Pain below ribs - advice please.

[tigerlillyd02]

I've been having this same pain for about 8 weeks now. It comes and goes. But it's just below my ribs on my left side and goes ino my back. It's been quite bad last night and today but isn't unbearable - not even to the point of taking pain killers. More a niggly pain, sometimes an ache which occasionally becomes quite sharp.

I'm otherwise fine I think.

I need to go to the doctors but as it comes and goes so often I keep putting it off. But any ideas on what it could be so I can be attempting to ease at home in the meantime?

Watching with interest as I had exactly the same but on the right side two nights ago. Just below the ribs, came and went every 15 seconds and could be sharp. Went on for about two hours.

Not helpful, op, sorry. any better today?

Are you pregnant? Could be stomach related, maybe even an ulcer. Get yourself checked out by a GP.

Do you both drink much? I only ask as I have been doing a good bit of reading since quitting the drink and have read that is where the liver is.

Could also be acid reflux. Might be worth a google. A friend of mine had stabbing pains in that area and thought it was drink-related as she got it after drinking one too many wines the night before. All her liver tests were normal, so wasn't anything (thankfully) serious for her.

had something similar last year, was a kidney infection. Whatever it turns out to be, you are definitely best to get checked out.

Thanks so much for the replies. I've become a bit of a hypochondriac (since my brother died at 28 last Jan) - not looking for problems but petrified when something does occur which fortunately is quite rare! And for this reason I absolutely dread what the docs might say and I daren't google it! This is part of the reason I put it off, although I reason with myself that it's more likely to be something like a kidney infection than something serious like cancer and that going to the Doctor will likely put my mind at ease. But I can't bring myself to do it and with the fact it comes and goes every few days or so, I think it can't be that bad otherwise it'd be constant.

bluebell38 I don't drink at all but interesting point about that being where your liver is - I didn't know that. Interestingly, I've had a bit of acid reflux recently. I used to have it quite bad but not had it for a couple of years. Then had a few episodes more recently which eases immediately after taking some gaviscon.

I had the same thing just after Christmas - turned out to be reflux.

It was under my left ribs and through to my back on the same side. Kind of a burning ache. It was quite intermittent.

GP gave me omeprazole which I was taking with gaviscon. It eased after a week.

Yes, apparantly:

The liver is located just below the diaphragm (the muscular membrane separating the chest from the abdomen), primarily in the upper right part of the abdomen, mostly under the ribs.

Got that off the net, and yes it was news to me, too.

Go see your GP and put your mind at ease. Sounds very similar to my friend and the acid reflex, but best to get the all-clear from a professional.

reflux*