Medical question

[HyfighStereo]

I was trying to find a cause for a symptom I've been experiencing for the past few weeks and thought I would ask on the forum to see if anyone had any medical experience or may have just experienced this symptom before. I hate having to go to the doctor for nothing, but the increased frequency is starting to worry me. I am having a sharp pain on my left side around the bottom two or three ribs. The pain is very locallized and closer to the front. The pain is not persistant and seems to flair up at random. It feels along the lines of a side stitch or a very hard pinch, but is on the wrong side and a little too high to be my liver. Anyone have any ideas?

[Takara]

Are you ever doing anything specific when you feel the pain?

It kind sounds like a Runners Cramp (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/59/66860.htm).

Could be kidney stones, but you'd feel that closer to the (back) other half of your torso. Could be your gallbladder.

My advice. GO TO A DOCTOR (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/78/95806.htm).


4. Sharp Pain in the Abdomen

All the metaphors apply -- knife in the gut, bullet in the belly, skewer in the stomach -- except this attack is from within.

The condition: Take your pick. Since the area between your ribs and your hips is jam-packed with organs, the pain can be a symptom of either appendicitis, pancreatitis, or an inflamed gallbladder. In all three cases, the cause is the same: Something has blocked up the organ in question, resulting in a potentially fatal infection. Exploding organs can kill a guy. See a doctor before this happens.

The diagnostics: If the pain is in your lower-right abdomen and your white-blood-cell count is up, says Dr. Kra, it's probably appendicitis (out comes the appendix). Pain in your upper abdomen with high white blood cells usually spells an inflamed gallbladder (goodbye, gallbladder). And if it hurts below your breastbone and certain enzymes in the blood are elevated, then pancreatitis is probably the culprit. (The pancreas stays, but a gallstone may be blocking things up. If so, the stone and the gallbladder may have to come out.)

[HyfighStereo]

It's for sure not a Runners Cramp as I haven't noticed the pain flair up while I work out. The problem with that is, again, that the pain seems completely random. I can be up in the kitchen cooking dinner, at my computer at work, or lying down in bed. I know it's not appendicitis as that pain is in the lower abdomen, and is a crippling pain. It isn't my kidney's because that would be mid torso and more towards the back, as you already suggested. It's possible that it's my pancrease, however I don't honestly think it is because my stepfather is currently going through a bout with gall stones and pancreatitis. The pain he described put him to the floor in a matter of about an hour (it started small and gradually increased). This pain is the same consistant level of pain when it hits, will last for a few moments (no longer than fifteen seconds) but is not crippling. It's only enough pain to make it slightly uncomfortable to breath.

[Breandan]

question one- do you sit at a desk a lot?
question two- do you sit straight upright or do you slouch a bit?

If the answer to both is yes (Gods this is starting to sound like one of those Scientology questionaires...), then what you have is pretty common, and is a form of muscle cramp/twinge that is caused by bad seating posture and the like. Has something to do with the floater ribs shifting and the muscles getting rolled in uncomfortable ways. Best cure for that is to start sitting up straight, get a good chair, and do a lot of ab workouts.

[HyfighStereo]

question one- do you sit at a desk a lot?

I live at a freakin computer desk. My eight hour work day consists of me sitting at a desk for at least 6 hours per day.

question two- do you sit straight upright or do you slouch a bit?

Not really. I'm VERY fidgetty and don't sit in the same position for more than ten minutes. Typically I do not slouch, but if sitting up straight starts to get uncomfotable, I will slouch.


If the answer to both is yes (Gods this is starting to sound like one of those Scientology questionaires...), then what you have is pretty common, and is a form of muscle cramp/twinge that is caused by bad seating posture and the like. Has something to do with the floater ribs shifting and the muscles getting rolled in uncomfortable ways. Best cure for that is to start sitting up straight, get a good chair, and do a lot of ab workouts.

It really does feell like a cramp for the most part. That's why I am so hesitant to visit my doctor. I'm just weary, because like I said the frequency has been increasing and it is so comlpetely random. Come to think of it though, my other cramps have always been at random. Maybe I'll try to increase my potasium intake...

[Raphael]

Okay. Bluntly? Go to the doctor. You've had this pain for a few weeks, this is red flag number two. Red flag number one is the location of the pain and the severity.

Stop trying to find an excuse to not go and just go. As Takara said, that area of your body is packed with vital organs. In this sort of instance you should assume the worst and not pass it off as just some cramp, because that can come bite you in the ass.

