Right side pain

[North34]

Hey guys,

For the last week or so i been having mild pain on my right side between my back and abdomen... Right at the bottom of my rib cage. Had blood tests and ultrasounds done in January which all came back fine besides a few benign spots on my gallbladder. I been having stomach issues since the fall.. My bowel movements have been all messed up.. Sometimes solid sometimes a bit of both... (Sorry TMI) . My couch isnt the greatest and i been falling asleep on it the last 2 weeks or so.. I also work on a computer all day and my posture isnt the greatest.  I feel it when i cough or push on the area. Any idea what it could be.. I dont want to run to my doctor every symptom i get. Thanks in advance

[LindaRK]

Can't believe you've had 17 views and no responses.  I'll take this one on, I guess, since I've had "right side pain" recently.

Mine started 5 months ago - I was pulling weeds while bent over and probably strained a muscle.  But, it didn't show up right away.  It would come and go.  Of course, I read into it - let it go for month, then finally went to the doc and she poked and prodded and said if it didn't improve in 4 weeks to check out PT.  It didn't get better - went back in and she immediately ordered a CT scan.  Now, also during this time I was seeing an accupuncturist for something else ..... (keep this in mind).

So, the CT scan was rejected by my insurance company (a good thing at the time, but I didn't know it) .... so she referred me to a GI doc.  Spent a little over an hour with him and he didn't think it was a gastro issue at all (I don't have an appendix or gallbladder anymore and I'm very familiar with my IBS symptoms).

No, back to accupuncture.  My accupuncturist (who is also a medical doctor) worked on my gallbladder channel (nothing to do with the gallbladder) for my side pain.  Over the course of the week, it came and went - the usual.  Then, I went in and did my blood test that the GI doc ordered - the lab lost my results, BUT in the interim I went back to my accupuncturist and told her I was still having discomfort and she did work on my liver channel (has nothing to do with the liver).  All during this time I had bookmarks on my Kindle for liver tumors, costochronditis, gastritis, kidney this and stomach that.  You name it.  I wasn't worried, I was just doing my homework, just in case.  I'm a serious Googler and don't generally get carried away - I take it in stride and just want to be somewhat educated if something came up.

Well, low and behold, the next day after my accupuncturist did work on my liver channel, I felt incredibly better, so much so that I started doing things I didn't do before because of the pain.  I can still feel a tiny, tiny bit there, but for the most part it's gone.  She said my qi (pronounced chi) was jammed up in my liver channel, which is pretty common for people with anxiety and those dealing with stress.

That being said (sorry for the long post and explanation) ..... if you've had your gallbladder checked out, your appendix is okay ...... I wouldn't read into this.  It could be purely muscular, or as what happened with me, my qi was jammed.  Yeah, I know - new age stuff, who would believe it.  I still don't and I'm waiting for the shoe to drop .... LOL!

[kazoo]

I vote for IBS.  I have had mild right side pain (more like slight discomfort) that comes and goes for, oh, 13 years or so.  It tends to go away at night, and after meals for a little while, but it's there every day.  I just don't notice it much any more because I am so used to it.

I had tests when it first showed up, but nothing was found, which is pretty much the hallmark of IBS.  IBS is very common, and especially so in anxious people.

[LindaRK]

IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion - could very well be if nothing else shows up.  Too bad they can't come up with a test for IBS ...... other than getting our stress managed.

[Slangevar]

I've been having all the same symptoms (and have on and off), and had the same normal ultrasound and blood tests.

I sort of suspected it might be gallbladder dysfunction, which is common with the western diet and wouldn't show up on an ultrasound. But the pain was never bad enough to convince me to get a HIDA scan. (And I wasn't sure the diagnosis would help anyway, since many people who get their gallbladders removed still wind up with pain and digestive issues.)

So I looked around for "gallbladder diets" and came across this site: http://www.gallbladderattack.com/gallbladderdiet.shtml   

Near the bottom, there's a recipe for a beet mixture (one grated beet + olive oil + lemon juice), which they recommend eating alone or over a salad.  I made a salad with cucumbers, avocado, canned salmon, lettuce, the beet mixture and vinaigrette. It tasted great and - I'm not exaggerating - my pain was almost gone the next day. I ate it again for lunch that day and the pain was totally gone the next.  I haven't felt the pain since. I've also had pretty normal bowel movements since those salads.

