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Five months and still having upper left abdominal pain

Posted , 32 users are following.

Kalten
Kalten

My upper left abdominal pain started in June and I'm about at my wits end! I am on painkillers from my doctor but the constant pain is starting to make me very depressed, anxious, and irritable.

Symptoms:

- A constant sore ache in the upper left abdomen near the ribs that sometimes goes to my back and halfway down my left side.

- A sore ache in the upper right abdomen that comes and goes

- Rumbling, squishy/wet noises in my stomach from time to time, especially after eating a big meal

- Headaches (this could be from the painkillers though as they seem to occur when I take my meds)

- VERY sore when I first wake up around the left ribcage

Very little nausea. Very little heartburn. My bowel movements are healthy and normal. I am eating fine. I do not feel bloated or full after meals. I do not feel sick or weak.

I've had an ultrasound, bloodwork, and h pylori test. All fine.

I am waiting to see a gastro specialist. Does anybody have any idea what this could be? I am leaning towards hernia but not sure.

Before this started, I was drinking apple cider vinegar for many months as I heard it helps digestion. I fear I may have "burned" my stomach or digestive tract as I drank it straight (didn't mix it with anything). Anyone heard of this happening? I also used to be a very heavy beer drinker and wonder if my stomach is beat up from years of drinking.

Just at the end of my rope here. Tired of the constant pain. I am hoping the GI doc can give me some answers.

 

2 likes, 38 replies

38 Replies

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  • angela192
    angela192 Kalten

    Posted

    I have similar symptoms to yours and have just put my first post on this.  Have you had an endoscopy to find out what might be causing this.   Please read my post.  Thank you
    • Kalten
      Kalten angela192

      Posted

      Hey angela, I just read your post. You had mentioned your pain is in the middle of your abdomen between the breastbone. My pain isn't really in the same spot. It's in the upper left abdomen (more to the side) around the ribcage where the spleen/stomach would be located.

      Also, to answer your question - no, I have not had an endoscopy yet. I am still waiting to see a GI specialist.

    • angela192
      angela192 Kalten

      Posted

      Hi again

      I also have pain in the rib area on the left hand side, as well as the middle upper stomach.  I wish you luck in the future.  If you have an endoscopy, take the sedation that is offered and you won't know what is going on.  

    • dee50031
      dee50031 angela192

      Posted

      Hi can you tell me where your post is as i was going to read it, having similar symptoms x
    • angela192
      angela192 dee50031

      Posted

      Yes, in gut bowel and stomach forum, but this actually is the forum.  Let me know what symptoms you have, as you say you have similar symptoms.
    • dee50031
      dee50031 angela192

      Posted

      left sided pain near ribs, had pain in center of upper stomach and right under rib pain, suffer back ache too and what i think is silent reflux, gurggling stomach. was thinking hernia or gallbladder 
  • Barretts
    Barretts Kalten

    Posted

    The area you describe does sound like a stomach condition and may need investigation with a gastroscope so the doctor can take a look to see what's going on.

    Drinking acid cider vinegar is unlikely to have cause a problem unless you were drinking copious amounts of it. Although there are proponents of this as a digestion aid, and there are a couple of (conflicting) theories why it works, there is very little evidence it actually has any effect. It is a weak acid compared to stomach acid.

    Beer. Excessive alcohol consumption could contribute to liver disease but that would be on the right upper abdomen.

    Do you take acid suppressant medication and if so does it help?

    Gaviscon may help.

    • Fireid13
      Fireid13 Barretts

      Posted

      Hey Barrett I just looked at your profile you seem to be a good guy to talk to. Don't know why these girls don't seem to answer us on this site but I guess give him a chance sometimes I unfollow discussions because people just want to talk and compare symptoms all the time not get to the root of the problem or listen. How much do you know about dysbiosis and do you think it could be the root cause to a lot of IBS and stomach issues. If you wanted maybe you could respond to me in a message form and let these to talk on the round I'd appreciate your help and knowledge
    • Kalten
      Kalten Barretts

      Posted

      Hey Barretts, thank you for your reply. Already had the liver checked during the ultrasound and also some blood tests. It was fine.

      The pain is also on the right side that comes and goes. Constant pain on left, intermittent pain on right.

      I took prilosec for a few months. Didn't do anything. I may try Nexium. I also take zantac 150mg every day, but not sure if the dose is high enough. I will check out that Gaviscon.

      Being in pain all the time is surely no fun, and neither is waiting out to see a GI specialist. I'll try anything at this point.

    • laura54972
      laura54972 Kalten

      Posted

      Hi, my daughter has been having the same symptoms as you. Her upper left is constantly sore and her right is also sore sometimes. Bloods came back normal. She also feels nausea suddenly and gets cold of hot all of a sudden. She is only 15 and this is affecting her education a lot. Have you found out what you have? 

      Thanks

  • Fireid13
    Fireid13 Kalten

    Posted

    You need a CT with contrast in probably an upper GI. Could be an ulcer or just gastritis with bloating causing your soreness
    • Kalten
      Kalten Fireid13

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. Doc thinks it may be ulcer as well. But the pain is both sides, which has us a bit confused. Maybe it's 2 ulcers.

      How long does an ulcer take to heal on average? I can't seem to get a straight answer out of any doctors.

  • muhammad_95796
    muhammad_95796 Kalten

    Posted

    My upper right side of stomch is swelling for last 5-6 months and I felt discomfortable and sometimes feel pain too. From April I was feeling pain in my stomch but I did not take it serious but in June it was quite severe and I felt water in my stomch. The doctor suggested mt omeprazol. Within 3 weeks I was ok but my upper right side of stomch was swelling. I did endoscopy and ultrasound. Both are fine. The swelling problem is still there. Any suggesstion?. Please note that I arrived in Brazil in Febuary and the problem started with me from April. 
  • mike79030
    mike79030 Kalten

    Posted

    I have the same from 2 months back but with decreased appetite and weight loss.
  • shawn0926
    shawn0926 Kalten

    Posted

    Hello, Kalten.  Maybe you've discovered the problem by now.  I sure hope so, and that you're feeling better!  I just wanted to relate my case because it had doctors puzzled, too.  After over a dozen years of increasing abdominal pain, and every lower GI test for men and women, it was finally diagnosed as a fistula that grew from my colon to my bladder, fuzing the two organs together with a salad-plate-sized piece of tissue.  Five hours of surgery, two surgeons, and two hunks of disasterous material was taken from my colon and bladder.  I just wanted to relate this hard-to-diagnose condition, and tell you to hang in there!

    • Spoom
      Spoom shawn0926

      Posted

      How did you get your diagnosis? What tests confirmed the issue?
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