Calling the MN medical encyclopedia - sudden onset rib pain?

[RadioDorothy]

MN collectively diagnosed my gallstones last year, so I'm hoping for an insight into this as I'm bemused. About 5 hours ago I suddenly developed awful pain around my ribs on both sides, but mainly the right. It's stabbing me in sporadic waves, and taking my breath away. Nothing happened just before it came on - no lifting, twisting or coughing. I had been suffering from a bit of heartburn but that's normal (I'm out of omeprazole).

Moving around doesn't worsen or relieve it, neither does laying flat. I feel fine apart from the pain and ate some dinner, which had no effect.

I can't think of a single organ around there, it's way too high for kidney and too far out for liver. I do have a folate deficiency that I'm taking folic acid for, and I had a suspect liver related blood result recently so I'm scheduled for a liver scan soon. I had my gallbladder removed last year.

Any ideas? I'm propped up awkwardly in bed, it feels sort of colicky but very localised around my sides and back - a big wave feels like it meets in the middle of my back.

Army how did that get diagnosed?

Hope you get some sleep Op. (Thank you for remembering me - I always hoped I would be remembered on mumsnet for some hilarious thread that made it to classics - not my bloody endless gallbladder / lack of gallbladder saga )

It starts for me with sudden pain in the right hand side and at its worst radiates to the shoulder blades and indegestion type pain , i had an endioscopy that picked up the bile duct was inflammed and enlarged now awaiting a consultant appointment to see if they want to remove that too :/ the flare ups arent as severe but saying that the severity of the gall bladder pain increased in the 18 months before it was removed x

Hope you get it sorted soon Army.
How are you feeling today OP?

Morning, I had a perfectly uninterrupted night's sleep and the pain has vanished this morning!

It barely even feels tender so goodness knows what that 8 hours of pain was about. If I somehow have a liver enlarged to the size of a small continent (unlikely with no other symptoms) I guess I'll find out at the scan, and if it's a clipped off bile duct playing up it will presumably happen again!

Dahlia I don't suppose you have the funds or opportunity to go private? They seem to be more willing to investigate further when you're paying...

I’m a doctor. You need to be seen by your doctor today . They can take some bloods . If you have had a bike duct stone or Hilary problem that has resolved you may still have abnormal bloods. Diagnosis could stop this happening again!

For me gallstone Pain started middle of my chest, slightly to the right, and what felt like a vice round my ribs. Hospital diagnosed then just sent me home.

Next time it happened I tried to just manage at home. Rib Pain was unbearable but all hospital did was give Pain relief so I thought it would just resolve. After 5 days i crawled into my GP’s office as I could barely stand - she called an ambulance. Severely infected gallbladder and pancreatitis. I’ve never been so ill in my life and thought I might die. I was in hospital on IV antibiotics for a fortnight then had the gallbladder removed. Not a single problem since (nearly 10 years).

Please get this checked out, don’t wait - if it’s the same thing I could have saved myself a lot of illness if I’d started on antibiotics sooner.

Well, the pain was definitely vice-like around my ribs, like being forced to wear a bra three sizes too small!

But I've been problem free for a year since having the gallbladder removed, and I haven't been unwell in the last few weeks - everything is normal. I did have a few weeks of unpleasant diarrhoea in Sept/Oct but that was stress related (I believe) and all cleared up now.

I'm sceptical that something as nasty and significant as panreatitis or a retained stone would a) happen 12 months after the surgery and b) occur with only medium level pain as the symptom?

I suppose I could push the GP on what the liver-related blood result was, but she had all my details there and knows about the cholecystectomy.

I'd say see a GP too.
My dad was Ill like this on and off for weeks. Eventually, he was referred for a scan, which showed a very inflamed gall bladder. He was then told he'd have to wait for the inflammation to go down before they could remove it.
In the meantime, he developed severe acute pancreatitis, which resulted in 6 months in intensive care, numerous operations before he eventually died from sepsis.

My sister also had a fall bladder op earlier this year. When the discomfort carried on after the op, it was discovered she actually had duodenal cancer.

Sorry to be so depressing, but don't ignore pain, even if it's now subsided.

Glad the pain eased radio.
How long have you got to wait for your scan?

(If things carry on I may have to think about trying to find money for private consultation.)

Sorry about your dad and sister Also

Only until 4th December. We are very lucky down here in the south (Hampshire), they don't mess around - I hear of all these terribly long times people are having to wait in agony, not knowing what's happening, but my experience has always been surprisingly quick.

Our surgery (surgeries actually, our practice has 4 sites) does telephone appointments. I discussed my brain fog and digestive issues over the phone, and was booked in with the nurse for bloods 5 days later. I left it a week after the bloods then arranged a telephone appt to discuss the results with the original doctor. She saw folate deficiency and something about liver enzymes, prescribed folic acid to be collected from my selected pharmacy later that day, and referred me for a liver ultrasound. I went off and did some chores, and when I got back home a few hours later I had a missed call from the diagnostics clinic wanting to book me in within a 6 week window - hence 4th December.

This is all NHS! I keep a low profile about it on MN, I'm not sure anyone would believe me. But I feel honoured and very fortunate to be living in the right area, I guess!

Hope all goes well with the scan.