Pain/discomfort under right rib cage.
Posted , 412 users are following.
I have been experiencing this for the last few months, I have been searching the web looking for answers. I am a 45 year old female, in good health, I take no medications, thin, active, I eat healthy, so I am at a loss. I have this feeling like there is something under my right rib cage as if something is stuck underneath or enlarged. At first I thought I had strained a muscle b/c I had been working out in the yard the day before it started. It doesn't hurt, it just feels like there is something there that shouldn't be but when I touch the area there is no swelling or bulge. After about 3-4 weeks when it wasn't going away I went to see my doctor. They did blood work, urine labs and sent me for an ultrasound of gallbladder, all came back normal. I have no other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, etc. just this feeling like something is there. It seemed to go away on it's own and then came back and has come and gone since sometimes lasting a few days, sometimes a few weeks. When it is back wearing a bra is uncomfortable. Sometimes there is a warmth or burning sensation in the area. The only other symptoms I have had that I think are related are these: A few months before this started I experienced a fluttering sensation, almost like when I was pregnant and the baby moved, in the same location, a couple of times. Since this has started, on 3 or 4 different occasions, I have experienced a charlie horse like spasm in the same area, below the right rib, when bending over from a sitting position. Does anyone have any answers as to what this might be? Does it sound like IBS? Peptic Ulcer? Hiatal Hernia?
30 likes, 688 replies
cath34068 kit4410
Posted
I'm pleased to find this discussion as have been experiencing similar discomfort ( it's not even that uncomfortable more odd and strange and disconcerting) fir a couple of months.
I had abdominal ultrasound in early July - before this - because I had some lower abdominal pressure feeling . Interestingly I don't have that at all now. Scan found I have small fibroids and a cyst on my right kidney - non cancerous and there's no plan to treat these. GP doesn't think they'd cause the under the right rib discomfort.
Because it does feel similar to being pregnant- and I'm also 46 so likely perimenopausal - I wonder if its hormonal - or even somehow to do with fibroids either enlarging uterus or pressing on a nerve. My sensation is almost like when a limb goes numb- or like there's trapped wind
marie00607 kit4410
Posted
did you ever find out what that feeling under your ribs are? i have same thing and found no answers
jduffey3 marie00607
Posted
I was told it's my liver struggling when my iron is to low or when supplements too high. I would have liver and Gallbladder checked
gwen45436 marie00607
Posted
Hi, I have this off and on. I have reflux problems, tests showed just this so I think that is what causes it. Sometimes it changes sides.
caroline21071 kit4410
Posted
I've had this and you can search my previous reply.
I had 2 things going on. gastritis type symptoms and also pain under my right ribs in gallbladder area like a constant stitch.
after months of tests and lots of anxiety I think mine were 2 different things. I eventually cut out milk from my diet after having an intolerance test done. a few weeks later my gastritis cleared up and I could eat normally again. If I eat a lot of milk products now I get symptoms back.
My under rib pain turns out to be a tight psoas muscle. it's a major deep muscle that attaches your spine to your pelvis. I was getting pain in my right waist too. hip flexor stretches and regular deep tissue massage have kept this at bay. it occasionally flares up and I just do lots of stretches to help.
marie00607 caroline21071
Posted
wow thanks for your reply the psoas muscle makes sense i have joined a gym for the past year that is a functional movement kind if gym they focus on hip flexer exercises i am now wondering if this is the weird feeling i have under my right rib
i do have acid reflux and 2 polyps in my gall bladder i have had multiple tests that are all negative
i do not eat or drink dairy, fried foods, meat i have changes my diet to mainly veggies, chicken and some fish
but this weird feeling has not gone away i am guessing since i have been doing these kind of exercises the past year, i might have affected that muscle
thank you again for your post!!!
margaret_53580 kit4410
Posted
hi kit4410 well i have suffered for many years with a pain under my right rib on an off for around 20 years had all the tests all came back clear but most recently i had another scan an this time was refered to a consultant at the hospital he said my gallbladder was ling instead of pear shaped but couldnt see stones anyway he said what did i want i told him i want my gallbladder out he said he cant guarantee i would be pain free as no stones long story short i went in for op my liver was enlarged which wasnt picked up on scan so i now havr to loss weight reduce my liver before i have my gallbladder removed which doctor says needs to come out i have suffered for years due to them not checking my scans fully just because i dont have stones doesnt mean my gallbladder is healthy dont let them fob you off please good luck
trulyblessed1 margaret_53580
Posted
Hi I don't think its my gall bladder. I think my liver is fatty like they told me and I need to lose weight. I have the largest stomach now and its all coming from fatty liver. I have no idea how I gained this weight but I barely eat. I do have thyroid issues after RAI. In 2007 I was put on birth control to control heavy cycles and I have gained 90lbs in 8 months. 2009 histerectomy...So now I'm fat every where. I got to get healthy again...So the stomach is all messed up top to the bottom.
margaret_53580 trulyblessed1
Posted
hi trulyblessed1 well it well could br your fatty liver i get so much pain all around that area an it differs at times so well could be your liver where its swelling i would say but the only way to reduct it is to diet i cant have i can't have my gallbladder removed till my liver has reducted i wish you good luck i found the way my weight started to drop was very low carbs i lost 7kg in as many weeks
ZombieSara kit4410
Posted
Figured out what mine was, I had a similar situation, I felt the bulge/pressure under my right rib and I had some pain at times that would start there and spread through both my lower ribs.
