Under Rib Pain

[jennybobenny]

I've been having right side waistline/floating rib/ around the back pain for a couple of years now.  I've been through all the usual tests including all the tests for kidneys, gallbladder, liver, blood.  All Normal!  I'm in pain right now to the touch.  My lower rib on the right side is tender as if bruised - yet I did nothing to get that.  Sometimes the pain is so bad it wakes me up at night.  I've been to the doctor and I'm sick of being treated like I'm making it up.  Sometimes, when I wake in the morning I'm in so much pain it hurts to move.  If I can get up and urinate it seems to make the pain go away eventually.  It always comes back.  I'm so tired of it.  I am a 35 year old female in good physical shape.  I eat right, take vitamins.  My hair has been falling out, I get dizzy spells a lot, and my heart beat sometimes skips and then beats hard to catch up.  I used to smoke for about 10 years but quit a couple of years ago.  I'm a side sleeper.  I eat splenda - though I know it's unhealthy.  I wish I could find a common denominator with all of us suffering with this rib pain.  So glad to know that others are experiencing this... please please write if you know about this.


This discussion is related to Pain Behind Right rib-(Not underneath Rib).

[NCNWI]

I've had the discomfort under the lower right rib. I'm writing because my right hand also oddly fell asleep recently too. I also have stress and no health insurance (don't they go together?).

[mamafrog74]

I share so many of your symptoms! Four months ago I was diagnosed with a bruised 12th rib on the right side caused by strain from excessive sitting (my receptionist job and 3 back-to-back 12+ hour car trips). The pain seemed to subside for a while, but has come back with a vengance. I can only sleep on my right side or my stomach without tremendous discomfort. Any other position and I feel like I'm being stabbed. The pain, which takes turns being located in my mid/top right abdomen, directly under my lower rib cage, lower right side of my back, and right shoulder, seems to subside when I first get up in the morning. I comes back, usually in the abdominal area during the day, then is agonizing under the ribs and back later. Nearly two years ago my heart started fluttering and skipping beats. The doctor says stress (which I have had plenty of over the past few years) was the cause and I have taken Verapimil on and off since then to control the fluttering. Also over the past two years I have experienced intermittent hair loss, most recently over the past 2 months or so. I get tired alot. Urine and blood tests have come back normal. I don't have any insurance right now so my testing options are limited. I may go to the chiropractor. I've been fearful because I didn't want to do more damage. I am 34 years old, 5'3", 120 lbs. I have never smoked and only drink very occasionally. I eat as much healthy and organic food as I can. I don't get enough exercise because I am too darn tired and my side hurts!! I want to be free from this pain!

[Booper44]

Back in December 2003 I had a similar pain attack.  One night I woke up and thought I was having a hart attack.  Hard to breath, sharp electric like pain in my chest, upper back (between shoulder blades).  I was taken to the emergency room by paramedics.  X-ray of my stomach and gall bladder showed normal.  My blood pressure went up only a little when my pain hit.  The nurses saw my wrenched face and recorded the pressure. Nothing found so they sent me home.  Said it was what I ate.  
Well..I still had this full feeling and thought something was moving around under my rib cage.  It always felt sore just under my right rib cage and I still had that hurtful feeling between my shoulder blades.  This went on until Feb 2004.  I finally went to my PCM, which was a Doc in a Box type place, and was assigned to an older doctor.  He ordered an ultrasound of my gall bladder.  Sure enough it was full of stones.  Had it removed and that pain went away. Of course today I live in another state and now I have more problems.  Last week after my CT scan I was told that I have a hiatal hernia and an elevated lung nodule.  Also I have to get my 5 year colonoscopy.  a few years back I Had a 2" polyp that had burst removed from my colon (not malignant).  All in all I am grateful and feel great.  I pray a lot.  God bless and put yourself in God's hands.

[jennybobenny]

Well - I have to wait to get in to see him.  Today is a bad day.  I am in a great deal of pain and the pain killers aren't working.  My rib feels horrid - and when I called to the kids to come in - I thought I would pass out.  I laughed a minute ago and it hurt badly.  I totally agree with you about the hupochondria thing.  I probably SHOULD go back to my doc and tell him it has gotten worse since I saw him for it a couple of years ago.  The funny thing is he told me there are no organs where I'm hurting.  Amazing.  I SO don't want to go through all the testing again.  Expensive and annoying.  Then at the end to hear, "There's nothing wrong."  If only they could invent some sensors that your doctor could wear to feel your pain... I think they'd work a LOT harder at curing us.  I'm hoping to hear back soon from the lymph node guy.  I'll keep you posted.

[arroli]

hi
you have my sympathy! I too have symptoms very similar....been going on for over a year now, had lots of tests, ultrasound, ct and mri scans....nothing found apart from pancreatic diversum(pancreas not joined together at end of ducts) however my doc rules this out as not being cause of problems. I feel like a hypochondriac when i speak to him about my illness.
Some days i cant move, am always dosed with painkillers....dizzy and light headed..ruining my quality of life now but dont know what to do!
How did your lymph node guy help?

[jennybobenny]

Thank you so much.  It is really quite bad!  I am going to go to a guy that does lymph node draining.  We'll see if that helps.  Thanks for the prayers - right now He is the only one who can help me!

[Destiny4]

HUH, Sorry then i was hoping becuase alot of your symptoms i have dealt with and i came to find out they were from topamax and a few other things.  then i came to find out it was galstones.  Took them 19 months from start to finish to FINALLY find them and do something.  all my ultrasounds came back normal but after i pushed and pushed they did what is called a HIDASCAN and it showed excessive amounts of galstones.  my pain started behind my right rib and would go thru not around into my back.  I know it is not easy to deal with.  I pray they figure it out for you.  it took them so long for me i am not fighting a pain pill addiction I pray you dont have to go thru that as well.

best of luck to you, i mean that from the bottom of my heart

Des

[jennybobenny]

No, I don't.  I don't take any medications except for Excedrin every now and then

[Destiny4]

Do you happen to be taking topamax?  

[jennybobenny]

I forgot to add that last year for about a month my left shin went numb.  Then about a month ago my right hand fell asleep for about 12 hours for no apparent reason.