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severe pain in my upper abdomen
It has been a very rough month. I started having severe pain in my upper abdomen a week before Christmas. 2 days before Christmas I had my appendix removed and then 3 weeks later my gallbladder removed (they believed this to be the cause of all of my pain) ever since I have been having severe stomach pains that ate worse then the pains I started with. I have lost almost 22 pounds in a month due to the inability to eat and I feel as though I am wasting away. I am feeling so hopeless and so depressed and I just don't know what to do anymore because doctor's seem to be at a loss while my pain just keeps growing. I have never felt this down before and I don't know what to do about it
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I’m a 36 year old female. I have been experiencing pain in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen that radiates across to the mid left of the top of my abdomen. I have pressure and “fullness” there as well. I’m nauseous and have a pale colored stool. I have had a CT scan, ultrasound, and HIDA scan (95% ejection fraction) and the doctor says all is normal. But nothing is normal about how I’m feeling. I can’t even go to work. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for taking time to read this.
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2 Reactionsin reply to @allibug1227 Wow, I am sorry, but I am happy the diagnostic tests were otherwise normal. Could this be gas or something. I often have the same problem and it is relieved by over the counter pills. On the other hand, I recently had a chest x-ray for some upper right quad pain, and while my heart and lungs look great, I was disappointed that the radiologist did not address the very problem I complained about......oh well. No news is good news, I suppose. Best of luck
Here is an article from the NIH which talks about normal and hyperkinetic Gallbladder results on the HIDA scan:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8016577/#:~:text=A%20gallbladder%20ejection%20fraction%20of,and%20emptying%20of%20the%20gallbladder.
You may want to consider asking your doctor for a gastric emptying test for possible gastroparesis.
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1 ReactionI am sorry the cause of your pain wasn’t determined by those tests…
This is not medical advice.
If you have had Covid, your gastrointestinal problems could be caused by sarscov2, the virus that causes Covid.
Our guts have more ace2 receptors than our brains. Covid can do so many things to our guts, including destroy the gut blood barrier that protects us from our blood getting bad bacteria.
There are so many articles and studies about the damage that a “mild” case of covid causes to our guts. Vaccinated or not.
Here is the one of the many articles:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320524001243
There is a hypothesis that fermented foods can restore the gut biome. I started drinking kombucha. There are some flavors that are not completely awful.
“Long covid” or ongoing sarscov2 infection, has over 200 serious symptoms. The things that sarscov2 can and does do to the human body are quite terrible. Clots, micro-clots, liver damage, kidney damage, plaque in arteries, strokes, cardiac arrest, cancer, blood cancer, sepsis, maternal deaths, fetal deaths, brain stem damage, gut biome damage, appendicitis, pancreatitis, inflammation, aortic aneurysm…
Sarscov2 has been my “hobby” since 2020, and then I had a “mild” case of
Covid in Dec 22, and have never been the same. I was lucky to survive sepsis in summer 23. I have had a few cytokine level tests. Cytokine mcp-1 has been elevated since I had Covid, almost 2 years ago. This inflammation causes so many problems for me. Including what they call, bone pain. It’s excruciating.
I want everyone to be well. I don’t want anyone to have pain.
Please reach out anytime.
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1 ReactionHave you been to a gi Dr?? Sounds like you need motility testing as well as barium swallow and several others. I have had all of the same symptoms and more. Mostly excruciating pain in chest. Not heart related thank God. I was diagnosed with issues in motility in my esophageal muscles as well as a disease called Mals! This was first diagnosed with a cta of my lower abdomen. Then had to have all gi testing then a specialized ultrasound with breathing protocol to definitively diagnose with Mals. The motility testing diagnosed the esophageal issues. Hope this is helpful to you. Btw I had to advocate for myself every step of the way. Totally worth it. Good luck! Reach out to let me know how you’re doing. 😊🙏🏻
Upper right quadrant pain is a classic sign for gall bladder pain. I said it feels like a fist when sudden pain 1st hits. Then i feel punched the next 2 days, same area. Required cholecystectomy (gall bladder surgery). Hot baths to relax only leads to heating pad. Oh & a cough can get you on your feet in a minute to try to prevent it. MRI/MRCP in my chart for diagnosing gallbladder problem; mine had a stone.
I had MRI/MRCP & determined I needed gall bladder out. Classic tell tale sign is URQ pain. The pain comes on suddenly, out of nowhere. Can't pinpoint a movement, anything you've done differently to cause what feels a punch. I called mine a fist that felt bruised and tender, couple days following. Mine is still so bad attacks. I can feel it breathing some days. 5 y's after cholecystectomy. No gall bladder does not grow back. But all symptoms are still their. Dr said sometimes patients have to deal w that, the rest of their lives.
Things drs never tell you. & in 2019 diagnosed w gastroparesis & never told. I encourage you to get an app re provider, tests, labs,etc.
Have you ever looked up gastroparesis. This is when the stomach contents don't empty properly. You remain fuller for longer, sometimes days, and feel bloated and not hungry. Gastroparesis can cause pain, as well as vomiting and diarrhea that can lead to dry heaves that won't quit without going to ER for shots to stop it.