Pain under ribs...

[relika]

It seemed to go well with my HA for a couple of months, but now it's returning full force. :(

A month ago I was certain I had skin cancer because I had a fleshy coloured mole (at least that's what I thought) on my underarm, which had appeared all of a sudden. Also I kept getting cold sore outbreaks in March, I had like 4 in a row. I was so scared I had some kind of life threatening immune disorder. So two weeks ago i went to see my GP for all of the above and he said the cold sores were caused by temporary low immunity. Then he checked the mole and within seconds he said that it was a cyst and completely benign. I went home feeling like an idiot because I had worked myself up again that I had the big C.

Fast forward to the present. One scare gone, another one arises. A couple of weeks ago my stomach started acting funny with feeling full very soon after starting to eat. Also I started getting nauseous. This passed, returning every now and then but not in a way that I cannot eat anything. My appetite is fine. Then I started getting pains in my abdomen. Short stabbing pains traveling here and there. They come and go.

Also, ever since the pain symptoms started again a couple of weeks ago my bowel movements have become less frequent. I don't feel constipated, but I can go like every 2, 3 days. I think it was more often before, although I have never been the person who could go daily.
Then yesterday I got really anxious since the traveling stomach pain localized to one place, under my right ribs towards the middle. It also feels kind of full there, but that could just be my imagination. The pain was sometimes constant yesterday in that place, and aggravated with deep breathing and certain movements. Also at times it went away for a while. It's so scary that I feel it in one place, where other times the pain traveled and wasn't so constant.

In the evening my boyfriend came over and I talked to him about it. When he held me I felt like all of my ribs hurt. On my lower ribs I have (both on the left and right side) painful spots when you push them, like they are bruised. I cannot pinpoint if that is where the pain under my right rib is coming from. And if the pain in/under my ribs is related to the 'constipation' and stomach issues... I am so scared that I have a serious illness (like C), and that I am very ill. Now I think I have lost weight, too...

This night I didn't feel the pain again under my ribs, it seems to have traveled again, but I'm not saying it out too loud before the pain hits me again. Also right now (it is morning) I haven't felt it yet.

Does all of this sound familiar to you? Need some reassurance, I'm very scared...

[Taffy]

I went through something similar last year, it was my first main HA scare. I had pain in my upper right quadrant, below my ribs cage mainly. As my Father died from Colon Cancer at a young age I attributed the pain to mean it was happening to me, I'm 35. After months of worry, blood tests, stool samples (all clear) and having strange symptoms very similar to yours I finally managed to get a Colonoscopy and Endoscosopy, both or which came back completely clear. As soon as my mind was at rest the strange pains subsided, evidence that it was all in my head. I'm not saying I didnt have real pain in that area but that could of been anything initially from a bit of IBS to gas pains, however HA made it into a life threatening illness made worse by my familiy history.

Stomach pains and irregular bowel movements are all classic signs of anxiety and as a reassurance if it was something sinister it wouldn't be travelling around your abdomen and coming and going as you mention. Try to relax and believe that its not as bad as you think (easier said than done I know!) pop to the Doctors and have a chat to put your mind at rest.

Remember PMA.....Positive Mental Attitiude! :)

[parisoni12]

Hi I am a 38 year old female and have pain in the upper right quadrant under my rib cage which radiates to the center of my back. I excercise 3 to 4 times a week at the gym with cardio and mild weight. I am still about 15 lbs over weight (I was more over weight 2 years ago). This pain actually started about 8 years ago. About 6 years ago I had my gall bladder removed.
The pain did go away for several years. After the gall badder surgery, the surgeon did make a comment that my liver kept getting in his way and he had to move it a couple of times and that it is big, but he said it did not look abnormal. I was in a lot of pain after the surgery and he kept me overnight in the hospital. The URQ pain started up again about 4 years ago. I have had all kinds of tests in the past year. A hida scan (no CCK since I do not have a gall bladder) was normal, barium swallow (I do have GERD and hiatal hernia). An edoscopy showed no ulcers, ducts all clear, normal liver etc... I also had a sonogram of my stomach, liver and pancreas - all normal. I have had 2 blood tests in the past year for my liver and pancreas- both came back normal. This info is not directly related, but wanted to mention that I had a total hysterectomy in Nov 2003 but this URQ pain had started up again prior to this surgery. Sometimes its a dull ache, sometimes it feels like I have ran for too long (but I haven't), sometimes it feels like a mild charlie horse (it actually spasms).

My doctor has just prescribed Reglan a few days ago (I haven't started it yet). What other tests can be done, do you know what could be causing this pain? It's gotten worse in the past 8 months.

Thank you,

[kah]

Hey Relika,

Your symptoms sound just like IBS to me. I get pain up under my ribs when my IBS flares up but also get it in my sides (like stitch), in ovary area and in middle of stomach. It moves around all the time and has no patterns that I've been able to notice.
The one thing I have worked out is that anxiety makes it so much worse. Since getting my anxiety under control I have only had a couple of odd pains and those are because my period is due (always get IBS at period time too).
Have you tried taking anything for it? You can get Colpermin from most places (I got mine from Tesco) and they seem to settle things down.

K xx

[uk23]

What kah said is exactly what I wanted to say, gas gets trapped in the curve of the bowels which is felt just under the right and left ribs. I get this quite often.

If it helps here is a diagram so you can see the areas where the gas gets trapped:

http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/73/Illu_colorectal_anatomy.jpg

[relika]

Thanks for all your kind answers, I'm a bit more reassured now that there's nothing sinister going on. :hugs:

Although I did have quite a scare this afternoon, while I was at work and all of a sudden it was as if an electric shock/stab went through the middle of my spine. My first thought was that this was probably what my mom felt when she had cancer (she had lung cancer that metastasized to her spine, in about the same spot). But then I tried to dismiss it as my mom's symptoms were much more severe.

The pain is still there, both under my ribs as in my ribcage, but not as bad as the day before yesterday. I hope it soon passes, trying not to think about it too much (although that's quite a task).

I have thought about IBS; I've had GI problems ever since I was a little child. First constipated, then suffering from cramps and diarrea each morning because of anxiety of going to school (I was bullied), then constipation again, etc etc. It can go away for a while but always comes back. Thanks for the helpful diagram, uk23; the pain I get seems to come from the hepatic and splenic flexure, but it could also be the muscles of my abdominal wall since my ribs hurt as well. Ugh...these symptoms are difficult :wacko:

[cheesy pete]

Hi,

Thanks for this thread, this has really helped me. I've been really struggling with stomach, feeling bloated and stitch like pains in both sides for the last couple of weeks. It goes round to my back and at times it really does worry me. Any suggestions how to alleviate these feelings at all or is it a case of just living with it?

[uk23]

The best way to alleviate the problem is to lay on your left side with your legs raised up to your chest, basically as if you were laying on the couch watching TV.

I find that pretty helpful!

[cheesy pete]

Never tried but thanks for the tip, I'll give it a go!

[sandy40]

Hi im reading this and thiking maybe its IBS thats causing my rib pain,ive had imflammation in my stomach last year a upper scope,showed it,also a clear colonoscopy and my ultrasound for galltones were clear and my recent chest xray is cllear..my pains move frrom under my right rib/aroung the back/between my shoulder blades and finally my ribs feel like they are bruised...any ideas? x