Five months and still having upper left abdominal pain
Posted , 32 users are following.
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
angela192 Kalten
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Kalten angela192
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Also, to answer your question - no, I have not had an endoscopy yet. I am still waiting to see a GI specialist.
angela192 Kalten
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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 angela192
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angela192 dee50031
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dee50031 angela192
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Barretts Kalten
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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 Barretts
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Kalten Barretts
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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 Kalten
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Thanks
Fireid13 Kalten
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Kalten Fireid13
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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 Kalten
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mike79030 Kalten
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shawn0926 Kalten
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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 shawn0926
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