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Unknown abdominal pain
Hi I am a 24 year old female I have been having upper right and left abdominal on and off consistently since Aug 2021. I have also lost 30 lbs so far since then without a major appetite change. So far MRI, CTA, colonoscopy, endoscopy have all came back normal. I had a duplex ultrasound done which showed narrowing in a couple of the arteries in my abdomen but the CTA and MRI didn’t show anything. What do I do next.
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Hi @amm97, You'll see that I moved your post to the previous post you published about the same problem and I added it to the digestive group so you can reach both groups, but only have to follow one conversation. Are you currently on any medication?
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1 ReactionWe’ve tried a list of different medications and nothing has worked. The only medicine I’m on is Prilosec and I’ve been on that for 3 years and use it to prevent acid reflux.
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1 ReactionIt sure sounds like you have Abdominal Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome. It’s relatively easy to diagnose. First take the Carnett test. It is shown on YouTube. If it shows positive next is to get trigger point shots into the pain area. The shots only gives temporary relief. Third and final step is surgery to cut the nerves causing the pain. There is a surgeon in Phoenix, Dr Thomas Gillespie, who does perform this surgery Robotic Laparoscopically. It’s a relatively “simple” 30 minute procedure. I had this done on me 9/2/2021. Left hospital CURED. I’d be happy to discuss with you. Jeff
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1 ReactionI’ve tried the carnettes test and it was negative. But will still look into it.
Have the same problem ——Gaul bladder taken out —no change. (nothing wrong with GB)
Nothing visible on ultrasound or MRI. Trigger point injections give me some 80%
relief for 4 to 6 months.
My gallbladder was taken out due to it not functioning, it was only functioning at 18%. Up until this point I’ve had no problems except I used to get diarrhea after eating something fatty.
@amm97 - A 30 lbs weight loss is significant, no appetite change- do you eat the same amount of food and type of food?
Do you know if the Duplex ultrasound showed a significant narrowing of a couple of arteries? Do you know which arteries are involved?
Even though the CTA and MRI didn’t show any abnormalities I’m still not convinced that all is well.
Did they explain MALS to you? It’s Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome. It’s rare, but we are quite a few here on Connect that have been treated for it.
There is a ligament that originates in the diaphragm- median arcuate ligament- that can compress the celiac artery in the intestinal blood supply. This means that the intestines don’t get enough blood flow for digestion- also causing severe pain when this happens.
Maybe you can ask for a review of that testing or even repeat the CTA. A vascular surgeon would know.
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2 ReactionsI might be eating a smaller amount at meal times but still the same food. The duplex ultrasound sound narrowing of the celiac and sma. I’ve actually researched MALS quite a bit and I think this is still a possibility even though the CTA doesn’t show it. A vascular surgeon told me that the CTA doesn’t show it and that he doesn’t think it’s MALS. The surgeon said that the ultrasound isn’t reliable because it’s “operator dependent”. But the research I’ve done said that the duplex ultrasound may replace the CTA someday.
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1 Reaction@amm97 - Your research is correct! The duplex ultrasound has replaced CTA in many places.
At my last follow up at the university medical center where I had my MALS surgery, I was told they are changing to duplex ultrasound for my next follow up. This happened quite a while ago.
Maybe you could look for a university medical center that are skilled in evaluating MALS?
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3 ReactionsThat is probably going to be my next step.
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