Any doctors that could help put my mind at rest? So worried!

[Dazzledrop]

Hi,

I wondered if there are any doctors about/anyone with experience of this that could help me understand some tests and put my mind at rest! For the last 6 months I've been having significant pain in my upper right side, radiating into my back and shoulder blade.

I've had blood tests (blood count, CRP, liver/renal functions) all come back normal, a chest x ray showing nothing and ultrasounds of my liver and abdomen also come back normal. The GP was unsure how to proceed and has now given me a course of lansoprazole to see if it might be gastritis.

I know I'm not a doctor but I cannot shake the feeling that this might be something sinister related to liver or pancreas and the worry is crippling me. Can anyone advise if the ultrasounds and blood tests would have flagged something if this was the case? I am not sure what these tests rule out and it would be such a relief to know that any warning signs would have been detected by now if there was something significant to worry about.

Thanks so much for any advice.

Anything worrying with your liver would have flagged up on liver function tests. I had liver inflammation and it was obvious in the blood results. I do have an issue with my pancreas, which can only be detected through a faecal (poo) test. But symptoms weren't pain like you're describing, so in the absence of any other symptoms, I can't see why they would explore that. The thing that jumps out at me is gallbladder/gallstones. I assume they checked that on ultrasound as that's probably the most obvious?

Do you drink? You'd be amazed at how much irritation that alcohol can cause in the stomach and small bowel, so if you do, it's worth stopping while you try out the meds.

Where is the pain and what type of pain? The stomach is on the left not the right.

I have pain in my ribs that’s lasted for a year and the GP says it’s costochondritis, basically a pulled muscle.

Thanks both for your replies.

No gallstones according to the ultrasound. I think I am likely being irrational worrying about pancreaas (hopefully!). I do have a few drinks of a weekend so am going to knock that on the head whilst I try out the new medication.

I have had costochondritis before but this pain is quite different, is always present as an aching sensation then when its at its worst is more of a sharp burning pain. Always on right side and often radiating into shoulder blade/back and very occasionally towards left.

Like Suddha, I've come on to mention costochondritis. Inflammed/pinched muscle. It lasts a long time and you have to be careful not to exacerbate it.

Sorry - cross post and I should also have made clear than I'm not a doctor, just a bog standard person!

Coeliac disease? My friends only symptom was a persistent abdo pain. She had no bowel symptoms.

Help from bog standard people also welcome! 😅(as a bog standard person myself)

Sorry this should have been in reply to @INeedNewShoes

Coeliac disease hasn't been considered @ThursdayTomorrow but maybe whilst I try the new medication I could also explore cutting some things out to see if it helps

I have gastritis from time to time and my pain is exactly where you described- every time. I thought the pain might have been a gallbladder problem and didn't expect it to be stomach. Lansoprazole should work fairly quickly (I get relief a few days after starting a course) and I would ask to have a stool sample checked for H-Pylori as this is a bacteria which is a common cause of gastritis and can be treated with antibiotics.

Forgot to say I am not a doctor!

My mum described similar pain and had lots of tests that were all normal. She also lost weight alarmingly and lots her appetite.
Turns out she had an aortic aneurysm. Have you had any scans?

Thanks @Grievingforcaramac that's really helpful. I’ve started the medication today so fingers crossed it’s gastritis and it works quickly!

Thats not been mentioned @Soontobe60 but interesting to know it was similar in terms of the pain and the normal tests results. Sounds scary! I hope your mum was okay.

Your gallbladder can be diseased without stones showing on ultrasound, that happened to me. Bloods etc were normal too until I eventually developed pancreatitis from it. I was diagnosed through my symptoms and an mri or ct scan (sorry I forget which) where I had to eat a Mars bar so they could see how the gallbladder was working. I had my gallbladder removed and though it was obviously diseased there were no stones, just sludge or tiny gravel, and lots of adhesions caused by the repeated attacks and resulting inflammation. I was so relieved to have the operation and have had no recurrence of the pain since.

I was very lucky to have medical insurance which covered everything, because the NHS was very poor at finding the source of my terrible pain for months.