Severe pain, told to “forget about it”

Which parts of your body did the CT scan include? Did they do your lungs?

I had a similar condition (pain under right rib, very severe, seemed as if it ought to be gallstones — but wasn’t) a few years ago. Covid era, went to A&E twice, piss all done bar a few ultrasounds, and an eventual CT scan, no answers. Then the pain migrated into my back and was less intense but more constant. That went on for six months or so and slowly got better. But would intermittently come back.

Had exactly the same pain again at the end of last year and went to the GP after a couple of days because I was also coughing. My new and excellent GP realized that my right lung had completely collapsed. Pain completely gone after a chest drain and the lung reexpanding.

No doctor seems entirely convinced by this, but I think the previous pain was also caused by small lung collapses. In my case, they never checked for this because all of the scans (multiple ultrasounds and a CT) were focused on the abdomen and pelvis.

Probably not the answer, but perhaps worth checking?

Yes. I work in this area , often people go to ED when they don’t need to , but I think you should go.

Well, I can see how this conversation plays out.
Is this an accident? No
Is this an emergency? No
Okay..... well off to the GP you go to get a referral to an outpatient clinic.

A surgical team is not going to see chronic abdominal pain with negative investigations presenting to A&E, except in extremis.

If you’re in bed with the pain , get a referral into surgeons tomorrow from your GP or go back to ED.
Then when you’re sorted , complain to the practice manager.

I hope you're going to A&E, OP. I have both endo and gallbladder issues, so one doesn't rule out the other.

You need to see a gynaecologist for an exploratory laparoscopy. I had this exact pain with my endometriosis stabbing pain under rib radiating to my shoulder. So many times I was told it was nothing or possibly gallbladder. It was endometriosis on my diaphragm causing the pain.

Go to a&e and refuse to leave without an answer and if they refuse to treat you insist they put it in your notes that you requested help and they're denying you healthcare.

I had endo most of my life and had multiple surgeries.

scans (US/CT don't show much - more useful for identifying ovarian endometriosis (endometriosis) but not the other stuff). An MRI would show more but the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment is a laparoscopic with the surgical removal of the endometriosis. My US showed large cysts but nothing else. My MRI showed a number of smaller cysts and some adhesions but they found so much more when I had my lap. It's also an illness where level of pain doesn't always mean more endo. some woman have debilitating pain with very little and others have stage 4 (multiple organs involved but relatively little pain).

waiting lists are very long for gynaecology. If you can fork out some cash to see a specialist privately, then do that. Make sure it's an endometrial specialist and not a general gynaecologist.

Honestly I’d just get in a taxi and go to A&E at this point. They will have to look into things properly and you’ve got more chance of seeing a specialist. You’ve tried everything.

Go to a hospital.

Dotn worry about wasting their time. You have unexplained symptoms and it is their job to find out what is wrong.

Get it checked again as it doesn't always show on an ultrasound, mine didn't! My was found in an MRI and the Dr said they don't always show on ultrasound. Then stick to a very low fat diet it will help your symptoms x

Or gallstones, they can be horrendously painful.

I asked ChatGPT what to do and it said to go to A&E immediately ot at least call 111 for advice.

Full advice here, along with a summary for healthcare workers that you can email or show on your phone.

"That’s a red flag. Localised heat, escalating pain, and tenderness could signal:

Infection (e.g. localized peritonitis, abscess—even if imaging didn’t yet show it)

Inflammatory process (e.g. inflamed gallbladder despite "normal" scans, early appendicitis, or endometriosis flare with secondary inflammation)

Vascular issue (e.g. thrombophlebitis or a clot in abdominal wall vessels)

Even without a fever, boiling-hot skin over pain site demands urgent reassessment. She needs to go straight back to A&E or call 111 for immediate advice. She should not be fobbed off—this is a new clinical sign that could indicate something has evolved since the last scan.

Here’s a concise, urgent summary she can show or hand to hospital staff:

URGENT MEDICAL SUMMARY – PLEASE READ

Patient presents with:

2-month history of escalating right upper quadrant abdominal pain, radiating to right shoulder blade

Multiple GP and hospital visits, including:

Blood tests × multiple – normal

Abdominal ultrasound – no gallstones

CT scan – no abnormalities found

Known iron-deficiency anaemia due to severe menstrual bleeding

History of hiatus hernia

Echocardiogram (3 years ago) showed minor murmur

Pain is not cyclical or typical of period pain

No diagnosis yet established

New acute development:

Area of pain now extremely hot to the touch

Severe tenderness, worsening pain

Recent dizziness and two blackouts – possibly linked to anaemia or another cause

Red flag symptoms:

New localised heat over the painful area

Pain unrelieved by painkillers

Syncope (blacking out) episodes

Severe anaemia

Action requested:
Urgent reassessment with escalation to surgical/gynaecology review. Possible need for repeat imaging (e.g. HIDA scan, MRI, or laparoscopy) to rule out missed gallbladder pathology, endometriosis, or intra-abdominal inflammatory process.'

@4kids3petsare you taking progesterone? Too much can cause this ... I had the exact same and changed from continuous progesterone to sequential and it solved it.

I think doctors severely underestimate women's pain because we're so.used to pain we just wince a bit and get on with it. Men are screaming blue murder at pain that we would describe as a twinge and they get all the meds.

Was going to suggest the same thing. My pain was RH side under ribs.

@MathsMagpie I have read a few interviews with Naga Munchetty about this issue and want to read her book.
I am mid 50s now, period stopped three years ago and the pain is still there. Have been told it’s phantom pain but pain is pain. Endo is also in my bowel.
So many women lose years of their lives. Lose the chance to have kids. Ruins romantic relationships. And yet there is still no proper cure.

This is disgusting. Women's health is being neglected, year after year after year.
I hope you change GP and find one who cares.

This is a silly one, but just to add to the list, slipping rib affects quite a few women after pregnancy.
It usually only lasts a brief moment, but the rib could remain dislocated in rare occassions. It is usually an acute stabbing pain, when bending and turning. Then goes back to normal, usually. It just happens because the cartilage that keeps them in place was weakened during pregnancy, though some people does have it for other reasons. It is a silly minor issue, but it hurts!

I have severe endometriosis and was first hospitalised with abdominal pain in 2007. I was finally diagnosed in 2021 when I took the leap to pay privately after my nhs consultant told me he wanted to do a laparoscopy and the waitlist was 3 years. He then turned around and said he could see me a week later in his private clinic. I begged and begged at the time for a hysterectomy and was told no. 4 years later, I’m riddled and it’s effecting my other organs and I’m on another ridiculous nhs waitlist for an ‘urgent’ hysterectomy.
I’ve had to leave my job because I can’t work through the pain and bleeding.

I’ve recently been told by a locum GP that the nhs spent more last year on erectile dysfunction and male pattern baldness research than endometriosis. How true that is, I don’t know. If this was a disease that affected men, people wouldn’t be left in debilitating pain for decades at a time.

Does sound like gallstones as it radiates to the shoulder. Did they check your pancreas enzymes (lipase, amylase)? Gallstones caused damage to my pancreatic duct, gallstones showed up on ultrasound but my pancreas problem took 5yrs to get a full diagnosis. Keep pushing.

Appalling! Your heavy periods suggest endometriosis. It took me years to get mine diagnosed. The doctor kept dismissing my claims of losing massive amounts of blood, almost filling half a bin liner with pads and tampons. And I once called myself an ambulance because of the pain and could barely speak on the phone it was such agony. I hope you get it sorted.