I feel something under my left ribcage
Posted , 5 users are following.
I am 17 years old, and I recently got my appendix removed (9 days ago), and recovery has been going fine. However about two days ago I started feeling something under my left rib. It started off as if i had gotten fat under my rib all of a sudden, and I could feel it when i lean forwards towards my left side, but now I can feel it almost all the time.
I went to the ER yesterday and the doctor did an x-ray on me and said it looked like constipation, but I was fine emptying my bowels last night and this morning, yet I can still feel it. Just curious if I should be worried and if I should go in again to get it checked?
0 likes, 8 replies
Elahrai
Posted
extra info: it seems to come and go thru out the day... but I always feel some sort of cramping near it. could it be muscle cramps?
pippa58442 Elahrai
Posted
Costochondritis is another possibility which is inflammation of the ribcage. I have had this condition and it can come and go throughout the day. I had it for three months My doctor diagnosed it without a scan and told me it would clear the following month which it did. I was recommended painkillers and to wait it out. In the end, by the time I went to the doctor the pain was much better and I didn't need painkillers. It can be caused by stress and your surgery I would imagine would trigger stress.
Elahrai pippa58442
Posted
thanks for the reply. It doesn't seem like costochondritis since there is no pain when i press down on it. and replying to your other comment, I did inform the ER doctor that I had a recent appendectomy, he prescribed me PEG3350 and said it was most likely constipation.
another update: the muscles around the left side of my abdomen feels very sore, and when i stretch upwards i feel tight knots around my stomach area, if that helps.
pippa58442 Elahrai
Posted
Was the medication prescribed to you a painkiller? It sounds like you are suffering from post op pain from what you are describing in your update. You may be getting referred pain coming from the appendectomy site. Abdominal surgery can damage surrounding nerves and cause neuralgia or IBS. Doctors don't like to admit that their treatments can cause complications. It really doesn't sound like constipation since you are regularly moving your bowel. You would know if it was constipation if you were having trouble passing stools, not passing them at all, or passing hard pellet like motions. You can get abdominal pain and nausea and the feeling of stools backing up in your anus. However, these symptoms would pass once you started to move your bowel again. It doesn't sound like you are experiencing these classic symptoms. Since, the pain is still there after passing regular bowel movements, it sounds like something else such as post op pain. I would see a different doctor and discuss the possibility of post op pain.
mary19068 Elahrai
Posted
Hi Elahrai
I had the same thing about a year ago under my left rib it felt wobbly and could feel it more when i bent over. My doc sent me for an ultrasound and everything was fine. I had it for a little while after then it went away. Have had nothing since. If you are worried ask your doctor to refer you for an ultrasound scan.....
pippa58442 Elahrai
Posted
I wouldn't have thought constipation should give you a sensation under your left rib, especially since you have been emptying your bowel. When you get constipation, you would normally get pain in your abdomen which is lower down.and a feeling of being backed up in your anus.Your discomfort seems too high up for it to be constipation. Did you tell the ER doctor about your appendectomy? This detail is important because it could reveal the cause. It may be that something has been disturbed by the surgery such as abdominal nerves and you may be getting referred pain. Abdominal surgery can disturb other things. See a different doctor and mention the appendectomy I don't think you got a satisfactory answer from ER. However, you shouldn't worry, because anxiety can disturb the gut. Try to stay calm.
ashley42697 pippa58442
Posted
i was severely constipated and i did not feel it in my anus. forgive me but i could feel it in the area of my pelvic bones up to my rib cage but i had severe chronic constipation. us
pippa58442 ashley42697
Posted
I have never heard of this before. It sounds as if you are having referred pain from your constipation. These parts of the body/organs are very close to each other and pain in one organ can radiate pain to organs nearby. When I have severe constipation, I get abdominal pain, the feeling of stools being backed up in my anus and nausea or lack of appetite. I never get referred pain from it. However, everyone experiences these things differently.