Discomfort in right side under ribs.?
I have had discomfort in my right side below the ribs since 2 weeks before Christmas 2012, I also get a sharp pain in my lower right side, near the groin. I had an ultrasound done 3 weeks ago and it came back normal. I saw a specialist and he suggests a colonoscopy and putting the camera into my stomach to take a look. I am still having discomfort around the gallbladder area. I am a 50 year old female.
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I am assuming the ultrasound was for your gallbladder and that no stones were found.
Some ideas:
1. You can still have gallbladder problems that won't show up on an ultrasound. Sometimes an MRI or a HIDA scan will show gallbladder issues. A HIDA scan measures how much bile the gallbladder ejects when it's stimulated.
2. Your pancreas is in that area. Ask for pancreatic function tests (such as amylase, lipase, and protease blood values).
3. Your liver is in that area. Ask for liver function blood tests.
4. Ask about being tested for gluten allergy (celiac disease). You have 20 feet of small intestine, and some of your pain may be small-intestine pain. This can be done with a blood tests or an endoscopy.
5. This does not sound like a colon issue, but at age 50 if you haven't had a colonoscopy yet, it's time.
If by "putting the camera into my stomach" you mean EGD, a scopy that views your esophagus, stomach, and the first part of your small intestine, this may be helpful. There's also a "capsule camera" test where you swallow a tiny camera and it takes pictures as it travels through your GI system. (It's a disposable camera.)
The GI system has a LOT of structures--liver, pancreas, gallbladder, esophagus, small intestine, large intestine, and the appendix. As well, there are ducts and junctions/flexures that can be narrowed or obstructed. It can take months to find out what's wrong when you're having GI signs/symptoms.
The GI system can have a lot of referred pain. The digestive organs send nerves to the celiac/solar plexus, which sends messages to the spine and brain. When those messages come back, they don't always come back to the organ that sent them. Thus = referred pain that is NOT in the organ that's got problems.
I'm a 51-year-old woman who has had pain identical to yours. I'm suggesting small-intestine damage, either from irritable bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, or gallbladder/liver/pancreatic dysfunction. Good luck and do not give up!
I had my gallbladder out last August. It took 20+ years of misery for it to happen!