[Ambrya]

The location you described is the wrong area for the gallbladder anatomically, but pain can be radiated or referred to other areas so I wouldn't rule it out, as episodes that I thought were back spasms for the past several months turned out to be gallstone attacks that resulted in the removal of my gallbladder two weeks ago tomorrow.

I'll describe my experience and if it sounds even remotely similar, you may want to talk to your doctor and maybe get an ultrasound to check. For several months, every few weeks, I would get pains in my back off to the side, it basically felt like someone was trying to wedge a broomhandle between my ribs, and it would come and go in waves. I'd suffer with it the better part of a day or so, then it would go away. Sometimes it felt like the pain shot around my ribs so that I could feel it in the front in the place where the gallbladder actually lives, but it felt like it was originating in my back.

The penultimate attack, which ended up landing me in the emergency room started off also feeling like it was coming from my back, but after a couple hours, I was feeling nauseous and the pain had moved fully around to the gallbladder area and become quite acute. I'd already known I had gallstones thanks to an ultrasound done the previous year for another reason, but as they had never been a problem until that one incident, I hadn't really thought about them until that next to last attack when the pain finally ended up in the front, just slightly right of center.

Gallstones are more commonly a problem for women than men, because of the effect estrogen has on your cholesterol, but it is by no means uncommon for men to experience them either.

So, just because the pain isn't in the actual area of the <whatever> doesn't mean that the problem isn't actually the <whatever>. Trust me, I learned this one the hard way. I'd get it checked out, especially if the pain seems to "radiate" to another area.

[HyfighStereo]

OK, I'll go to the doctors on Friday (I already have the day off as I am being tested for allergies so I can start getting shots in order for me to allow my wife to get a dog) and see what he thinks. Thanks for everyones imput. Ambrya, that pretty much hits the nail on the head as far as the explination of the pain.

[Dannalyn]

I second what everyone else says...see a doc. I put off going to the doctor for a few weeks and had a pain in my side. Come to find out it was an infection in my stomach lining, this is usually caused by bad eating habits (with kids I tend to make easy foods during the summer for lunch....apparently made too many of them this summer lol) had to stay in the hospital overnight but we all learn our lessons.

[Wooleen Shadowraith]

My vote goes on gallbladder. I had the same thing, and what was wrong..

I had gallstones (duh) one became lodged in the neck of the gallbladder, where it became stuck and collected all kinds of gunk and started an infection.

Your symptoms are very similar to the gallbladder attack that I once have. Go ASAP.

[Diminion]

I've had similar pains on both sides of my abdomin. Had a pain on my right side in about the same spot your describing on your left. Went to the doctor. Got blood work and MRI and luckly everything looked fine. Pain lasted another two weeks after the MRI and then went away. I had the pain for almost three months.

I've also had a similar pain on my left side. But has never lasted more then acouple days.

I would go to the doctor if it turns out to be nothing atleast you will feel better about it.

I found looking up suggestion online like webMD and found they just made me worry more. It seems they like to list EVERYTHING that could possibly be wrong, from the littlest of problems to worst case stuff (Kinda demoralizing and reassuring everything you've been fearing) :/ :

Gas.
Pulled Muscle.
Pinched Nerve.
Ulser.
Stones.
CANCER.
CANCER.
CANCER.
Rare Fatal Uncurable Desease.
etc.

Go to the doctor chances are its nothing.

[Tarnagh]

On the left side it's also possible the pain is diverticulitis. Ruptured diverticulitis is a fancy way of saying your intestines have 'sploded :(

Or it could just be a popped rib. I had a MD years ago that had also done chiropractic and was great at popping me back together when I'd spunged a rib.

Regardless, good luck at the doctors, even if it ends up being "nothing" better safe than sorry!

[HyfighStereo]

So I went to the doctor. He believes it to be cramps or maybe a minor kink in my intestine. He said if the problem persists to come back. Since the post I haven't had very many problems so whatever it was, I think it's gone now...

Thank for your help all!

[Mordican]

Almost sounds like something I did a few years back. I had a minor stress fracture to one of my low ribs on the right side. Would only bother me if I went into a certin position. Some of the muscles around it were a little strained and that took a while to get over too. If it starts to hurt really quickly maybe trys ome gental streching to see if that helps. Its what I had to do for a while.