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Pain/discomfort under right rib cage.

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kit4410
kit4410

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?  

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  • Tpepperann5
    Tpepperann5 kit4410

    Posted

    I have had this charlie horse feeling when i bend down come and go for a couple of years now. It is NOT the gallbladder because i had it out in 2014. I was told I had a fatty liver several times. I do feel bloated when this happens. I am guessing it is a swollen liver, so I will ask dr to ultrasound it. I will keep informing. Thanks everyone!! 
    • ana28473
      ana28473 Tpepperann5

      Posted

      I don't know if you're male or female but have you ever considered asking your doctor about a pelvic US? I am having that done tomorrow to rule out some issues down in that area, which can cause pressure and in turn push your organs into your ribs. I am mostly concerned about ovarian cancer, which is typically undiagnosed.

  • pat87351
    pat87351 kit4410

    Posted

    Hello, 

    I realize this thread started two years ago, but see no conclusive diagnosis in any of the comments. kit4410  did you ever find out what the problem was? The description of what you went through, or are going through, matches my current experience almost exactly. I am wondering if anyone ever found a solution. 

    • ana28473
      ana28473 pat87351

      Posted

      I've been to my PCP many times, he is being excellent. They found a 1.5cm lesion on my liver but everything else looks normal (unremarkable). The lesion is not likely to be causing the discomfort I'm experiencing.

      I had a slightly elevated CA125 blood test result, which my doctor did to test for ovarian cancer. It is not high enough to indicate cancer, but possibly other things, like endometriosis. I am seeing a GI doctor today for the first time and having a pelvic U/S tomorrow to rule out any cysts/growth around there. My doctor said that just because the discomfort is under my ribs doesn't mean the issue is there... it could be pressure from other things below it.

      I will keep you all posted! I would recommend a pelvic US if you haven't had one done.

    • ana28473
      ana28473

      Posted

      I should mention I am a perfectly healthy, active 32 year old otherwise. This is my first time having medical issues in my life.
    • julie00347
      julie00347 ana28473

      Posted

      Yesterday I read through most of this thread then it occurred to me, not one of the posts did I see that anyone looked for help from their chiropractor.  I pulled out my own rib cage as best as I could yesterday and woke up with no symptoms.  I did go to my chiropractor today. We'll see if that helps. Good Luck!

    • cory_69604
      cory_69604 pat87351

      Posted

      Any answers on this? I’m experiencing the same thing word for word !
    • summer48219
      summer48219 cory_69604

      Posted

      Hi Cory - I have had all these same systems listed in this thread - only it's on my left side (most on here have stated right side.   Feels like a golf ball under your rib, sometimes like something is hung on my rib.   -I get that flutter feeling sparatically and charlie horses in it too.  After an MRI my doctor told me that it was an inflammation of the intercostal lining (the lining around your ribs). -and what I didn't realize is that there are nerves in the intercostal lining and if that nerve gets inflamed it can be very painful (I chalked it up there along with child birth & kidney stones!-it can get bad!).   They gave me pain meds when it got that bad but what they prescribed was meloxicam -daily (for inflammation) and I continue to take it about a month after the pain subsides.   It seems like it flares up with coughing when I get sick -or over exert in some way - it appears to just be weak in my system but Meloxicam is a simple solution that I start to feel relief with 4 to 5 days!   

    • gwen45436
      gwen45436 summer48219

      Posted

      Hi summer - I have this on the left side.  I call it Mr Crab is back.  It flares up.  I have HH/Reflux which I handle ok.  But this awful feeling like a crab is gripping under my left ribs gets me down - it just hangs on tight.  I feel relief only when I lie down in bed, then is disappears.  Defo flares worse when I am anxious.  Intercostal lining sounds interesting and the nerves being affected.  I have noted your meds for my doc. Good input.
    • david02868
      david02868 jane56559

      Posted

      Hello Jane, why do you think the symptoms are related to alcohol consumption? I am experiencing mostly the same discomfort described in this thread, I do drink regularly and have been told I have a Fatty Liver but my Liver Enzymes are all normal but I have wondered about the alcohol connections as well as the spine miss-alignment that others have mentioned?
    • jane56559
      jane56559 david02868

      Posted

      I also have the same symptoms as yourself, I have had problems with acessive alcohol use and was diagnosed with a fatty liver also, the main cause of the pain is your pancreas which becomes inflamed due to alcohol a course of antibiotics and laying off-the-wall booze works wonders xx

      Hope it helps hun.

    • ged06886
      ged06886 ana28473

      Posted

      Hi ana! I want to know your updates. I have endometriosis. This might be the cause of the pain and lump at the back of my lower right rib cage.

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