Pain In Abdomen Below Left Rib Cage

Hi guys,

So I wanted to post this because after trying diagnose myself through the internet, I noticed that this problem is more common than one would think. So let me start with day one.

In mid May, I got a really bad cramp in the left side of my abdomen below the rib cage. The cramp was so bad that I was basically in bed rest for the rest of the night, unable to get up from my bed. I didn't think anything of it so I decided to sleep it off. The next morning that same area felt like it had a really bad bruise. Days went by and this bruise feeling did not go away. After a week in a half of no improvements I became worried. The pain was fluctuating between soreness, burning sensations, and sharp pains. I did want to point out that this pain would go away when I was active or standing up. Also, the pain was more intense in the evenings after getting home from work (I have a desk job btw). It was when I was sitting down that the pain would bother me. At first I thought it was kidney stones. I started taking supplements to help pass them but after a CT scan (done in beginning of July) everything came out clean. After, I decided to give it some more days since my doctor told me maybe I passed them already or they were too small to see with CT scan. Days went by and nothing was getting better. I went to a new doctor towards the end of July since I felt that my previous doctor was no help and not pursuing other options for this issue I had. The new doctor asked me to get another CT scan done but with Contrast this time and also blood work. Everything came out clean. At his point the doctor said to rule out kidney stones or anything serious. That's when I was sent to a Gastro specialist. Now we are around late August. The specialist was no help either, had no idea what I was talking about when I explained my symptoms. He gave me some medicine to help with stomach acid fluctuation thinking that might be the issue. After weeks of taking the medicine there were no changes. At this point I felt desperate because I felt that I was going nowhere and this pain was lowering my quality of life and making work miserable for me. Towards the end of September the pain for some reason shifted from my abdomen to my back. The next step from the specialist was an endoscopy but I decided to pursue other options since the pain changed and didn't want to pay for an expensive procedure. And I do want to mention that occasionally through those past months I would feel light pain on my back parallel to the area that I was having pain on my front. This time the pain was more on my back than my front. So I decided to go to a Chiropractor to check me out. To my surprise the Chiropractor knew what I was talking about when I explained my symptoms. He told me that the initial cramp came from a muscle that is connected to my abdomen and wraps around to my back which is the reason the pains were parallel to each other. I have gained weight the past 2 years and haven't been much active that could have contributed to this issue. Anyways, after some adjustments and physical therapy it has been improving! There's no more pain on my front and now it's mostly on my back. The intensity and frequency of the pains have gone down. Currently I am still in treatment but finally feel relieved to have answers and to see improvements.

Hopefully anybody going through the same situation finds this thread and can use this information to help themselves. Many doctors won't pursue other means to find a diagnosis so sometimes you just have to take it upon yourself to figure out what is wrong with you.

Good luck!! If you have any questions let me know!

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