Strange feeling under right rib

[Twiglet123]

For last 2 or 3 months i get an odd feeling under my right rib. Doesnt hurt, just feels odd. A bit like a pulsing sensation? Sometimes feels slightly tight. Some days its hardly there at. Goes away when lying down at night, gradually gets more apparent throughtout day. Sometimes feels like something moving under right rib. I have also suffered from sensitivity to certain foods for last 25 years (i am 50)

[bornagain47]

Hi Twiglet . It is probably gas trapped in hepatic flexture . I get this all the time , but I get pain with it , and my bottom ribs are tender to touch . Hope this helps . Take care . Google hepatic flexture syndrome for more help .

[Twiglet123 in reply to bornagain47]

Thanks for the information! Is yours only on one side? Do you have it most days? I never get any pain whatsoever though, im so scared that it is something really sinister. Do you take any medication for it?

[bornagain47 in reply to Twiglet123]

Yes I only have it on one side . Some sufferers of ibs get it on left side which is called splenic flexture. Have a wee search of posts on here and you will see a lot of people posting with right sided problems. And yes I have it most days . The more I worry about it the more it's there . God bless . Hope this helps to put your mind at rest .

[Twiglet123 in reply to bornagain47]

Thank you so much x

[bornagain47 in reply to Twiglet123]

Happy to be of some help x

[TeddyBr]

Hello there, i have had this off and on for around 2 years now. I am menopausal, have IBS and fibro. I was told that sometimes if i eat the wrong foods my gallbladder gets a little grumpy and thats exactly where i had the problems. Under my right rib cage. It was lile a pressure, hard to describe but i knew it was there, quite niggly. Once i was good again and a bit healthier it went away. Not sure if that helps but that was my experience. Hope you're ok.

[Twiglet123 in reply to TeddyBr]

Thank you so much! Mine seems to be uneffected by diet, although i do intermittent fasting (16 hours 3 or 4 days per week) -wondered if that has any effect. Although the strange feeling/tightness comes and goes regardless of what i have or havent eaten. Always goes away when im in bed though, and gradually comes back again throughout day (although on the odd day, i can hardly feel it). Have you had an actual diagnosis from doctor and do you take medication for it? Many thanks for your help! X

[TeddyBr in reply to Twiglet123]

Hello, i was diagnosed with IBS about 30 years ago but it has got worse since menopause, and sometimes the lack of oestrogen in my body causes the spasm, pain and discomfort under my right rib cage. I normally get bloating and trapped wind with it but not always. Given i have had this for around 5 years i am assuming it is intertwined with menopause as ibs is worse since and the whole digestion process slows down as we get older. Plus there is a bit of liver overload with declining hormones. I take colofac, or colpermin, drink lots of water, hot water bottles, rest and care for myself a bit more. It does go away but will come back in flare ups. I have had a terrible 18 months with bereavement so my stress and anxiety levels have been off the chart and that really doesn't help. The fasting may be impacting. I think the body needs a real balance and it might be worth revisiting the fasting process you have and see if it helps. Sometimes it is a process of elimination. I have had multiple tests and GP appointments over the years and thats great with reassurance but it has taken years for me to understand my body and when pain, symptoms arrive, i try lots of things and keep a mental note for next time. Our bodies are very complex and will keep changing and evolving, so what worked years and months ago may not work any longer. Talk to your GP and take it from there, it will help your body and your mind. Relaxation is key. Always here.

[Twiglet123 in reply to TeddyBr]

Youve been a great help. Ive also had stress off the scale for last 15 years, and i had to have my ovaries out 5 years ago. I lost partner of 20 years very suddenly in 2016, not to mention money worries and worrying for my daughter who now is without a father. Hmm?? Maybe there is a link here! There is only so much stress a person can take before something has to give. Again - thank you so much x

[TeddyBr in reply to Twiglet123]

Exactly and i am so sorry to hear what you've been through. It really is life changing and affects us in many ways and our bodies literally take the full force internally. Stress, excessive stress, emotional pain, everything you have endured will impact on your tummy, bowels and pbysical health. The mind and stomach talk all the time, they know exactly what is going on and given its been 15 years of high stress, i would say, hormones, chemical hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline really do interfere with our guts and organs. Your adrenals nay be fatigued too, which creates a whole level of other symptoms. Time to destress and bring it all calmy down so your body has time to recover. The body is always the last to know when we have been through so much emotional turmoil, it tends to stay in trauma mode longer and never forgets those awful physical symptoms. It needs some help. Good luck with everything!!... self compassion.....

