Hi,
My name's Damien, I've been having some pain right below the left side of my chest. I thought it could be signs of heart disease because it runs in the family so I went to get it checked out and my doctor seems to think that the pain accompanied by some other symptoms are because of anxiety. I have a hard time accepting this though, because the pain came first and because i didn't know what it was I thought it may be something with the heart, beacause the pain is around that area, so that caused some anxiety which caused my other symptoms. I'm over the anxiety now because I have been cleared of any heart problems but I think the pain is because of gas in my left colon. I've been noticing I have alot more gas than usual especially when I'm getting the discomfort right below my chest. However, I've never really seen gas in that way, to me its always just kind of been there, not really a problem or anything, but what I'm feeling now is genuine pain and I do feel like I have a pocket of gas almost, right where the left side of my ribs end. I was wondering if anyone could help, do I have a misconception of gas?? Can gas be the cause of pain and chest discomfort??
Gallbladder would be on the right, not the left. And yes, you can have pockets of gas anywhere in your torso. I get them just below my left breast some times.
It is difficult to tell for sure, since gas symptoms can vary greatly by person. I know sometimes I get sharp pains in my midsection that are just from gas, but it's not the kind of gas that comes out if you know what I mean. It's painful and uncomfortable! I'll get those around the rib area usually. Other times I get gas trapped more on the upper part of my body, and I can tell because I'll feel like I need to burp, but only I can't. The feeling can be different depending on location and what caused it.
Do you notice the pain bothering you more during any particular time of day? Does it stay about the same?
the one odd thing about when the gall bladder is being affected in some way, it can actually produce left sided pain. its gotta be the way the innervation actually is. but it IS true.
the one other possible here that i can think of off hand would be a possible pancreas issue like inflammation of(pancreatitis)? this can actually be checked out by doing some labs that check the levels of the pancreatic enzymes, the amylaise and lipase. you should also, just given the symptoms and the ongoing nature of this, obtain a referal for a simple ultrasound done on the abdominal. this would show ALOT about the many organs and the blood flow and size of certain things like the common bile duct too that runs to he head of that pancreas. your doc should just really have ordered this by now for you if this has been an ongoing problem of any kind. it really can give a ton of good info on your abdominal organs.
if i were you right now, i would simply go back to your primary and ask about simply testing the enzymes and also more importantly for you, getting that referral for the abdominal US. its just a needed test for you and your doc to just look at the inside of where your pain is being produced. this would also look into the gall bladder too. its also the cheapest of any of the more internal types of scans. hopefully whatever the actual underlying problem is will show itself upon US or even with bloodwork done. has he actually even checked out ANY blood labs on your overall organ functions yet? always make it a point to obtain copies of ALL testing results that ever get done on you. they do come in very handy for various issues along the way. FB
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3-22-01,herniated C-6-7
11-20-01,placement of hardware for failed fusion
9-22-03,removal of cavernous hemangioma that was inside spinal cord. Neuro damage to L hand L leg and R leg.
