Pain under ribs

[Guest]

pain under ribs

i cant remember if this has been mentioned before on the forum...

i'd be really interested to know if anyone else suffers from this, and what they think it is. for years now i have had regular pain under my left rib area, near to my heart but slightly radiating back. its as if i have a particular sore trouble spot there, the pain is always the same and in the same place. various things bring it on.. sitting in the car for more than half an hour will always do it, and i have to stretch my body up, straighten my back, and continue in discomfort until i reach my destination. also eating certain things will cause it too, especially something very filling like pasta.

when its really bad, the only thing that helps is lying down on my right side, and banging the rib area on my left with my hand, somehow this dislodges something and makes the area relax. often i get a pocket of gas rumbling back and forth there until the pain subsides.

i was told years back it could be adhesions, but its not getting any better, and i actually think i had this pain before i had any surgery.

any ideas, guys?

 

[Gypsy]

I have had this pain before. I experience it occasionally. I use to be a massage therapist and I believe this pain is occurring in the muscle group serratus anterior.

My thoughts on why it occurs are this:

1. It might be due to dehydration. Us with Crohn's disease are in a constant battle to stay hydrated due to diahrrea.

2. I haven't heard adhesions but my doctor once said it could have to do with bloating and certain parts of the body expanding pressing on other parts in a domino effect.

3. It is somehow related to a gluten allergy, I recently have tried to eliminate gluten products from my diet just to see if it had any effect. When flaring my low back and ribs would sometimes hurt but I have not felt this feeling since I have become gluten free. Granted this has only been for a few weeks now that I have been avoifding gluten. Perhaps get tested for a gluten allergy.

Now you can reduce this pain in a couple of ways: heat application and massage. Both are a temporary solution but they help. My rib and low back pain were so bad I couldn't get to sleep. I would say it was worse than my abdominal pain.

 

[Guest]

well thats something new to think about, thanks gypsy. i've never had cause to question whether i have gluten intolerance, but i will look into this. i'm pleased the gluten free diet has helped you

and yes, the pain is much more acute than the usual crohns belly ache we get used to. its almost as if something's stuck or twisted.

i do try to deliberately stay on top of the dehydration thing.. as i have in the past had many trips to a&e in an ambulance purely because i've passed out with dehydration. these days, i think ive got it pretty much under control.

thanks again, you've given me a few things to look further into.

 

[Kev]

Hmmm, just a thought... EVER had your pancreas checked? I mention it solely due to the location... the 'passing if I thump it' doesn't fit the usual pancreatic profile

 

[Guest]

no i havent kev. i have mentioned this pain many times to the hospital team, and they've never suggested gluten or pancreas problem possibilities. i'll certainly run these ideas by them when i next go.. thank you.

 

[Kev]

Well, I dunno about the gluten issue... could be perfectly valid. But if they've done any reasonable amounts of bloodwork on you recently, pancreatic issues should have shown up in elevated enzyme levels... (if they had checked for that)

 

[Guest]

thinking about this in more detail, i suspect it isnt something like my pancreas or an intolerance, it feels more physical, as in 'plumbing' than anything. i forgot to add another thing that brings it on, if i cough really hard, or stretch up too far to reach something, the pain comes on. so, coupled with the positional catalyst for it when i'm driving, i'm drawn to thinking its a kink or muscle spasm...

 

[Kev]

Just that I learned (the hard way) that there can be a connection between crohns and pancreatic issues... possibly as the common bile duct connects to the GI tract.

 

[Guest]

i'm certainly going to mention it at my appointment.. as far as i know, i dont have any crohns in my upper intestines at all.

i take it thats where pancreatic pain is felt then, under the left rib area. i havent ever looked into this condition.

 

[Kev]

I'm not sure where the bile duct connects to the GI tract. I think it's near the junction of the colon N ileum. Anyone care to clarify/elaborate on its location?