Chronic bloating, pain and lump in lower right abdomen. Anyone experienced this?

TLDR: I have chronic bloating, heaviness/pressure, occasional pain, and a lump/ridge, localized in my lower right abdomen, and would be pleased to hear if anyone has experienced the same cluster of symptoms.

Hi everyone - I have lurked on this forum for a long time, and I'm very grateful that this community exists. I'm male and in my early thirties and have suffered from health anxiety for many years, and this forum really helps to defuse my worries when my brain goes into overdrive over a symptom. Now I'm having persistent issues, and would appreciate some outside perspective/input from people who have experienced the same.

For almost 2 months I've had bloating, distension, and a general heavy feeling in my lower right abdomen, below and to the right of my belly button/to the left of my right hip bone. It honestly feels like a tennis ball is lodged somewhere in there, and I can feel pressure and discomfort in the area against my belt, when lying on my right side, and even when just sitting around in loose-fitting clothes. The bloating is already there in the morning and gets progressively worse throughout the day, and sometimes keeps me up at night as a I toss and turn trying to find a comfortable sleeping position.

On top of this, I have occasional pain in the area (brief pangs/aches a few times a day in my right side, groin, or around navel), loud and high-pitched grumbling and gurgling in the same region, and I alternate between brief constipation (passing nothing or little for a few hours despite urge to go) and loose almost-diarrhea 2-3x per day.

Most worrying of all is that I can feel a ridge or small sausage-shaped lump about halfway between and a little below my navel and hip bone, even first thing in the morning before the bloating has got too bad. It's somewhat deep (you have to push moderately to feel it, though not with maximum force), quite thin, has no defined upper edge, and is moderately firm (not rock hard but not soft/squishy either) and slightly moveable. I think this is my cecum (the first part of the colon/large bowel, where it joins the small intestine), but I have no way of knowing if 1) it is normal to be able to feel your cecum (websites mostly suggest it isn't except in emaciated people, which I'm not) and 2) if a cecum should feel like this, or if mine is somehow enlarged and hardened by an underlying problem.

Now, I've had abdominal symptoms many times before (acid reflux, upper abdominal pain, generalized bloating) so I've learned to try to ignore them and avoid going down an HA rabbit-hole. But rarely do symptoms last this long, and the localization in my lower right abdomen is new.

Of course, my HA brain is screaming at me that I have a tumour in my caecum, small intestine, or ascending colon that must be partially obstructing the passageway, causing the localized bloating, pain, and gurgling. I will go and see my doctor if it persists (it's already been almost 2 months), but I can't do that until early August, because right now I'm working abroad, and I only have emergency health coverage (and this doesn't seem to warrant going to the ER/A&E).

On the plus side, I don't have blood in my stools, and my weight has been mostly steady (from 80kg six weeks ago to 77kg today - a minor fluctuation). So I'm trying to be rational, telling myself that a worst-case-scenario of right-sided colon cancer or some other malignancy is unlikely, and this could all be another manifestation of anxiety or undiagnosed IBS. Hence why it would be reassuring to hear if others have experienced this and found this to be a benign issue.

You don't think it might be a small hernia do you?

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Originally Posted by J4min

You don't think it might be a small hernia do you?

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Thanks for taking the time to read the post, and for this suggestion. I don't think the sausage lump/ridge is a hernia, because it isn't in the right place for either an umbilical (around navel) or inguinal (groin) hernia, and it doesn't allow itself to be "pushed back inside", which hernias apparently do. It's in the upper part of the right iliac fossa, seems to increase in size as the bloating gets worse during the day, but also becomes tricker to discern as my abdomen gets more distended from the bloating.

Today hasn't been too bad in terms of pain. The first aching feelings started in the late afternoon. But my entire lower and mid-right side of the abdomen is still full of pressure and bloat, almost like there's an alien incubating in there.

The last couple of days have been much better in terms of pain (I think I might be causing it in part by constantly poking around), so that's a plus.

Unfortunately the localized bloating is as bad as ever - the lower right side of my abdomen feels much tighter and more rigid than the lower left, and I still have that sensation like a small creature is pushing against the inner wall of my intestines in that region. It's the same region as my palpable lump/sausage/tube, which I'm increasingly convinced is my cecum/ascending colon, as it seems to fluctuate in size at different times of day. I'm also continuing to get loose, almost-diarrhea 2-3 times a day.

The rational part of my brain is trying to reassure me that this is just another weird and wonderful manifestation of anxiety in the digestive system. Of course, the health anxiety part of my brain is continuing to try to persuade me that a growing tumour is partly blocking the intestines in the pressure-filled region. Gah. Only 3 weeks or so and I can see a medical professional to check this out. In the meantime, I'd still appreciate hearing from anyone who experienced similar symptoms.

A month later my symptoms are exactly the same (though perhaps a bit more diarrhea than constipation in the last few days), but I have some updates, which I'll share in case anyone is interested.

I got back home last week and had an appointment with a gastroenterologist. She thought my symptoms could be IBS, but wanted to rule out some other things first (she specifically mentioned Crohn's - I have some other autoimmune diseases that make it more likely), so sent me for blood and stool tests and an abdomen/pelvis CT scan. Today I got a short and direct email from her stating that the blood tests were normal (yay!) and that the CT scan "showed inflammation in your colon or small intestine". I'm relieved that it didn't pick up any tumors - my worst fear - but of course my HA is in overdrive over the inflammation. Plus she is asking me if I want to have a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy "for further diagnostic evaluation", or if I would like to proceed with IBS symptom management strategies.

