Hello all!

I'm hoping that someone can give me an idea of what this might be! For the past week I have been having a feeling like a lump or a "knot" in my upper left abdominal area, basically right to the left of my stomach by my ribs. It seems to happen after I eat or drink and lasts for a few hours. I'm at a loss as to what this could be...its not really pain, it just feels like all of a sudden a "knot" happens there and then my ribs in that area are sore. Sorry for the inability to truly express the sensation, but I can tell you it is starting to bother me!
Thank you to anyone who can possibly shed some light on this matter for me!!

I have something similar, but it's been going on nearly 4 months now, and I've been through a ton of tests. I still don't know - sorry I don't have any answers for you. I have had tests for heart and lungs and all kinds of things because this all started with sharp pain in my left side near the heart. No sharp pain since then, but now I have breathlessness most days, dull pain in upper left chest for 6 months straight (heart and blood tests are all normal), and the pain on my left upper abdominal area is just getting more consistent. More GI work is being done next. I also feel some pain in my back from all this. I'm hoping they find something soon - this is my first big health problem in my 31 years on this earth, and it's a real phychological beast - messes with your mind!

The only help I've found is some juice fasting seems to lessen the feeling, and eating less bread and junk food. Still can't find a real pattern to this though.

Joel,
Thanks so much for your reply. I too also have left sided chest pain, which I was told was not heart related. I also have pain in my left side rib cage. I have to agree with you it really does mess with your mind!!!! I just turned forty and have been extremely healthy and now I feel as if things are falling apart. This has been going on for almost a year and it all started with the left sided chest pain, which has waned but the side and ab pain are surely making up for it, hard to keep not sound like a hypochondriac when the pain is there 24\7. Please keep me posted if you should happen to find out what exactly this is or if anything relieves the pain and I'll do the same for you.


Once again...Thanks

absolutely! I have noticed as the months go by that I still have 2 problems which may also help:

1. I think there is a damaged area of rib cartilage somewhere near my heart that is causing the worst symptoms, but it doesn't seem to heal and it's not something provable (doc says costo-chondritis, but I'm not sure due to location relative to the heart).

2. I saw many people on another board (stomach disorders/GERD) talking about similar pain due to problems with GERD. Some said their symptoms are GERD related without having the normal symptoms. I'm going to head to a GI specialist during the next couple weeks when my insurance coverage changes. Hopefully I'll get some answers. You may want to check that post though on the other board.

Best of luck - you and I have very similar problems - hopefully one of us can help the other.

Two thought:
Top of colon...less serious
Pancreas...more serious.

Try a few days of Metamucil (or a cheaper psyllium),,,maybe 2 rounded tsps a day. If it's colon, that should take care of the problem.
IF it persists, then your doctor should have a look...maybe an echogram of the area.

I have the same pain on my left side. it's bloated on the left side of my back, and it feels like there's a ball in my side or something. Dcotors tell me I have IBS and so that's basically where my pain is coming from. All my tests come back fine as well. The thing is , I don't have the same symptoms as people with IBS. Sure I go to the bathroom but it's only in the morning that i go a lot. I'm not worried to leave my house cause if i get up and leave or do something, i don't go at all. I don't get sick anymore, and i probably go to the bathroom now twice a day compared to 5 times. I haven't gained any weight back (i lost 30 pounds in a week and now weigh 111lbs.) Before all my symptoms started (for them to say i had IBS) I had a cyst on my ovary and it burst. I'm wondering if that may have something to do with it. But my insides also feel like there very close together (like my ribs) it's just very uncomfortable for me to move or lie on my stomach. and then of course there;s the constant pain all day in my left side. if you have any ideas or know what your problem is, let me know. I gotta figure something out..

For the past week I have been having a feeling like a lump or a "knot" in my upper left abdominal area, basically right to the left of my stomach by my ribs. It seems to happen after I eat or drink and lasts for a few hours. I'm at a loss as to what this could be...its not really pain, it just feels like all of a sudden a "knot" happens there and then my ribs in that area are sore. Sorry for the inability to truly express the sensation, but I can tell you it is starting to bother me!

Hello ,
I can see that sometimes it is difficult to express the condition / sensation clearly . I saw the following from another thread :"the pain feels like a strange sort of pressure from the inside - like something is trying to push its way out of my abdomen because there is not enough space for everything to fit " , OR "not in any particular pain, it's more of a troubling -pressure on the inside- sensation" from another member 's reply , AND another "basically internal 'crowding ' pressure sensation 3-4 ribs up from the lowest rib. Maybe an inch below the heart, and on both sides. Almost want to believe that it's due to bad posture but I dunno ....."

