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
yvonne30911 kit4410
Posted
Hi kit4410,
I thought I was going crazy. I called it my Alien baby. I'm 53 and fully post menopausal so I know I'm not pregnant. I have all the same symptoms as you. Such discomfort when wearing a bra, sitting in the car, even laying flat on my back or on my right side. The pain and discomfort is so severe sometimes that it wakes me up at night. My GI doctor sent me for an abdominal ultra sound to check my liver, gallbladder, pancreas and kidneys. They found a cyst on my liver that he wasn't concerned with and all else looked normal. No gall stones. He sent me for a Hida Scan with CCK on Tuesday and just called me with the results. My gallbladder is functioning perfectly. Next he said will be a CAT Scan. He says it's probably IBS. Please, has anyone been diagnosed with what this truly is? This has been going on since January 2020 for me! I'm so tired of all these tests and scans. Any and all information will be truly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
tzumi56935 kit4410
Posted
Hi,
These are similar to what I've been feeling.
I have this weird discomfort just below my ribs.
It doesn't cause too much pain but it's just uncomfortable. Gets worse when I sit down.
Got my bloodwork done and it came out normal. My GP said it could be acid reflux so I'm taking PPI's daily.
I don't get heartburn but I do sometimes have this burning feeling below my ribs.
I've been belching a lot too.
I'm planning to visit a gastro soon but I'm just not sure what this could be.
It increases my stress levels too 😦
melissa55323 kit4410
Posted
Same here! All started about 5 weeks ago when I started working out again. I have epigastric pain and right rib cage discomfort with right flank and back pain. Labs, Xrays and Ultrasounds came back clear but EGD did show a 1cm Hiatus Hernia and mild Gastritis. Been on Protonix for 2 weeks now. Anyone got some answers?
tzumi56935 melissa55323
Posted
Hi! It's the same for me. It started when I began working out again. I'm on medications but it's not helping much and I'm going crazy here 😔
melissa55323 tzumi56935
Posted
Did you see a gastroenterologist yet? I'm also seeing a Chiropractor 2 times a week now. He found multiple subluxations in my neck as well a misaligned rib.
tzumi56935 melissa55323
Posted
Yeah I visited a gastroenterologist yesterday and he prescribed some medicines and recommended an ultrasound. hopefully it'll clear up soon.
amber1620 tzumi56935
Posted
Hi Im having similar symptoms, feels like pressure under right rib. No pain, or anything to feel, just pressure like theres something there. I dont feel it when lying down or standing. going for ultrssound.
tzumi56935 amber1620
Posted
yeah I don't feel it when standing or lying down either. it just feels uncomfortable when I'm sitting.
I'm going for ultrasound too.
pls update here if u can!!
amber1620 tzumi56935
Posted
is your right side as well? Its reassuring that so many people are feeling the same on here its more common than you would think! I'll let you know how I get on.
tzumi56935 amber1620
Posted
yeah I feel it on the right side too but most prominently in the centre.
it's definitely reassuring to know that it's more common than what I thought initially!
amber1620 tzumi56935
Posted
Hi Ive had my ultrasound done, and all looking ok which is a relief ! Still got symptoms but trying to ignore them. let me know how you get on.
tzumi56935 amber1620
Posted
yeah definitely!
amber1620 tzumi56935
Posted
how are you getting on, did you have your scan yet?
Jodie12345 kit4410
Edited
i have exactly the same thing. All the same symptoms and all the same tests. noone onows what it is ☹ If anyone can shed light i would be grateful. ive been living with this for 3 years.
tia38592 Jodie12345
Posted
Hi Jodie, does yours feel like a clicking/pooping sensation when you move a certain way? Sometimes I would get a dull ache with it and feel the need to hold my hand there. When I went to my doctor she made me feel like I was imaging it. "a clicking" she said in a high pitched voice. It Could have been my own fault for not being able to describe it properly. But I find it hard to describe to someone. It also feels like an organ gets stuck under my rib and pops back out again,but I certainly wasnt going to say those words to her after her reaction to "clicking" 🙈 I know how ridiculous that sounds but it's the only way I can describe it.
NoName111 tia38592
Posted
Hi, hope the discomfort has already left. Since you posted this 7 weeks ago, I'm assuming you've been sitting a lot because of lockdown? I've had the same "popping" feeling just over my stomach when pushing with my thumb, still feel it sometimes, and went to see my doctor. She said it was the cartilages connecting the ribs to the sternum making that noise. She also said that it's due to extensive sitting (especially when bent over your stomach) and the pressure you might put on them. Anyway, if you can relate to this then I don't think it's bad, just spending more time on your feet, exercising and sitting upright should do the job to remove the discomfort from the pressure under your ribs and those popping sounds.
Also, I did have some minor aches when lying down or even sitting but nothing serious.
At first I thought it was an air or somehow a liquid bubble popping, lmao, but my doctor understood just by the popping sound.
veronica1981 tia38592
Posted
sounds like an annoying Dr!