Suspected food poisoning - pain in right side, IBS?

[whatkungfuthat]

Sorry if this is long. I am just getting over what I think may have been a nasty bout of food poisoning but I am worried that the pain in my right side may mean it could have been IBS and I just wanted to see if anyone who suffers from IBS can clarify whether my symptoms are typical? My GP can't see me till 4th Sept.

It started with with a dull pain in my right side which became more severe, the other symptoms were diarrhea, nausea, aching all over and chills. The first 2 nights the pain was so bad that I couldn't lay down and had to sleep upright in an armchair. Since then its got steadily better and the other symptoms have gone, leaving me with a slight ache in the right side which sometimes feels more sharp like a stitch. I can sleep laying down but have to bend my knees up towards my abdomen.

I know what meal may have caused food poisoning as it was the only thing that I ate differently from anyone else and it was at a restaurant. Mine had a sauce which, thinking back, wasn't that warm but I put this down to getting the DC's sorted at the time and it going cold.

Any ideas kind people?

Do your symptoms fit these.

Right side abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea can be a sign of appendicitis, so if you fit the symptoms at all, please get yourself checked out by a doctor asap.

Could be lots of things. You need to see your GP today.

If you can't get an appointment demand to speak to Practice Manager.

Agree with Moosemama get yourself down to a&e if you can't get emergency doctor appointment, tell practice receptionist you suspect appendicitis and your GP should see you ASAP or send you to hospital to get it checked out. Good luck OP hope it's not but better to be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the replies, I did think of appendicitis but as it got less severe I buried my head in the sand thought that it may be something else. I'll get back onto the GP now.

Hmmmmm - sounds suspiciously like my gallbladder symptoms pre-removal. Definitely a trip to the GP - it probably won't just go away. Good luck!

My appendicitis started with constant sickness and general tummy bug like symptoms, please get it checked. I left it for days thinking I'd pulled a muscle with all the vomiting and ended up in a pretty bad way because I was too stubborn.

I wondered about gallbladder as well MadgeHarvey, but thought the pain sounded a bit low down. My gallbladder pain always seems to be up under my ribcage, making me feel sort of over-stuffed. Although it does come with stomach pain, reflux and diarrhea.

OP, hope you managed to get into the GP. Let us know how you got/get on.

You're absolutely right moose - but so much of what the OP says rings loud bells for how I felt - especially the unable to sleep lying down thing and the stitch like pain! Hope the OP comes back to update us!

Well, as I expected as the pain is now very slight and intermittent the dragon woman at the reception wouldn't let me have an emergency appointment. They said if it worsens to call at 8.30 in the morning and they will try for an emergency appointment the same day. If it comes back I will call the out of hours service later, as they may take it more seriously (different GP's).

My mum and sister have both had gallstones removed so I am a bit worried about this. All my others symptoms have gone.

I should also say that its tenderness now rather than pain

Might be worth you monitoring what happens when you eat relative to what you eat if you see what I mean. I would expect the pain to worsen or return if you eat something that is medium to high in fat. Not, of course, that that would be definitive but it might point to gallbladder issues.

I can only manage toast but I have put in a call to NHS Direct to see what they advise. Bloody GP!

I think too it could be gall bladder problems as I had very similar symptoms recently (severe pain then stitch in side, chills, sleeping sitting up etc.) and ended up getting my gall bladder removed. Definitely check it out with GP as soon as you can.

Does the pain get less severe and then comeback though? I am going to see my mum this afternoon as I don't think they removed hers straightaway when she had the flare-up, to see how they dealt with her pain before the op.

My pain had actually completely settled down at the time of the op. But once you have gallstones I think you are bound to have further attacks. It may not be your gall bladder at all of course. You would need to have an ultrasound to confirm it.

Sounds much more like chronic appendicitis to me than gallbladder pain and I've had both.

Unfortunately a 'grumbling' appendix can go on for a while with mild symptoms before being severe enough to require treatment. However if you are at the stage of being sick, have pain in your middle and right side, aches, chills, temp etc your appendix is probably infected/ inflamed enough to need surgery.

Hope you get it sorted out soon.

I called NHS direct and they said that as the pain was now just mild discomfort that I should wait and see my GP at the appointment I have booked, but to call the GP or out of hours straight away if it gets worse.

My gallbladder pain very much came and went but I see now that it was dependant on what I had eaten. However when it got critical it was there pretty much all the time and was whipped out within a week of seeing the first consultant!

As soon as I hear 'pain in the right side' I think gallbladder, with my pain it was severe and came on after a meal. It felt like I was being crushed or tightly squeezed, often I would vomit and that would ease it slightly.

I also have IBS and can categorically say it does not sound like that.

I just got back from my appointment. GP thinks it probably was food poisoning or a virus but it turns out the my womb feels enlarged/swollen and she is booking me in for a scan asap. She thinks its probably fibroids but I am panicking now in case its something more serious. GP said that the pain on the right side was probably because everything is so 'squashed'

Hope you get the scan soon and have your mind put at ease.

Thanks Dejahoo, just had the scan and apparently I have a massive fibroid.

Glad you know what it is. Hope you get it sorted and feel better soon.