Hello everyone,
I am new to this health forum and still checking out the postings to see and learn more . I had some symptoms of Dyspepsia [ Gastritis / Ulcer ?] starting four months ago around Nov 04 such as :
Pain ,Discomfort ,Bloating .
Feeling uncomfortably full after eating sometimes .
Regurgitation a few times in a 4 month period.
Mild chest pains.
No heartburn /GERD , No nausea/vomiting , No loss of appetite , No Belching / Burping .
Most annoying are 'weird pressure sensations' felt in left upper abdomen by the ribs which I think are GI related , because they are not noticeable on an empty stomach ( more gas in the area , stomach expanding after a meal ? ) , sensitive to clothings , also uncomfortable wearing seat belt when driving .
I had triple therapy treatment to eradicate H Pylori after a blood test a month and a half ago in Jan 05 , but the doctor at the walk-in clinic did not prescribe acid suppression medication ( Prilosec) after 2 weeks of triple therapy...for maintenance ( usually few more weeks of a PPI alone , from what I've read ).
I still experience uncomfortable, but never unbearable 'mildly-burning' sensation in the center of my chest underneath my sternum and left upper quadrant near rib cage discomfort/pain ( feel like pressure pressing out , not enough room for everything ; something inside that shouldn't be there ; semi-hardened , tightened , tensing kind of feeling "horizontally"...sometimes like a band/rope below the lowest rib on the left side . ) , ( 'sunburn' type of pain sometimes in some areas both sides)
Certain symptoms [lower back left/right pressure point pains ] had disappeared and Others still remained but a strange new one[stomach noises] appear ...
Generally speaking I do feel better now than back in Dec/Jan before the blood test and antibiotics plus Prilosec treatment.
I'll see a GI specialist when I can (the annoying upper left quadrant / rib cage and H Pylori eradication confirmation )
I just started drinking about a cup of raw cabbage juice a day and chewing DGL Licorice tablets twice a day.
Also taking 150mg Zantac before bedtime once daily ( after waiting a month for improvement without any drugs I had to put myself on this H2 antagonist drug - without doctor's prescription .)

I saw this post on another health forum "
__"Hey guys,

I am in a similar predicament to yourselves. Pain for about 19 months located upper left quadrant. All tests negative, cliche response of IBS, muscular-skeletal pain etc...

The bottom line is that we are in a very small percentage of the total population who experience persistent chronic pain following negative diagnoses. Frustrating as it is, what can we do?

Understandably, we all prolong the search for the "PROBLEM" in the vain hope that we can "FIX IT" and rid ourselves of such unfair pain. Problem here is that pain is caused by three factors:
1. Organic (pancreatitis, gallstones etc...)
2. Pyschosomatic (stress)
3. Functional (IBS...)

For a lot of us, pain is caused by 3 (have many of you heard stories where all the specialists found no problem only for one to finally emerge?). Problem here is no cure (DAMN IT!!!!!!).

I believe that 3 is caused by 1 and exacerbated by 2 but sadly, the world of medicine is not at a stage where it fully understands the complexities of abnormal functioning of our internal organs and nervous system in the absence of any pathological cause.

What I would suggest for those that have had all comprehensive tests is that the pain we are experiencing could be due to increased visceral hypersensitivty in the abdominal region. Nerves in the gut are not working as they should (overactive autonomic nervous system). This gives rise to pain that can vary in intensity but not in its chronicity.

What we can do is try to reduce the LEVEL of pain.( one means of reducing pain is the use of anti-depressants, in particular the old tri-cyclics in very low doses. These are known to block pain messages to the brain (& increase serotonin in the gut) and have been proved to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from IBS and pain. )
On a side issue, I have noticed in the last while that my pain, while still located on the left-side, has moved towards the mid-quadrant section. This can best be described as a steady dull-ache around the stomach area above the navel but below the chest area. As my stomach get emptier or when I stand up, pain gets worse. Have taken antacids and Nexium thinking that it might be ulcer or irritated stomach but to no avail. Was actually trying a different tri-cyclic (Anafranil - clomipramine) when this happened but no longer sure its related since I have stopped taking this drug "__

thought it's helpful so I copy & paste it here .

I 'd like to bring this # 8 reply back .
Also ... somehow with the eradication of H. Pylori , respiratory problems had become more common . I wonder if anyone in here had the same observations / conditions .

Hi, all :wave:

Another member and I are having a similar discussion in the bowel disorder board. I have the same trouble, pain/tenderness in my left upper abdomen. Sometimes I can palpate and feel tenderness right under my rib cage and other times in my back at the same level.

I went through a whole battery of testing last summer when this presented, tons of pills and antibiotics, which only seemed to make it worse. All of my testing was negative, but my doc (GP) kept diagnosing me with a UTI, although I had no "traditional" symptoms of a UTI. There were also conflicting results on urine samples between his office and the lab, which only added to my stress and confusion. Out of nowhere, I developed on-and-off constipation/diarrhea (very new for me in 33 years), which seemed to exacerbate the problem, as well.

My diet and activity level up to that point had been very poor, and my stress level at work is through the roof (court reporter/stenographer). So I greatly cleaned my diet up and incorporated 30 to 45 minutes a day of walking, tried to reduce stress levels at home and work, and this seemed to really work. My pains/bowel troubles were gone after about two weeks of this. My doc released me from further testing and pills. Over the holidays, my diet wasn't "great" and I stopped walking the way I had been, and sure enough, the left quadrant pain/bowel troubles came right back.

Anyway, just wanted to share. Seems as though a good number of folks are going through this. Cleaning up my diet, eating blander foods, nothing fried/spicy, consuming fewer processed foods, and incorporating a daily walk really seemed to help me :)

Lysne

thi sseems like an old post, and i am experiencing something similar now. i have posted in the liver disorders, because i was tested with a high count of an stomach enzyme. please if anyways has new information go and post there!

Normally when something is described as a "knot" it is some sort of spasm. That could be the case with you.

Or maybe a sliding hiatal hernia. They are not so painful but more bothersome.
GERD and reflux also gives you chest pains that can radiaste up to your neck and shoulder area. Take care

I have this too, have been diagnosed with IBS, I think it is stress induced, it seems to be constantly there but the intensity changes as the days go by. Currently I take Prilosec and an anti-anxiety pill if the ache is intense, they seem to help but I wish there was a cure. Along with the flank pain I also experience tension running up my left side and a large knot(doc said it was a pressure point that was inflamed) near my left shoulder blade, he suggested pain managment, which suggested PP Therapy(shots), im currently thinking that a deep tissue message and a spinal alingment might be in order, my neves may be out of whack and need a good dose of relaxation. Who Knows...