I do drink more than the average person so I stopped drinking and I went to see my doctor. My doctor wasn't very concerned with the fact that I drink a lot but he did blood work and an ultrasound. Everything came back normal and after the ultrasound I stopped feeling the pain and the bulge, so I started to drink a little to see if it was the alcohol. sometimes I felt it after drinking but sometimes I didn't. I stopped drinking again when the pain wouldn't go away and eventually went to the ER when the pain spread to my chest to which I got diagnosed and treated for heartburn. They gave me medication that "reset" my stomach... Whatever that means, but that actually made both chest and side pain go away. I went home feeling normal again and was told to not drink alcohol, coffee or eat spicy foods... I didn't believe it was heartburn so I kept drinking coffee and eating spicy food but held back on the alcohol. Once again when I realized it wasn't the coffee or spicy foods I began to drink beer again. Nothing. No pain no pressure.... But I had one glass of wine one night and the pain and pressure was back. I stopped drinking wine, but continued with the beer and I would drink wine here and there and had the same issue. I realized that my pain and bulge coincided with the wine drinking. I have a cousin who said was allergic to wine. Whenever she drank it she would bloat, I let her know what I was feeling when i drink wine and she said it's the same thing that she feels... Haven't drank wine since... Haven't felt pain or pressure since.
So if you drink wine and haven't gotten your issue resolved any other way, try cutting the wine and see if that fixes it. Hope this helps someone ^-^
janet67041 kit4410
Posted
Hi All, Found this thread googling this feeling. It's very hard to describe to people, but you all have done it perfectly. Feels exactly like when I was pregnant and my son had his foot under my right rib. I also notice that I have a cold feeling in the center of my rib cage, guess that's upper stomach. I've had this feeling in the past but it's never lasted more than a day or so. But now I've had this feeling for the last 4 weeks. At times the pressure actually feels like it's spreading my right rib cage out. It's not there constantly, but it does seem as if there is something under my right rib. No pain, just pressure. However, I do notice that it seems to get worse if I'm worrying about it. It never bothers me at night, but when I get up in the morning, it's there. I have acid reflux, had my gall bladder removed several years ago, have taken PPI's in the past, but stopped when I felt better. Now I notice my reflux is back so I've went back on OTC PPI. But so far after 2 weeks, still have reflux and the feeling under my ribs. My BM's are all over the place since I've had my gall bladder removed, so I can't tell if that is abnormal, so I'm thinking it's something to do with reflux - I'm very glad I found this thread as I thought I might be crazy! This does make me feel much better seeing so many people with exactly the same thing I'm experiencing. I'm 55 non drinker, non smoker, about 25 lbs over weight. I have a Dr. appt. in a couple of days, but I'm not holding out hope that they find the cause.
kikoi kit4410
Posted
I had the same issues and was finally diagnosed with slipped rib syndrome. The 11th and 12th ribs have detached and cause intermitant pressure and inflamation below my right rib cage as they move where they should not be. It is worse when I sit for long periods or bend over a lot. After trying PT, injections, chiropractors, etc...I am finally having the two ribs removed. Try going to a thoracic surgeon. There are several things that can cause similar pain including Costochondritis, or thoracic outlet syndrome (but the pain is higher and spreads into your arms).
janet67041 kikoi
Posted
Thanks for getting back to us. At least you now have a diagnosis. I went to the Dr. and he seemed more concerned with my acid reflux and esophagus. He pressed around my right side but seemed dismissive of what I've been feeling. I will say that I'm a school secretary and I do notice that when I'm sitting for long periods of time, it seems to be worse. If I'm upright and active I do not really notice it as much. My Dr. wants me to have a barium swallow test for my reflux, I guess I will do that next. I've noticed that many people who complain of these symptoms have acid reflux... not sure if that's a coincidence. The weirdest thing is there is not really any pain, just discomfort. If this continues, I will keep trying to find answers for myself. Thanks again!
Rothwell kit4410
Posted
i have the same thing. have had it for 2 years. lots of tests done n nothing shows up.
I don't no what to do anymore
kikoi Rothwell
Posted
try going to a thoracic specialist or surgeon and ask them to test for slipped rib syndrome. i just had surgery last week and they found three slipped ribs and three hernias. I am only one week post OP - too early to tell if that pain is gone as the post surgery healing is very painful.
alison242 kikoi
Posted
thank you kikoi ill speak to my gp get him to refer me.
Cindisu kikoi
Posted
Would you mind sharing the name of the specialist you saw? I'm guessing not many doctors are aware of this issue or can correctly diagnosis it since many of us here have the same symptoms and cant seem to find a doctor who can fond out what's wrong with us.