Pain below ribs

[Tisha0503]

I have been having "attacks" of pain just below my ribs in the middle of my chest, wrapping around to my back. I feel like I cannot breathe and it feels like my ribs are compressing my lungs. I have taken pain killers and nothing seems to help. It can last anywhere from ten minutes to a couple hours.

[ehrkad]

i suffered that pain but along with a couple of other symptoms and it turned out i had to have my gallbladder removed

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
This can be due to exacerbation of the GERD.  It could also be hiatal hernia. Treatment is a combination of drugs to reduce the acid and lifestyle changes. You will need to take a combination of medications (under medical supervision) like a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole empty stomach in the morning and an antacid gel after meals for complete relief. Possibility of H pylori infection too should be looked into by a carbon urea breath test and a combination antibiotic tried. Many a times a persisting H pylori infection can be the cause behind acidity not responding to treatment.
Life style changes that will help include: Avoid heavy meals and eat frequent small meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, smoking, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees. Avoid lying down for least 2 hours after food. Maybe these tips will help you.
If these tips do not help, then liver function test, pancreatic enzymes, and HIDA scan for gall bladder should be done. Food intolerance and inflammatory bowel conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s, celiac etc should be considered. Log in what you eat and see if there is a correlation between a certain food type and the symptoms.
You should consult a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system) or a physician for this. Take care!