Alright, so after seeing multiple doctors and never getting a clear answer, I am resorting to this forum for help! I know nobody can give me a diagnosis, but some opinions might help.
I apologize - This is a LOOOONG, continuing story! But I would really LOVE some advice!! Please, anyone!
I am a 21 year old, thin female. About a year ago, I started having sharp lower left abdominal pains, left of my navel. I decided to go to a clinic. The doctor felt my stomach, and felt a random, weird pulsation in my aorta (NOT just a strong pulse because I’m thin, but resembling the feeling of a heart palpitation – a strong rush of blood there, I felt it too and had the sensation before). It didn’t happen again, but she called in another doctor for a second opinion and they did a bunch of tests such as checking pulse in my toes, palpating my abdomen, listening with a stethoscope on my lower back. He questioned about my family history and asked me if anyone had an aortic aneurysm. That’s what really scared me… but when I said no (with the exception of my grandfather having a heart defect, and my aunt dying of a heart attack due to some sort of heart problem) he said he wasn’t worried and it was probably just stress, and the other doctor was just being thorough. The other doctor was still worried, and wrote a note, something about increased pressure in my aorta and a refer for an ultrasound.
The aortic aneurysm thing freaked me out, and being scared/in denial I never went for that ultrasound, I tried to forget about it (stupid, it would have solved all my problems).
A couple months after I had an achy lower back and those same lower left abdominal pains. I freaked out and went to the ER. The doctor there ran blood tests, palpated my stomach, listened with the stethoscope, and when I told him about the AA looked at me and said “I might believe it if you were a 70 year old man” and told me to get checked for a pelvic inflammatory disease by my family doctor.
Went to visit my family doctor. After telling him the long story he also palpated my stomach, listened to my back, ruled out PID, etc. Told me I probably had a pinched nerve and told me to take ibuprofen. Went back a couple months later as the pain continued and told me it’s probably stress/anxiety and to take Tylenol arthritis instead. A while later went back AGAIN, was told it was anxiety (at this point it likely was! I was having panic attacks daily thinking about AAs and not getting any sleep), told me to get counselling and maybe go on anxiety meds.
Several months ago I had another weird episode. This time it was chest and left abdominal pain, and muscle spasming In my upper left abdomen (under the breast, right where the rib cage ends) for a good hour. Urged to go to ER by my boyfriend. They did a chest x-ray, ECG, doctor listened to pulse in my back, checked pulse in toes, – told me she didn’t find anything seriously wrong and said it was likely anxiety.
A week after that, the pains hadn’t stopped, now accompanied with lower back pain and the spasming continued. Went to the ER again when it got really bad. They did an abdominal x-ray, took blood, palpated my stomach, listened to abdominal pulse, etc – and other than finding out I was seriously constipated and gassy and putting me on laxatives for a month, nothing.
Now it’s happening to me again, the worst it’s ever been. I’ve tried to ignore it for months, because it comes and goes, but now it’s back again with even more symptoms – sharp lower left abdominal pains, lower back aching, lower left back pains, groin pain, leg pain, twitching in lower left & upper left abdomen. I’m seriously scared it’s an AA but no doctor will take me seriously and I feel like I will just suddenly die. I know they are rare, but after the terrifying clinic experience…
What should I do? Try going back to my family doctor (won’t be able to get an appointment till next week earliest)? Go to a different clinic and get another opinion? Wait it out and tell myself it’s just anxiety? Sadly I really do think there is a physical cause for all of this very specific left side pain.
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