This is a difficult choice for an HA sufferer - do I submit to the anxiety of more tests for the sake of reassurance about the possible cause of the inflammation, or do I move onto symptom management and try to forget the scan findings (and focus on the positive fact that they didn't pick up anything very bad?) Of course I will ask these questions of my doctor, but I'm just musing aloud here to process my anxiety.

Also, a question for anyone on this board: have you ever had unexplained inflammation in your bowels, and if so how did that play out/what did your doctor say? Is this something like benign liver or lung nodules that many people have, but without medical consequences? Again, I'll ask the doctor for a medically professional opinion, but would also value input from anyone who's been through something similar.

Hi, I have the exact same symptoms as you and 3 years ago had a CT colonography which showed inflammation. I was told it was IBS but the symptoms haven’t subsided and I have constant pain right side and bloating and have seen the gastroenterologist today and am having a colonoscopy in next 2 weeks as it’s the only way they can take samples/biopsies etc. I’m terrified but I need to know what’s wrong. I too suffer severe HA so this is my worst nightmare. Keep posting how you’re doing and I will do the same. Good luck

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Originally Posted by Prettypony

Hi, I have the exact same symptoms as you and 3 years ago had a CT colonography which showed inflammation. I was told it was IBS but the symptoms haven’t subsided and I have constant pain right side and bloating and have seen the gastroenterologist today and am having a colonoscopy in next 2 weeks as it’s the only way they can take samples/biopsies etc. I’m terrified but I need to know what’s wrong. I too suffer severe HA so this is my worst nightmare. Keep posting how you’re doing and I will do the same. Good luck

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I'm sorry to hear about your suffering, and over such a long period of time. These symptoms are no fun. Waiting for tests and test results is the worst, so I hope you can find enough calming distractions to keep you sane until you have some results.

I think my GI doctor might have been able to detect the worried tone in my reply because I got another email today explaining that the evidence of inflammation was minimal - not enough substantial bowel or small intestine thickening to suggest Crohn's apparently (which makes me wonder why they mentioned inflammation at all). Combined with the fact that I'm not anemic (in fact my hemoglobin is in the upper part of the healthy range) the doctor is not at all concerned. So I think I'm going to try to ride out my anxiety and turn down further tests that would fuel it more, and instead work with the doctor on strategies for IBS symptom management.

I hope this thread can help reassure anyone who has lower right abdomen issues. It seems you can feel like there's a large object lodged against your right hip - and even feel inflated lumps in that area - yet have nothing obviously pathologically wrong on a CT scan. The joys of IBS and/or anxiety.

Hi!

I'm also dealing with right sided abdominal pain very similar to what you describe. But because I am a woman and have had a child there are several things in that area that could be causing me pain. I thought it could be my right ovary but I started to get an uptick in IBS symptoms that either coincide with hormonal shifts or excessive mental stress, so I am now leaning towards a change in my IBS. I've had IBS on and off since childhood and it's been changing in symptom presentation as I get older. I'm glad to hear that everything was determined to be non threatening in your case. I appreciate your thorough post with test results. It's very helpful for my HA to hear positive stories!

That's definitely reassuring, yes. I occasionally get right-sided abdominal pain that lasts a day or so and scares the heck out of me, only for the, ah, messier IBS symptoms to show up in the days that follow.

I know this is an old post but I’m so glad I read it as I’m having the exact same symptoms as you. I’ve been putting off calling my GP as I feel silly trying to explain my lumpy right side which I’m pretty sure is my ascending colon, but think today I will. Just for peace of mind as I just can’t stop obsessing over it. I can currently feel it “bubbling” at the moment 😆

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Originally Posted by Champion Worrier

I'm sorry to hear about your suffering, and over such a long period of time. These symptoms are no fun. Waiting for tests and test results is the worst, so I hope you can find enough calming distractions to keep you sane until you have some results.

I think my GI doctor might have been able to detect the worried tone in my reply because I got another email today explaining that the evidence of inflammation was minimal - not enough substantial bowel or small intestine thickening to suggest Crohn's apparently (which makes me wonder why they mentioned inflammation at all). Combined with the fact that I'm not anemic (in fact my hemoglobin is in the upper part of the healthy range) the doctor is not at all concerned. So I think I'm going to try to ride out my anxiety and turn down further tests that would fuel it more, and instead work with the doctor on strategies for IBS symptom management.

I hope this thread can help reassure anyone who has lower right abdomen issues. It seems you can feel like there's a large object lodged against your right hip - and even feel inflated lumps in that area - yet have nothing obviously pathologically wrong on a CT scan. The joys of IBS and/or anxiety.

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I know this is an old thread and I don't know if you still log on, but I have been having your exact symptoms for the past year on and off, first March-April, then August-October, and now it started up again. I'm surprised you didn't mention appendicitis as a concern but with all your testing I'm sure that was ruled out.

In my case I've gotten checked out back in March and again in October - nothing more than an ultrasound (no CT) but did do bloods a few times, nothing really ever came up. I'm trying to hold off running to the doctor *again* as this current episode has only been about 3 days so far.

Regardless, I appreciate when people come back to their posts like you did and follow up with the results of their findings!