Severe pain, told to “forget about it”

[Glitterballofdreams]

I’ve been experiencing pain in my abdomen for two months, it’s increasingly gotten worse. I saw my GP on 3 separate occasions, had blood tests and was referred for an ultrasound.
Last week the pain was so severe I went to A&E, I was kept in for two days and had an ultrasound & blood tests. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong and discharged me with painkillers.
i attended the ward twice more in agony, had a CT scan and two more loads of blood tests. All of which were clear, yet I am still in severe pain. Alongside this I have become very dizzy and have blacked out twice (I am anaemic and I fear all the bloods they took have made this worse).
I visited my GP again today as I cannot function with the pain and dizziness, I am bedridden and am having to have family members help me look after my children. My GP told me today to forget about the pain and it will go away.

i am so upset, and fed up. I know that it is very reassuring that the scans showed nothing, yet why am I still in so much pain?!

has anyone had any experience of abdo pain that went away?

I have pancreatitis and the symptoms fit. Mine was caused by use of NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin) that I'd been taking more and more of for another pain issue my GP preferred to ignore.

Does it get worse a few hours after eating, OP? And have you noticed whether fatty foods make it worse? You could try to cut out as much fat from your diet as possible, and if, after a couple of days the pain has significantly improved, that is useful information for your doctors as well as obviously being great for you.

It doesn’t mean you’d have to forgo fat for life, there are enzyme supplements you can take that will help the pancreas to digest the fat it is struggling with.

The diagnosis of mine was complicated by the fact it turned out I also had a duodenal ulcer, adding to the pain in that region of the abdomen. -also caused by the ibuprofen use, so not quite as unlikely as it sounds.

The very small amount of blood they've taken will definitely not affect your anaemia 😄

Sounds like a gallbladder problem

@Glitterballofdreams

Just to ease your mind

I am having this right now also. With age its getting worse. But you do hear more about this lately. Coincidence??

Bowel issues and endo are often connected.

i had a laparoscopy which diagnosed endo a couple of years ago, it took 10+years to get...also a family history of IBD (ulcerative colitis and crohns)

i think personally the quality of the food we are eating and drinking is harming our gut bacteria. The water we are drinking probably isnt as safe as we think.

alot of food contains microplastics, our water supposedly flouride?!?! Which im sure that could give anyone aches.

red meats and dairy are best avoided with endo/tummy problems, also gluten??,maybe you could try to cut these out...

whilst the doctor isnt helping, i do think diet should be considered as you may naturally find some relief by changing a few things.

Just adding another possibility, I'm not sure it fits with the location of the pain. But you mentioned 3 C-section's so there could be a possibility of adhesions formed from the surgery.

This is excellent advice.

Other tips.to get adequate healthcare:

-Do your research and ask about specific conditions/treatment/tests/referrals eg I’m concerned this could be endometriosis, what can we do next to rule that out?

— If they refuse a test/referral/treatment ask that they make a note in your records that you requested/queried x. Often they can then suddenly do whatever it is.

— Ask them to keep a copy of your bullet pointed notes in your records.

Do not be fobbed off. You were basically told to “stop worrying your pretty little head about it” which is beyond appalling and condescending. It’s also negligent because they are far from having ruled out all possibilities yet. Do not see that doctor again. Remember that you see a doctor for an OPINION (they all gave different ones and different approaches) and they are supposed to work with you not patronise and dismiss you. So pick your doctors. Find one (or hopefully more!) that is not rude, or dismissive, or condescending and actually tries to get to the root of your issues.

Beat of luck. It sounds absolutely horrendous and I hope you find out the cause and get adequate treatment.

Ehhh I could write the same thing, they've treat me for water infections even tho it shows none, taken endless bloods and 3 scans and still it's there. I was even back yesterday saying to the Dr how my family is helping with the kids because I'm sat with a hot water bottle as painkillers don't ease it at all, absolute agony around bottom of stomach area and they still don't know why either

I had that this exact issue and was pushed back between gynae and general surgery and had all sorts of tests. Only when a laparoscopy was done did they discover endometriosis all over my gallbladder and removed it.

perhaps the GP meant concentrate on other things,
i have listened to an article about imagining you have no pain and it disappears.

Yep I agree on that. Only thing that’s ever worked however as I have done a pain management course, for absolute emergencies in A and E only.
It is the only time I have been pain free for twenty years.

I was going to suggest gastritis.

especially because you have a hiatus hernia and so are at a higher risk of reflux.

it’s really painful and when I had it I got dizzy and passed out too.

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.

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.

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.

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!

@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.

Wow this is amazing, thank you so much for this x

I’ve had 18 x 10ml blood vials taken within a week. I also have my period to which I soaked through a super absorbent towel every 30 min for two days. I definitely think this has contributed

The surgeon also told me it was strange for a female of my age not to have any stones too! Wow I will definitely mention this, thank you so much

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

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.

@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.

Just a little update… the side of my abdo that I am experiencing pain on is boiling hot to touch.

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.'