[LindaRK]

Wow, that's interesting!  That salad sounds good anyway and maybe just eating those extra vegies helped - or maybe your brain grasped onto that thought ..... who knows.  Just that it worked for you is good enough, right? 

If you've had any surgeries, adhesions could also be the cause and there's not alot you can do with that - maybe have surgery to repair the adhesions, but then there is the possibility of developing more.

[msgb98]

I would suggest you look at Trigger points from posture.
I have pains on the sides when I sit improperly at the desk or computer or even just watching tv.
Also there are pains when I wake up wrong.

[Slangevar]

The salad is surprisingly good... I thought I hated beets, but I like them in that. 

And I think it really is the ingredients that help.  I'm a big veggie eater, but I've never had the overnight change that the salad & beets provoked.

[LindaRK]

I like beets, too, but LOVE pickled beets.  I imagine this recipe isn't for pickled beets though. Dang!

[Slangevar]

Nope... only fresh, raw beets.   

[trainwreck]

I would suggest you look at Trigger points from posture.
I have pains on the sides when I sit improperly at the desk or computer or even just watching tv.
Also there are pains when I wake up wrong.

I had the same thing (still do) on and off. I realized I lean a little to one side while one the computer.  If I fix my posture, it tends to go away.

[vardnas]

I would suggest you look at Trigger points from posture.
I have pains on the sides when I sit improperly at the desk or computer or even just watching tv.
Also there are pains when I wake up wrong.

Agreed. That is where the majority of my anxiety-fueled "problems" came from.

[North34]

Thanks for the replies guys.. really appreciate it.. Think I will try that salad.. I had a few good days.. today I woke up with my stomach rumbling and some loose BMs.. I noticed a few times over the last few weeks there was some undigested food in my stood.. like leafy greens.. I never had a stool sample done.. I had blood on the outside of my stool a few times over the years but it was  bright red.... Sometimes colon cancer plays on my mind.. But hoping its just IBS.. Guess I need to watch my diet.. its hard tho.. I do smoke but need to quit also.

[Ihadcancer]

Gallbladder sludge doesn't show up on an ultrasound but can cause the same symptoms. 

[North34]

Hey guys,

So im having a bad day.. Woke up with nausea.. Gagged over the toilet for a few minutes.. Then up came some white foam.. Mouth is pasty... It all started again yesterday.. Felt lightheaded, all i ate yesterday was a piece of toast late lastnight when i got home from work... Smoking alot.. Think i will get patches today and quit..  Still have the pain in my right lower rib area.. Feel i mostly when i move or cough.. Just have myself freaked out again.. Always worried something is going to happen and leave my wife and 4 kids behind.. Hate feeling like this.

[LindaRK]

If you're having pains when you move and cough, it could very well be costochronditis .... fairly minor, but see a doc (muscular/cartilage related).

[trainwreck]

Hey guys,

So im having a bad day.. Woke up with nausea.. Gagged over the toilet for a few minutes.. Then up came some white foam.. Mouth is pasty... It all started again yesterday.. Felt lightheaded, all i ate yesterday was a piece of toast late lastnight when i got home from work... Smoking alot.. Think i will get patches today and quit..  Still have the pain in my right lower rib area.. Feel i mostly when i move or cough.. Just have myself freaked out again.. Always worried something is going to happen and leave my wife and 4 kids behind.. Hate feeling like this.

Here is what I am reading.  You are worried about a pain in your side.  You have had weird bowel movements, you mentioned blood and undigested food and now you are worried about colon cancer.  To the point you are obsessing about it.  Now the anxiety from the obsession is fueling more anxiety and making your stomach worse, confirming your fears that you have a serious illness. 

It is the EXACT same thing I went through a month or so ago.  I went to the doctor, he poked around and said he wasn't worried about it.  He didnt order any tests, didnt even do bloodwork.  He said it was a muscular issue that would resolve over time. But may come back.

At this point it might be a good idea to see your doctor if you can't keep the anxiety under control.  I have no belief at all that anything is wrong with you.  Every symptom you have can easily be directly attributed to anxiety.

