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?

Or gallstones, they can be horrendously painful.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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?

I've had so much pain from endometriosis had so
many scans ect that showed nothing even though I kept saying I thought it was endo…then I had a laparoscopy and that’s when it was found

I don’t know if you’re speaking from clinical or other expertise but when I had unusual abdominal pain that lasted for several weeks and then worsened 111 told me to go straight to A&E because abdominal pain can include serious risks. My local A&E has a terrible reputation but on the occasions I have been there for myself (that abdo pain and a cardiac issue) they’ve been excellent and not sent me back to the GP.

OP - I really hope you've gone to the hospital after your last update.

That sounds like there could be infection. Definitely hospital.

If you find out let me know - exactly the same for almost a year now

I know someone who had similar and it took a scope for them to find h-pylori.

Hope you get a solution. I hate how dismissive some are of pain. In a minute they'll tell you you're imagining it and all you need is some mindfulness!

Update:

Pain has continued to be severe, accompanied by a very painful constant headache causing me to vomit all night. Called 111, they booked me to see a nurse in OOH this morning. She thinks it’s gallbladder related but couldn’t treat anything as scans were clear 🫩
The OOH GP came in to see me, she also thinks my gallbladder could be ill functioning, but said I’d need to convince my GP to refer me to the specialist.

Sorry to hear you’re still in agony. Hopefully they sent you away with some good painkillers?

isn’t it ridiculous that we have to try and convince the GP to look after our own best interests :(

I’ve decided to throw some money at my situation and been for cranial osteopathy - in agony today. It was very weird having it done and when I’ve had normal osteopathy it’s usually hurts more before it gets better - but that might be just wishful thinking.

Didn’t give me any pain relief!

Aww I do hope you feel more comfortable soon, and that your treatment makes a difference.xx

Bloody hell OP, you are really suffering aren't you. Definitely tell your GP that you want a second opinion. As my PP and others have said, GB issues don't always just show up on scans. Things need investigating further. I hope you feel better soon. I've been in your situations, it's awful.

Went back to GP today, as it was an urgent appt I had the bad luck of being placed with the same GP I saw last week 🙈
He refuses to think it is anything but IBS, and reluctantly prescribed amitriptiline, which I’m not too sure about taking.

surely IBS wouldn’t be this intense for almost 3 months? My stool sample showed no signs of inflammation of the bowel or intestines.

So sorry to hear this OP - such bad luck to get that GP again. Are you going to try to get another appointment? Just giving your thread a bump so hopefully someone with more knowledge of what you can do next will see it. Good luck- I really hope you will get help soon.