Guess that pain...

[Melissa75]

Three of the past four days, I've woken up with a sharp pain under the lower part of my right rib cage, more toward my back than front. I was wondering if anyone has experienced something similar and knows what it is. It's not my usual lung-related pain, because it's not worse when I inhale, and my mucus is about the same. I did have a low fever and aches one of the days, but am not sure if that's relevant.

So, in the morning, I wake up and the pain is maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10, but once I'm up-up, it's like a 0-3. And by three or four pm, it's completely gone--UNLESS (here's the weird thing) I swallow a big bite of food. A few seconds after swallowing, I get a flash of pain in the area.

I'm not nauseous or having out of the ordinary GI symptoms. I'm exercising like normal too--went rock climbing one of the days and did zumba another. Lying down and pushing my back into the floor makes it hurt more. So I was thinking a muscle thing, but the food-swallow thing is odd.

Any ideas?

 

[heidikk]

first guess would be gall bladder. It's not textbook symptoms but sometimes it isn't.

 

[Melissa75]

Yeah, that's on my maybe list. Along with esophageal spasms and lung infection away from the periphery. I'm doing the wait and see, but I'll update if it persists and I get checked out. Any other quesses, anyone?

 

[welshwitch]

I vote for gallbladder too. I had a good friend whose gall bladder was inflamed and the symptoms sound similar. With her we had to take her to the ER and eventually she had to get surgery. Hope that's not your situation but food for thought.

 

[coltsfan715]

My first thought was gallstones as well, but it is possible that it could be pleurisy.

I had my gallbladder removed about 8 years ago. I didn't have stabbing back pain or anything - BUT back pain on the right side below the shoulder is common with gallstones and gallbladder issues. I would get symptoms similar to anxiety attacks, tightness in my chest and pain when I would try to breathe. I would also get nausea and vomiting as time passed. For my I had attacks and symptoms directly related to drinking soda or any carbonated beverage. That being said a lot of people get symptoms when they eat, but symptoms and attacks are often associated with eating fatty foods or greasy foods.

I hope it is nothing and that it goes away, but I would definitely bring it up to your doc and ask if they can check it out if it continues. As for pleurisy it is usually a result of infection but just because you aren't coughing more or don't have excess mucus doesn't mean anything. If you have an infection and any area of the lung tissue is inflamed it can result in pleurisy.

Hope you start feeling better soon.

 

[Melissa75]

Thanks, welshwitch and coltsfan. The symptoms are slowing down. I'm under a ton of stress right now, so I don't know what to make of what. I'm crossing my fingers that the pain gets less and less. (I eat plenty of fat and drink seltzer...but the morning symptoms are on an empty stomach.)

 

[lilmac1177]

what about kidney? have you ever had kidney stones??? i had one in each kidney at the same time a several years ago and O.M.G. ... first time i'd ever had them, and i first thought it was an abdominal obstruction (never had one of those either so i didn't know the pain of either one), but when i got an ultrasound done it showed the kidney stones. the pain, best i can remember, just seemed all over my abdomen and back area and they told me the pain comes from when the stones are moving. i kept feeling like i'd needed to have a bowel movement and pee but nothing. no idea if that could be it, but it's just a guess...

 

[Melissa75]

Marcie, kidney stones sound worse than my pain, especially with feeling like you need to go to the bathroom on top of the pain. I appreciate you explaining what they feel like so I can compare.
Yesterday I had nothing. The day before maybe 45 min of pain. So I'm on a good trend. Yay. Anything that messes with my cough/torso results in instant-exacerbation for me...fever chills pneumonia but totally easy to kill. I know my MO. Well, I think I know it. Ha. Had to add that last sentence for Murphys Law or whatever causes rugs to be pulled out from under us.

 

[Printer]

Do you think that it could be a "good idea" to call your Doctor?

Bill

 

[Melissa75]

Do you think that it could be a "good idea" to call your Doctor?

Bill

haha, yes & no. I hate diving down the rabbit hole of testing too early. If the symptoms were static or getting worse, I would be at the dr asap, but because of the positive trend, my general feeling of well-being, and knowing the role of stress in my life right now--I'm comfortable waiting.