Abdominal Issues and Concerns

Hey I have had the same issue since Feb. Under my left rib it feels like something is pushing against it like a balloon. I have also experienced stabbing pains under my rib, to the left of my rib and back rib with shooting pains and back pain. I have had all the blood tests too. We did also do functional tests for the pancreas (elastase) and glucose testing. All normal and no explanation for pain, the only difference is I did get the MRI. I had an MRCP for my abdomen which showed iron deposits in my liver and pancreas. I also had a back MRI which showed some bulging discs. All doctors refuse to do anymore testing as it wont show anything more - I am worried the radiologists have missed something. I keep trying to get someone to take a second look but they wont… or say they did and saw nothing.

Anyway - push for additional testing, see other doctors. I have seen 4 so far and working on a 5th. Each one has had a different perspective and ideas for what to test.

My newest current GI is a pancreas specialist. He said it could be the result of an infection I had earlier this year but could not rule out chronic pancreatitis. Because I have no functional issues in addition to the imaging showing iron he isnt able to diagnose it. He recommended small meals, low fat, low sugar diet with antioxidant rich foods to help the pancreas heal. I am still trying to convince him to do an MRCP with secretin I am reading it is a good option for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis, but he says its not that much better… he said we will watch my glucose/a1c that and elastase changes can signal pancreas is struggling and we would do imaging again.

Changing my diet has helped but I still feel pain every now and then after a meal and the feeling under my rib is always there… best in the morning but still noticeable.

Wishing you the best.

My CT showed nothing whereas the MRCP did show the iron deposits, so its a muchhhh more sensitive test…

Thanks for the response and does sound like we are experiencing some very similar issues.
Interesting you mention it feeling like a "balloon", do you sometimes feel that sensation when you are lying on your left side? I am going to try and work with a GI doctor that specializes in the pancreas as well. Wishing you the best too and let me know if you learn anything more and I'll do the same on my end.

Yeah, so at first it was really bad. For example when I would wake up it felt like there was a balloon under my rib, I guess almost like just any foreign object that doesnt belong there. I could only sleep on my back and right side, because if I slept on my left it felt like something was moving around in there - a heaviness I can barely describe so when I went to flip from my left side to my back or right side it was extremely tense and I felt like I would hurt myself if I turned too quickly. So I turned very slowly and stopped sleeping on my left side. Its gone away now I can sleep on either side and roll over no problem. What I am experiencing now is I have this foreign object/balloon sensation just barely in the morning and the second I start eating the pressure builds under my rib. It gets progressively worse through the day. I am assuming this is inflammation… If I have a heavy meal, or eat something that doesnt agree then I get a tearing/shooting sensation on my left side rib and in the back where ribcage meets muscle/spine. I have been trying to get an appointment at a Mayo facility but its impossible, I call every week and every week I am told there are no appointments. I have blood tests and another new GI visit (I scheduled 3months ago) I will post back on what they say. Every specialist is booked 3-5 months out its nuts!

Does your rib get itchy or tingly? I get that too now and have neverrrr experienced that nor any of my current symptoms before.

I had insane anxiety about all this the first few months, but all 4 GI docs and my doc keep assuring me no cancer is visible in the scans. Its reassuring but not knowing what the heck this is, is very scary.

I still cant shake the feeling of “they have to be missing something, how can I feel this bad with no physical trace!”

I have read so many posts online and followed threads where people with the same issues were posting heavily on forums then suddenly they stop posting! Why! What happened to you!?

I don't have the itchy or tingly feeling, but your experience with sleeping is very similar to what I have been experiencing. I do at times feel like I am itching more than normal, but at the same time I think it very well could be in my head.

I am the exact same way with the anxiety. I have had multiple doctors assure me that there is nothing serious or no cancer, as they would be able to see it in the scans, but not knowing what the heck is going on easily lets your mind wander and think the worst.

You are right about the posts, lot of similar posts/threads, and often don't hear what happened. Not sure if what they found out was good news all things considered or not so good news.

Hopefully you can get some information from your new GI and glad to hear your pain is at least getting better. It sure is hard to get appointments, as I have had challenges getting appointments that aren't 2-3 months out.

I have somewhat similar issues. I am having pain mostly on my left side. It drives me out of bed in the mornings. I have the same problem with turning over at night. I have to do it slowly and sleep on my back for a while. I thought it was my kidneys or my back but no tests show any thing. I had hip X-ray, abdominal CT, and blood work done. Gyn showed nothing abnormal. All shows nothing. I am sure it is gastric related. I was taking omeprezal for GERD issues before all this started. Stopped that, but I am wondering if the med caused some gut bacteria imbalance. I take probiotics every day and have for years but it’s not helping. I have been taking Lactulose which does seem to help some. I am perplexed that my doc says it is not my liver ( cirrhosis) causing this. Luckily my day is usually pain free. Just nights of tossing and turning and pain in the morning making it difficult to get out of bed even. Once I move around, urinate, move some gas, things improve. There is definitely something wrong and I am not sure why tests don’t give any indication of what it is?? Going to try the Mayo diet to see if that helps. No red meat at present and careful to consume mostly fruits and vegetables. I think maybe the four to six small meals may help. Not losing any weight though. I will follow this thread to see what you all discover.

I had a similar problem. Pain on right side but no one knew why. Finally, after looking at my MRI, my old doctor said. you have a cyst on your kidney. Wait until it bursts, In the meantime, He suggested pain pills he prescribed. I think it burst, because after six months I feel so much better. I was told I had diverticulitis which I may have had, but still it took my old doctor to make some sense.

I'm still waiting but haven't felt it burst. Some days it hurts a lot, but other days, there is no pain at all. It's a mystery as to why I have the pain on my right side.

Thats interesting, I was put on omeprazole because they suspected an ulcer I was on it for two months and stopped taking it when the endoscopy showed no ulcer. I started to feel this pain in my rib the day after I started the omeprazole…not sure if this is a coincidence but I saw another post about a similar experience.