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
Xanth68 kit4410
Edited
Hi everyone, I am having the same symptoms. Feels like a golf ball under my ribs. I had all my lab work done 5 weeks ago and all is normal. So I went in the Doc today and she ordered a CT Scan of my entire area (pelvic to upper chest). I hope to get in tomorrow and maybe have the results Friday, if not most likely have to wait until Monday, But I hope not, waiting all weekend will be a stressful. I am 51 male in very good shape and run 5 days a week I do not smoke or drink. I eat pretty healthy, but love my sweets. I am hoping it is just a muscle strain in my ribs, but the doc said gallbladder issues are way up the chart of possibilities before rib issues. I will post back on here Friday or Monday good or bad results. Just like someone else said it gets irritated when driving to work, Mine comes and goes. Could be there for a few mins or a few hours. Just an uncomfortable feeling, not really any pain at all.
kikoi Xanth68
Posted
I had my gall bladder removed about 15 years ago. A gall bladder attack feels VERY different from slipped rib Syndrome. Gall bladder attacks usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and agonizing pain.
With Slipped Rib Syndrome, there is usually a time that you can go back to where you had the first onset of pain and then after it comes and goes depending on your activity. For me, I felt horrible pressure and pain when I had internal shingles until finally I felt my rib cage kind of shift outward. After, I could not wear a bra, bathing suit, or anything that compressed because it hurt around my ribs too much.
With Slipped Ribs, l felt extreme pressure, at times it felt difficult to breath, I had swelling sometimes on the side where the ribs slipped, a feeling like there was something behind your rib cage - pushing it out. (that is actually inflamation and fluid) These symptoms were aggravated by sitting or bending over and became unbearable to the point of needing to lay down flat on my back. I could no longer sleep on my right side.
If you think it could be Slipped Rib Syndrome, I would contact Thoracic surgeons in your area and call offices until you find one that is familiar with it. You could just have strained the muscles around the thoracic area. You can also try finding a rib/pain specialist or chiropractor in your area that is familiar with it. It does not show in any scans. A doctor who is not familiar with it will waste a lot of time and money putting you through unnecessary scans and testing and then send you to another doctor for more testing. I was sent from the ER to a gastroenterologist, then a urologist, back to my primary care, to a gynocologist, then to a general surgeon, then finally to a rib/pain specialist after two years of not being able to sit for more than 10-15 min without discomfort.
Xanth68 kikoi
Posted
Hi Again,
Well I had the CT scan yesterday(pelvic/abdominal). I had to take Barium (It was not as bad as people say, it was white and berry flavored and took me about 5-6 mins to drink 450ml(about 15 ozs). It is like drinking thinned latex paint lol. I also had a IV put in for contrast. The good news is the only think they saw was a 3mm kidney stone on the right side(typical for me, I have had them before). No other masses or obstructions. So I am going to wait about 4-6 weeks and eat as healthy as I can(I already eat pretty healthy except I love my sweets, thats why I run 5 days a week haha). Then I will go see a gastro doc and maybe get the gallbladder text/scan. I also did not realize my office chair I sit in for hours and hours was crooked. I was tilting to the left since the phone was a few feet away from me. I could have been doing this for months . I have a new chair now and rearranged my desk. I am just trying to eliminate any other possible cause of the pressure by my ribs. I also do not think it is a slipped rib I can push on them hard and no pain at all. I will do an update in 4-5 weeks.
Vicktoria kit4410
Edited
Wow! [knock-knock] Anybody home? This is an old thread. But its the only one I've found that has my symptoms. I laughed when I read about being pregnant, because that's exactly how I described it to my husband. I told him, "My stomach feels like I'm pregnant...I'd freak if I was!". He said, "YOU? I'd freak more! Unless you found another, pregnancy would be impossible!"
OK, so i have the fullness under my right rib. Sometimes I get pain shooting into my back and up into my shoulder blade. I had pelvic floor surgery in 2016 because everything prolapsed. So I think that has something to do with it, since everything recently decided to fall out of place. I need another surgery, but what's the point?
let me go back and say I've struggled with anorexia my entire life. I'm on the heavy side now, weighing 105, so I think the weight gain might have something to do with it. I saw the slipped rib diagnoses, and my ribs do look odd. I feel like I need to lose my weight again, just so I can see my ribs to see if I'm right. But in my search for answers, this isn't the first time the subject of slipped ribs came up. My sister and her kids had gullbladders removed and she said its inherited. i need to call her, too.
I've also started eating Chia seeds and ground flax seeds. That's when this all seemed to begin. But it's also when I started gaining weight. I will be seeing a doctor shortly. I feel pain in my left side as well, and it seems to "crunch" when I push on them.
Boubou Vicktoria
Posted
on pantoprazole and it took care of the pain mostly.
candice43442 Vicktoria
Posted
Mine ended up being my gallbladder. Just had it removed. I am still having some difficulty with my back, but the back right pain, according to my doctor, was classic gallbladder. I had no stones or attacks. Mine was just not functioning correctly. I can wear jeans again! Just need to figure out what on earth is going on with my back (some of the back issues were alleviated with the gallbladder removal).
Boubou candice43442
Edited
i've had gallbladder out for many rears. dr didnt do tests but tried pantoprazole which got rid of most of the pain. I asked for what could be causing it, her reply, pill works, keep taking it. Could be ulcer or gastritis? same medication. she also said it could be a muscle pull from the reflux.
Neomeh candice43442
Posted
How did the doctor determine it wasn't functioning correctly? A HIDA scan?
candice43442 Neomeh
Posted
Yes. Less than 25% functioning. I start PT tomorrow for my back. We also have an old mattress and are replacing it this week. Just by rotating it (you aren't supposed to rotate it) it may have made me a smidge better last night. Who knows. Anyway, yes, a HIDA. No stones, no sludge.
kikoi Vicktoria
Posted
105 does not sound heavy enough to cause these problems. Slipped ribs can cause swelling and pain especially when bending over, sitting for long periods of time or with exercise. I had two ribs (the 11th and 12th) that were hitting each other. When they went to remove them they were actually hitting each other. A thoracic surgeon should be able to diagnose - scans or imaging usually show nothing.
polski2003 candice43442
Posted
What was the level of your pain and was there any correlation to food?
My gallbladder is not functioning either but food doesn't seem to have any effect and the pain is more of an annoying discomfort. Would always show up when sitting for a long time, or leaning against my back in the car.
candice43442 polski2003
Posted
it was far more discomfort than actual pain. Some of it was anxiety induced, I think now that i look back and have many instances of anxiety since. Also, I have a significant right shoulder injury that impacts a lot of my right side/spine/breastbone and gets worse with stress. i definitely had pressure from my gall bladder but i had many factors going at once.
rhondajj kit4410
Edited
i have the exact thing going on. mine has been going on for 5 or more years. is getting worse right now. i have had soooo many test's done. shows nothing. thought for sure it was gull bladder. had that removed. still have problem.i can't believe someone else has same problem. its good to know. but am sick of this going on. i now am having trouble getting food down. dull pain in side and the thing under rib cage seems big. i havent worn a bra for years. i have another endoscopy scheduled . am praying for answers. i will keep you posted. please if you find anything let me know. thanks
kikoi rhondajj
Posted
Ask to be tested for MALS and slipped rib syndrome. I had both of those after I had shingles - internal and external. There is a MALS specialist in CT named Dr Hsu. For slipped rib syndrome, I would suggest seeing a thoracic surgeon who is familiar with it.
rhondajj kikoi
Posted
I did go to a new chiropractor back in May who told me I have a rib out of place. so that makes sense