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Mostly Upper Left Ab (ribcage) Pain

118K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  replyifyoufindhelp 
#1 ·
Howdy - Just diagnosed with IBS on Friday from a walk-in clinic. Long story short, had pancreatitis 2.5 months ago, likely caused by gallbladder attack. Gallstones confirmed the day after my gb attack. About a week after that ER visit and gallstone confirmation via ultrasound, I started having pressure-sensitive pain in the lower left ab. Nothing much at first, I ignored if for several days until I went to the ER a couple of weeks after my first ER visit (I was in full panic mode, assuming pancreatic cancer) - CT scan showed pancreas was fine (as did bloodwork), but did show the colon enlarged where my pain was. That prompted a colonoscopy (no issues there but a polyp that was removed) and an endoscopy (mild antral gastritis, which doctor did not seem concerned about). Just prior the those procedures, the pain had also radiated to the lower left ab area and then under my left ribcage. Since then, pain seems to start shortly after I wake up (sometimes in just minutes) and gets more intense as the day goes on, and usually it's worse as I'm watching TV in bed before bedtime. I suspect that the weight of my belly (I'm probably 40 lbs overweight) is pressing on my bowels, causing the pain. Generally speaking, I only feel the more intense pain when sitting (bad posture) or lying down, particularly at night. Basically, if my fiancee even touches my left side, however slight, it hurts. It's extremely touch sensitive.The walk-in clinic gave me a prescription for Bentryl - I must say that I've noticed some pretty good results so far, although I'm writing this with some slight LUQ/ribcage pain (slumped over in my work chair) - the pain tends to lessen if I stand up. Last week I started feeling some of the same pressure under my right ribcage and some back pain behind my left ribcage. I'm super paranoid that this is chronic pancreatitis, so I'm severely anxious right now. Some things to note - the pain does not wake me once I'm sleeping, but the late-night pain makes it more difficult to go to sleep, especially since lying down seems to trigger the pain. The pain reaches a certain pain level (say a 5 or 6) and just seems to linger. The pain is in a different area (LUQ) from my original bout with pancreatitis (dead center, radiating to the back) and is usually never enough to bring me to the ER (although a few nights I've been tempted to go in). Bloodwork on 5/30, 6/26, and 7/27 showed normal pancreas levels although my pain was only at about 1-3 at the time of bloodwork. Wondering if bloodwork can be faulty since I didn't take the blood at the pain's highest level. Anyone else have the same symptoms? How are you dealing with it and what other tests have you had or will be having? I've started a gluten and lactose free diet, I'm taking Bentryl 4x daily, and I am also taking "Align" probiotics. I think the Bentryl is reducing symptoms, even only after taking it Saturday/Sunday and twice today.
 
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#2 ·
I've been having the same pain for years. All this time they were saying it was my Spleen that was giving me so much trouble, but I went to the doctor on Thursday where they did multiple tests. Apparently I have IBS-C. However, they gave me Bentryl every 6 hours and I'm lactose Intolerant. The Bentryl seems to help, but makes me sooo tired. The pain is right under my left chest area under my ribcage. It hurts mostly when I sit for long periods of times. My pain level is also (5)(6), I am going back for a followup next Thursday. I'm tired of living with this pain. Has anyone ever experienced this pain and had any results from anything? I have tried every possible medicine, diets, exercise, and natural remedies.
 
#3 ·
I have had every test imaginable. Nothing shows up. I do have diverticulosis and have had two attacks of diverticulitis and spent time in the hospital. My pain is always under my left rib and often in the middle where my ribs curve. I also worry about pancreatitus since it radiates to the back. My enzyme levels are always normal and I never vomit nor run a fever.One doctor even told me my weight also was pressing on my stomach and another told me my breasts were too large pressing on me. uh huh....nothing seems to help but I'm still alive and suffering. Right now I'm constipated...
 
#4 ·
I just.had.ultrasound on abdomen and pelvic area. Abdomen showed.cysts in the spleen. I have follow up appt on the 20th. Most of my pain is in the pelvic.area though. Those results aren't back yet and im so nervous. So has your spleen been checked out?
 