[Jooly007]

know exactly what you mean. During my 30 years with IBS I have been sent to hospital a few times with docs convinced I have gallbladder issues, high cholesterol etc only to be told after colonoscopy or scans etc that I have nothing wrong with me and then you're treated like you're making it all up. I am sore on right hand side most of the day and cannot sleep on that side. Am turning 49 tomorrow and really worried that my last few dreadful months of IBS symptoms, which have been off the scale compared to normal and are really affecting my life and work, are all down to hormone changes...but I'm apparently not menopausal. Nursing a hot water bottle as I type...as usual!

[Teddie123]

Hello to you.

Gosh i was looking for a new post about this and have just logged on and read your.

I have IBS-C (with noted 2 diverticuliti) diagnosed in Jan this year via Colonoscopy. For the last few months i have experienced what i feel is like somebody inflating a ball under my right rib cage area. It feels full, tight and the pain radiates around my ribs, under my arm around my back also up my shoulder area. I have never had any problems laying down and sleep very well. Its always during the day. I have had a scan of gall bladder, liver ect blood tests... no problems. I have a long awaited app ( first one) with a gastroenterology team in Dec.

I cannot tell you how many times i have been to my local gp this year all relating to gastro issues and unfortunately i feel that i not been taken seriously. I was told to eat more fibre. I can honestly say i do, always have. I have streamlined my food according to the Fodmap diet.

I would be pleased to hear from you or anybody else experiencing similar issues.

Best wishes

X

[Keida in reply to Teddie123]

Omg I feel the same exact thing. I have an appointment tomorrow, but I think he’ll

Run a 100 tests and find nothing. Feels like I have something extra under my right rib. Like, when I bend forward, if I bend too much, it’ll pop, like a balloon. I feel more comfortable when I dong eat at all, but it’s still there. After I eat, it’s much more there than before.

I’m taking gas pills, but they don’t work. I don’t know what else to do

[Dazza6888 in reply to Teddie123]

You describe this perfectly for me. I've had it for about 2 year. Driving me crackers. Had ultrasound but said they didn't see anything unual apart from fatty liver. Mine seems OK on a morning and gets gradually worse as the day goes on.. I do get a lot of bloating and wind too.

[Twiglet123]

Thank you so much for your reply. Mine doesnt actually ever hurt, it just feels a bit odd, sometimes like a pulsing feeling, othertimes like a tightness. I rarely feel it in the morning, it gets worse throughout day. The last few days it seems a lot better and some days i hardly know its there. Does yours actually hurt, or just feel a bit odd? Does yours come and go? Ive been to the doctor now, who examined my back and abdomen. He could feel nothing untoward. I am having blood tests next and then scans. I feel perfectly healthy in every other respect, and never fatigued or nauseous. He thinks ibs could be a distinct possibility. It has been driving me insane, and i have been imagining the most terrible things possible 😢 x

[poojaa13 in reply to Twiglet123]

Did you ever figure this out?

[4man28]

Hi, so thinking this might be my problem too...I have had horrible pain under right ribcage for past 4 months had a million tests done with normal results but yet no answer and still massive pain...mine gets worse with activity the longer I stand or the more I do my pain intensifies and radiates to my back and my back gets really tight tense feeling and I get sweaty nausea to the point on many occasions of throwing up..only relief is lying down and sometimes putting a hot water bottle under my back on right side...It feels very similar to my gallbladder problems but mine was removed year ago...the pain for hepatic flexure sounds similar but I dont get constipated....I seem to just get controlled diarrhea and more bowel movements a day then I used too...I'm desperately wanting an answer I'm supposed to go see a specialist gi in Hope's for more answers but afraid wont get that...only thing I havent had done is a colonoscopy wondering if that might help to see how the colon bends etc??

[dmr1071 in reply to 4man28]

Look up sphincter of Odie dysfunction. some people get it, mostly women, after having their gallbladder removed

[dmr1071]

I have a similar feeling. It started after my gallbladder was removed 3 years ago. I've seen numerous specialist, different meds, every scan known to man. My GI sent me to a specialist here at MUSC to be evaluated for something called sphincter of OD dysfunction. It's rare but it can happen after your gallbladder is removed. It took me 3 months to get the appointment the specialist 10 minutes talking to me and my husband pushed on my belly once or twice and said no that's not what you have That's not your problem sent me on my way. So for the next three years we've tried countless medicines, I've had two additional surgeries, more specialist. And my GI doctor is just finally at his wits end and said he believes it's sphincter of Odie dysfunction. All of my symptoms fit. So he's sending me to a different specialist. Look it up and see if it fits you. Hope this helps

[Ruzuz]

Hi Twiglet. Just wondering what ended up happening with your right side? I’m having same issues.

[leeleebean in reply to Ruzuz]

I was going to ask the same. I was just wondering if anyone ever found out what caused this?