I went to my GP and he tested my abdomen and discounted the discoloration under my skin. Said it’s darkened pigment from chafing. Now, I really like my doctor and try my best to trust him but I don’t think my belly button can chaff. I also have darker knuckles and knees. I also believe my face is darkening around my nose and mouth. He wanted to investigate the pain and did bloodwork and a gallbladder U/S. Bloodwork came back fine as did the U/S.
I had a dermatologist appointment scheduled for a face lesion and asked about my discoloration and she said it’s acanthosis nigricans. So now I have two doctors with differing beliefs. She said it’s likely hereditary. She said nothing about diabetes.
I’m still having the bad pain in my abdomen and the discoloration is still there in all places. I’m constantly examining my skin for changes, which is driving me insane. I even have it on my genital area. The problem is that this is something I have stumbled on and I have no clue how long I’ve had it for. I’m admitting that. The malignant version is tied to sudden onset. I could have had this for a while but my mind won’t let me accept that because I truly don’t know.
I’ve also developed an odd taste in my mouth over the past 8-9 days. It’s tastes bitter or chemically almost. I asked my wife if our water tasted funny and she said no. I’ve been noticing it more and more and it’s really annoying. I don’t want to google anymore since it’s already sent me so far down this path so I have no clue if it could be related to anything.
I have a follow up with my GP tomorrow to discuss the continuation of this abdominal pain. In doing research, the Acanthosis Nigricans is highly tied to pre-diabetes, diabetes, or insulin resistance. I’ve never heard of insulin resistance but apparently you can have high levels of insulin with a normal blood glucose reading. I’m going to discuss this with my doctor tomorrow. The only diabetic type test I have ever had is a fasting glucose. I’ve been overweight most of my life. BMI 29-33 or so range. I do have some characteristics of the risks (belly size, blood pressure, etc). However, the pain and area of the pain has me very worried that I have a malignancy in my abdomen causing that pain whether it is my stomach or pancreas which is causing the skin condition. I’m tired of worrying and feeling like crap. I hope I can get to the bottom of my issues so I can work towards getting back to controlling my anxiety and enjoying life more than I have been.
Sorry for the length of this and I appreciate you taking the time to read.
AZ
This is my first post but I’ve read the forums for a bit. I’m not new to HA. It’s something I’ve dealt with quite a bit over the past decade or so. I’ve had it under control for the past few years but the pandemic seems to have damaged my mental state and I’m now spiraling downhill again, unfortunately. I know I’m not going to receive medical advice here, nor do I expect to. We’re probably all seeking some sort of reassurance but I mainly am just looking to vent.
I’ve had a pain in my upper abdomen for a while. The pain can be felt when I’m running, sometimes doing my yoga, and also when it’s pressed. It’s much deeper than the muscle, as it feels like organ pain. The main area of pain is about 2-3 inches below my sternum and 2 inches to the right of center under my right rib cage. If you just tap there or push with a little bit of pressure it feels like a deep, deep bruise that radiates to my back. The pain is very intense when it’s pressed and there’s nowhere else in my abdomen that feels like it.
I have also recently noticed darkening skin under my arm pits, belly button, and groin. I googled and found acanthosis nigricans, which is mostly related to diabetes. However, it can also rarely be related to cancer of the internal organs, mainly stomach, liver, pancreas, etc. I know it says rarely but that’s where my mind went with my abdominal pain too. I went to my GP and he tested my abdomen and discounted the discoloration under my skin. Said it’s darkened pigment from chafing. Now, I really like my doctor and try my best to trust him but I don’t think my belly button can chaff. I also have darker knuckles and knees. I also believe my face is darkening around my nose and mouth. He wanted to investigate the pain and did bloodwork and a gallbladder U/S. Bloodwork came back fine as did the U/S.
I had a dermatologist appointment scheduled for a face lesion and asked about my discoloration and she said it’s acanthosis nigricans. So now I have two doctors with differing beliefs. She said it’s likely hereditary. She said nothing about diabetes.
I’m still having the bad pain in my abdomen and the discoloration is still there in all places. I’m constantly examining my skin for changes, which is driving me insane. I even have it on my genital area. The problem is that this is something I have stumbled on and I have no clue how long I’ve had it for. I’m admitting that. The malignant version is tied to sudden onset. I could have had this for a while but my mind won’t let me accept that because I truly don’t know.
I’ve also developed an odd taste in my mouth over the past 8-9 days. It’s tastes bitter or chemically almost. I asked my wife if our water tasted funny and she said no. I’ve been noticing it more and more and it’s really annoying. I don’t want to google anymore since it’s already sent me so far down this path so I have no clue if it could be related to anything.
I have a follow up with my GP tomorrow to discuss the continuation of this abdominal pain. In doing research, the Acanthosis Nigricans is highly tied to pre-diabetes, diabetes, or insulin resistance. I’ve never heard of insulin resistance but apparently you can have high levels of insulin with a normal blood glucose reading. I’m going to discuss this with my doctor tomorrow. The only diabetic type test I have ever had is a fasting glucose. I’ve been overweight most of my life. BMI 29-33 or so range. I do have some characteristics of the risks (belly size, blood pressure, etc). However, the pain and area of the pain has me very worried that I have a malignancy in my abdomen causing that pain whether it is my stomach or pancreas which is causing the skin condition. I’m tired of worrying and feeling like crap. I hope I can get to the bottom of my issues so I can work towards getting back to controlling my anxiety and enjoying life more than I have been.
Sorry for the length of this and I appreciate you taking the time to read.
AZ