Upper right abdominal pain...need some input

12-03-2007, 10:39 AM

Last night I ate a normal dinner. When I went to bed I had some mild upper abdominal pain (more of a dull ache) so I took some Tums. Within a short time I had a lot of gas and bloating (the bloating felt high up...not intestinal).

I woke up a few times in the night feeling pain and slight nausea. When I got up this morning the pain increased for a few hours and now it's staying about the same. The flatulence is gone but I have a lot of belching. My neck, right shoulder, and shoulder blade hurt now too. The area just below my rib cage on the right side is firm and hurts to touch. I can breathe normally but it hurts to take a deep breath. Leaning forward eases the pain...reclining or laying down increases my symptoms. I do not have a fever or any other signs of illness.

I got a glass of OJ to see if it would help but it increased the pain. I haven't tried eating anything yet because I'm afraid it will make it worse. I took more Tums a little bit ago to see if it would help but it hasn't (the OJ and tums seem to increase the belching).

The pain is tolerable I would say a 2 or 3 on a 1-10 scale when I'm sitting. When I stand it's a 4 (walking increases the pain even more so I kind of hunch over to relieve it).

So anyway, I'm wondering if I should try to eat something or not (I'm not hungry and even feel a little nauseous when I'm standing).

When I did an online search it sounded to me like gall bladder symptoms. What do you think?

If any of this helps: I'm a 31 y/o female, I had my 6th baby 7 months ago, and I have hypothyroidism (although that's under control with meds).

Thanks.

Kelly

12-03-2007, 10:53 AM

Yes, it sounds like classic gallbladder symptoms. By all means, if you don't feel well see your doctor. They can refer to someone or they might just order the tests themselves.

As far as eating, eat no-fat or low-fat and you should be OK. If you aren't hungry, don't eat.

I didn't realize how many gallbladder posts there were until I started having problems with mine, now I'm replying to them all!

I just had my gallbladder out last Wednesday. All is well!

Good luck and feel better.

12-03-2007, 02:29 PM

I have read that anytime you experience abdominal pain for more than 5 hours it is a good idea to see a doctor or go to the ER. Do you have an ask-a-nurse hotline in your area, or do you have an urgent care center you could get yourself to?

It does sound to me like GB as well. I would strongly suggest just calling your doctor or some healthcare provider and seeing what they say, and whether they think you should be seen sooner than later.

If you eat, eat bland, easy to digest and no fat foods. The ER doc told me to stick to clear liquids for 24 hours after an attack, such as broths and things like that. Truth be told I cheat and don't do that, but it's worth a shot to see what you can tolerate. They also suggested taking Tylenol when the pain starts as well, as it could help to lessen it.

Hope you feel better!

12-03-2007, 04:56 PM

Thank you both very much for the replies. I know my dr will want to see me so I'm holding off until Wednesday to call (I have very little choice since I've made several important prior committments). I'm actually hoping too that it will have resolved by then. Things are still about the same (I've had a few things to eat but they haven't made a difference one way or the other...other than increasing the belching).

Thanks again!

Kelly

12-06-2007, 04:06 AM

As of yesterday I feel 100%

. If this was indeed a gall bladder issue (and I really believe it was) is it likely to recur?

Thanks!

Kelly

12-06-2007, 09:52 AM

Yes, it is likely to recur. They say that if it happens once, it is very likely going to happen again. I truly, truly think you should still see your doc and at least have an ultrasound to see if you have stones. You may feel fine now, but if you do have some stones in there, if a stone gets stuck you could come down with accute pancreatitis and jaundice very quickly. It happened to a woman I know. She ignored her first few attacks not thinking they were that serious, and then all of a sudden a few months later she wound up at the ER with a classic gallbladder attack that was awful. She had stones, and she had pancreatitis and was on IV antibiotics for 4 days before they could do surgery to remove the gb.

I'm in no way saying this can happen to you or will happen to you, but there is always that risk if you did indeed have gall stones. If you have insurance it would simply seem worth your while to have an exam to be sure you're ok. I am, by nature, a nervous-ninny when it comes to this stuff, but I don't think I'm overreacting here on this issue.

Good luck.

Upper right abdominal pain...need some input

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