#5 ·
First time poster here. I've also been suffering with the exact symptoms as the OP for a year now. I've been diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia in May from an endoscopy. Yesterday I got a ct scan done for the surgeon team and received my results today. They saw NOTHING. No signs of the hernia. This whole time I thought the hernia was causing me the pain and chronic nausea that worsened at night. Eating seems to calm in for a little while but the reflux kicks in; mostly mucus-like. I think a lot of the acidic burn is helped by the 80mg of Omeprezole. So I'm thinking maybe its the gallbladder. I'm feeling occasional popping or clicking when I lay on my stomach which I thought was the hernia moving in and out of place. I also have trouble sitting down and have to constantly loosen my belt and even undo the top button of my pants in order to find some comfort.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Your note could be my note.I am not overweight - I'm underweight because I just don't/can't eat much - not at one time, and not often. fasting is EASY :)I have wondered how on earth hiatus hernia gets a real diagnosis. I was told many years ago ... like at least 20 years ago, that such showed on the only dye/barium work I ever had done, but for almost as long, I had no symptoms of such - just the usual generic IBS symptoms for males.in the last few years however I have that left-side pain, noise, struggle-to-remedy quite frequently - several times per week and sometimes for several days in succession.There are three general categories of hiatus hernia which anyone can lookup - check the diagrams. I don't see how endoscopy can identify which, if any, of these a patient actually has, because the nature of the beast is that it must be under pressure to show. All of the "moving parts" are quite malleable and changing shape/position pretty much constantly. Endoscopy is done on empty [abnormal] tract - conditions ideal for the instrument but atypical for the sufferer.Then, IBS sufferers do not have normal peristalsis movement and the abnormal movements are erratic from patient to patient. one would need to replicate the symptom FIRST, then immediately get a radiograph or ultrasound in order to see anything, in my opinion.What I'm saying is I think this pain is a symptom of a transient hiatus hernia condition that will dissipate once the gut becomes empty.The "cure" for me is fasting, sips of water, bismuth salicylate [Pepto] for pain, and a lot of stretching exercises. My favorite for this pain is to go to the gym and do the overhead "lat pull" - weights on the cable, pull down, much like doing chin-ups just with less ab flexing, more ab stretching [I'm on my knees in this position, not sitting on the stool]. Usually the pain goes away after the last of several BM's - sometimes aided by clean-water enema [NOT commercial enema preps which are terrible for you].90% of these episodes end in one day with the above measures. I also routinely must press physically on my left side to "burp" gas. If I wait on the "normal" type of burping, it won't come, and the pressure builds because the opening is getting constricted. I wish I knew a quicker method, but it takes moving the poorly digested contents of the gut out the end of the pipe, to be blunt. That takes hours.Part of the prevention is the regular use [what works for me] of Psyllium Whole Husks, NOT TO BE CONFUSED with refined "fiber pills" or other refined products. This is the whole husk natural unmolested stuff. For me, a small dose first thing in the morning when the first hint of an "appetite" manifests - with plenty of water. I'm taking the equivalent of about one tablespoon slightly rounded. Lookup the studies [I'm repeating myself here]... its a very interesting substance in how it works in the gut. If you stay on it for at least a week or 10 days, you will notice a change in everything - far better motility, far better regularity, and a gradual healing of chronically-inflamed sensitive parts of your gut. When we get a flareup of these pains, it takes a toll on the interior and like any other injury/insult, it stays excitable for awhile.[EDIT: see this page for several studies on Psyllium : http://gut.bmj.com/content/33/8/1042.abstract ]But - if anyone ever comes up with a "sure cure" for this type of left-ribcage upper-stomach pain, I'm all ears.Poor digestion, which I guess all of us suffer from chronically, creates way too much gas in the system and it gets trapped in a lot of hiding places along the way, causing irritation of the lining, pressure, and stretching of the weaker wall portions and I suppose recurrence of the "hernia".The last thing I will re-mention, which is written up more formally somewhere else here on this set of forums, is to be aggressive with using Pepto/bismuth product.I hate using medicine, but its wiser to jump on episodic pain early and hard than to let it continue to build until bigger parts of your digestive tract are inflamed, screaming, and really unhappy. One of the theories of the underlying causes of IBS is a genetic condition of having way too many nerve endings in the interior of some digestive components [I've seen conflicting mentions of which]. Pepto won't kill you. I've been known to take a half of a large bottle within a couple of hours, and glad I did later. it will shorten and lessen these extremely painful bouts. It will also kill a lot of flora, so one must take that into consideration - its a bit of a blunt instrument but pain is not your buddy.
 
