Burning pain behind left ribs

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi,

I've been getting a burning send after eating it is directly behind last rib on the left, more towards my breastbone. When I cough as my stomach contracts part of it (very close to breastbone and just under it) feels burned, I can only describe this feeling as when you burn your skin which is over a joint and when you Bend it, it stretches the burnt skin. I'm 25, this has been going on for a while, I don't have any other noticeable symptoms. I was treated for h pylori about a year ago and got re-tested to confirm eradication. The test came back negative. Not sure if it was a false negative as I had only just finished the treated 10 days or so before, the treatment was the standard triple therapy for a week.

Any ideas as to what this sounds like?

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    If it is only after eating do you not think it might be indigestion? What sort of food is involved, breakfast, dinner, tae or all three?
    • Posted

      Hi Clive,

      Mostly I only experience the pain after dinner, but can happen at other times, I don't think it's indigestion as that particular burning pain has now gone as I've been taking omeprazole, this leads me to believe it could well be an open sore of some kind that is now healing over....

    • Posted

      The PPI (omeprazole) will reduce the stomach acid level and that will make digestion of food longer.

      The downside of taking PPIs long term is that you may become Vitamin B12 deficient which can eventually lead to nerve damage.

      I am not a medically qualified person but one who had a perforated peptic ulcer at the age of 17 in 1959, had two thirds of my stomach removed and 13 years later in 1972 was diagnosed with Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 Deficiency) however I'm still "clivealive" at 75.

      I hope you find an answer soon and wish you well..

    • Posted

      Thank you for your reply, please share more about your experience of your perforated ulcer at 17.

      What were your symptoms at the time?

    • Posted

      Firstly you have to remember that my ulcer was nearly 58 years ago and there were no such things as PPis.

      The pain was over my heart, sharp and stabbing at any time of day and I had it on and off for about three months.  I lost a lot of blood when the ulcer finally burst at work in the centre of Birmingham when I was an apprentice electrician.  

      I was taken to the nearby General Hospital, examined on a trolley, asked if I'd eaten beetroot for breakfast and sent home with a letter to my doctor which I slipped through his letter box as I passsed the door. I kept losing blood (from both ends) for the next 3 days and my doctor having eventually read the letter got me transferred to the Dudley Road hospital on the other side of the city where I was placed in a medical ward, given perpetual transfusions of blood, glucose and saline and fed on Horlicks tablets every hour which I had to suck - they took 40 minutes to disolve biggrin

      During Sunday afternoon visiting by my Dad and sister I "coughed up" a kidney bowl full of blood, the surgeon was called and operated that afternoon.

      When I awoke that evening I was in a different ward surrounded by grey haired old men and I thought I was in the morgue because thay were all just lying there - asleep.

      The following morning the fellow in the next bed called across "What did you have kid?"  I said "I don't know - ulcers I think"  He replied "You'll be OK after 3 days - I had mine done 3 days ago". I glanced across at him and he looked half dead so I dreaded to think what I looked like. 

      Well, because of my youth and otherwise general fitness I made a good recovery and left hospital after nine days.  When I went back six weeks later for my post-op checkup I visited the surgical ward to say hello to the staff and my "next door neighbour" who said I'll "be alright after 3 days" was still there.

      My surgical scar ran in a vertical ruler straight line for five inches down to my navel and it was held together by what looked like twelve stitches made out of fencing wire. This was covered simply by a small square of lint cloth taped at the sides for ease of inspection and dressing.

      I kept wanting to get out of bed to try to sit on the edge and stretch and straighten my body and legs (I'm six feet four inches) but as I had no pyjama bottoms the nurses delighted to come up and tried to persuade me back into bed.

      I could only drink one ounce of water every hour after the first day and my bed was placed just feet away from a drinking water fountain in the middle of the ward. That was sheer torture. The following day I was allowed an ouce of water with an ounce of milk. I couldn't eat anything for 4 or 5 days and the first thing I was given was an egg flip which came back quicker than it went down.  On being sick I thought I'd torn the stiches open - but I hadn't, the wire held firm... 

      The surgeon claimed that he "blunted" a couple of scalpels getting through my stomach muscles - I said I was fit as I cycled hundreds of miles a week back in those days.

      Hopefully Harpreet you will never know the joys of gastric surgery and that your present problem can be resolved by medication.

      I wish you well

  • Posted

    Well it seems to be epigestric pain due to hyper-acidity in your stomach.............pentaprazole with domperidone is the drug of choice for you........you can also use Digene/disogel type antacid liquids.....

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