If you are like me, you are hoping it just passes and goes away because you know in the back of your mind that when you go to the doctor, they are going to order a million tests and the tests are going to show that you were right all along.  So it is better to wait it out.  But from what you are describing, this anxiety is ruining your life.  As Sixpack like to say, anxiety is a liar.  And it is lying to you right now and you are falling for it. 

[North34]

Thanks again guys.. Really appreciate it.. My day got a little better while at work keeping my mind occupied.. One quick question tho... I have these small blanchable dots on my arms and the top of my hand.. Left hand top is the one i notice the most.. And another same hand came noticable recently.. They dont hurt or not raised.. Any ideas on that one??

[North34]

Good morning all..

Not feeling so bad today but its still in the back of my mind.. Lately hands are quite red and shiny.. It is the end of winter.. So possibly dry skin?.. Sorry for asking so many questions but coming here is 100x better then asking google

[LindaRK]

Because of your heightened anxiety, you're going to focus on any little thing that might look "different" to you ...... whether or not it has to do you with your "right side pain".  You will start attributing everything to that particular pain and think it has something to do with it.

Stop that cycle now.  Get up and start moving - focus on stimulating your brain doing something physical or mental or you will continue down this destructive path.

[mollyfin]

Ack replied to wrong thread.  Anyway yes, sounds like dry skin.

[trainwreck]

Good morning all..

Not feeling so bad today but its still in the back of my mind.. Lately hands are quite red and shiny.. It is the end of winter.. So possibly dry skin?.. Sorry for asking so many questions but coming here is 100x better then asking google

Could be dry skin, could be tons of incidental things.  But I will tell you this.  My wife can tell when I am stressed because my complexion gets blotchy.  When my brother was ill, I developed stress related psoriasis. I had muscle twitches so badly that in my cheeks they were visible to other people.  I had red spots all over my body.  My doctor actually said this to me..."Your brother is dying. Stress is taking it's toll on you. When he dies, it will clear up". 

4 months later my brother died. 1 month after my brother died, I was spot free. I still get the occasional twitch like everyone else, but that is pretty normal.   Never underestimate what chronic stress can cause.

[North34]

Thanks for the replies.. Its hard to believe this is all stress related.. Yesterday i started the patch to hopefully quit smoking... So far so good... Still have a mild discomfort/pressure feeling on my lower right side closer to back... Had a bowel movement the morning and there was a red streak on it.. Kinda looked like blood.. Never ate anything red yesterday i dont recall.. Also the movement is dark brown and changes to light borwn at the end.. Sorry tmi..

[NeverAgain1]

Thanks for the replies.. Its hard to believe this is all stress related.. Yesterday i started the patch to hopefully quit smoking... So far so good... Still have a mild discomfort/pressure feeling on my lower right side closer to back... Had a bowel movement the morning and there was a red streak on it.. Kinda looked like blood.. Never ate anything red yesterday i dont recall.. Also the movement is dark brown and changes to light borwn at the end.. Sorry tmi..

Believe that it is all stress related.  I too had the dreaded right-sided pain, but at the time did not recognize that I had a stress problem, and had had stress related physical symptoms for decades.  The best thing to do is to gain an understanding of what anxiety does to every person's body (in one way or another) and then take steps to learn how to deal with anxious and obsessive thoughts that come to all of us.  That is the way to rid yourself of the problem of overly sensitive to bodily sensations and entering the land of "What if?". 

BTW, what is probably happening to you physically is the result of the flight or fight reflex that we all have.  For years you probably have been tightening your abdominal muscles unconsciously, and they have begun to stay contracted, which in turns pulls your body downward from the chest and shoulders and neck and upwards from your pelvis and legs. 

Practice belly breathing, especially when it feels tight beneath your rib.

[North34]

Hey guys.. Sorry to bother again.. But the last 3 days i and having things dull weird pain on the top of my head.. Eye sight seems kinda messed up.. And feel dry... I work on a computer 8 hours a day..I started the patch on Sunday and never had a smoke since.. Just not sure what this pain is.. I take an advil seems to go away for a short time but comes back.. Could it be strain or tension.. Never had this before.. Atleast not that i can remember