#6 ·
If it is upper left pain it can't be the gallbladder (it is on the right).There is a sharp bend in the colon on the left under the ribs (splenic flexure) and it is such a common trouble spot for pain that some doctors call it splenic flexure syndrome (although I think it is just one variant of IBS).Hiatal hernia pain is more likely to be central than off to one side or the other.You can have GERD without the hernia (or some people do have both).
 
#8 ·
To the OP how are you doing? Has your flare subsided? I have similar issues such as you that come and go but do resolve fully. My fear for obvious reasons is CP because of the location of the pain. However the splenic flexure pain description also fits and is much more common. I guess I am not sure if it likely that CP would come and go.
 
#9 ·
Finally got into the GI clinic at my county hospital. Why does it seem like every GI doc (at least the two I've seen) are old men who barely listen to you? I was telling him about what I thought was a false negative on the hiatal hernia diagnosis (see above post). Its hard to describe pain to someone who thinks they have heard it all. But he is the professional and so I trust his opinion. He said the HH is not causing any of the symptoms. I have "functional dyspepsia". Great! Another blanket term that means they have no clue whats going on. And its the doc's get outa jail free card. I was describing the movement I felt in my abdomen at times of anxiety or even just by being physically active and he dismissed it all saying that I am hypersensitive in that area. So now I'm just left with no hope. I have started using the Psyllium for the last couple of days. Lets hope this works. Also, will adhering to a very strict diet of natural and raw foods help to heal this? Merry Xmas.
 
#12 ·
Hey everyone I found relief to this issue.

First let me classify the symptoms to be clear and myself to some extent. The symptoms are upper left (sharp almost sometimes a sore) like pain that goes on for hours (sometimes a few days in a row) and sometimes can be incredibly intense 7-10 on a pain scale. Like many of the posts above are alleviated (temporarily or not) by 'releasing' gas, b-movements etc.

Myself, I'm an overall healthy male and I do not take any medication for this problem, but I do experience it frequently. I also experience an over abundance of stomach acidity etc. My habits are (that also lead* to this problem) are #1) Posture #2) Eating too quickly/on the move and not resting #3) Including refined white flour (gluten) and preservative loaded foods in my diet #4) Sitting (I sit for work over 10-12 hours a day with poor posture)

What I notice will cause the onset of symptoms: If I eat high gas foods, or eat within 1-3 hours of sleeping I can guarantee that the following day I will have this pain and soreness. The reason being because I can't expulse gas as well as other people can in my sleep (for whatever reason it could be diet and posture related) This can obviously be avoided by NOT eating within 2-3 hours of bedtime, if you must eat try yogurt or something that soothes and does not produce gas - be vigilant about this. For example last night I had spinach salad, throughout the night I was waking up feeling the pressure and of course today I suffered extreme pain in that 'splenic flexure' area. The pain is relieved temporarily when I pass gas or have a bowel movement, Or if I stretch my torso by raising and bending at the elbow my left arm - so as to stretch my full chest cavity.. it's like I'm taking the pressure off. Combine this with great posture in a chair... I can usually feel a relieve of the pain and pass gas! - This is great.

So for example today I sat with perfect posture kept my arm raised, did what I did to relieve the pain physically (in terms of positioning) and found that I could feel gas removing from this trapped area and down below where I could pass it. I continued this for a while and I instantly felt a 100x better after I passed a lot of gas. I later got home and purposely did some stretching, very thorough stretch while standing (I've done this with success before) sometimes it doesn't work right away but keeping at it has let me expel more gas and achieve pain relief. Again I usually can attest the reason to my symptoms and pain to poor posture, gassy foods, eating late at night near bed time, and not moving around to enable my gas to naturally pass. Your body uses physical movement and exercise as aid in peristalsis (the natural flow of movement in your digestive tract)

Let's be real, if you are here chances are the pain is affecting the quality of your life. Take action! If you are overweight loose weight! Get to a healthy BMI, avoid refined foods or foods with preservatives (they affect the motility of your small intestines and bowels this is a no brainer!) Improve your posture, take big action practice self discipline and do not eat near bedtime, get moving and most of all REPLY to where you posted when you have found relief!!! Pay it forward, just like I am right now. I truly believe the number* of items I listed above all contribute equally to the issue, address them with equal caution, you can start now with physical posture & movement stand up on your feet etc.
 
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