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Conditions and Diseases > Abdominal Pain Forum > Ongoing right abdominal pain
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Q: Ongoing right abdominal pain
asked by: chibi on March 13th, 2009
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I posted on here a while back and got some helpful tips but it hasn't changed so I thought I might as well post again.

First off, I'm 19 and I'm female.
It's been over a year now since I started getting pains in my right side (varies between "McBurney's point" and navel height on the right). I first started getting it very badly and went to the doctor, panicking that I had appendicitis or something and was told that it wasn't and was told to go home and just rest. The symptoms didn't stop so I went back and he said that it was probably a "feminine problem" because he didn't know what to do, so I was passed on to another doctor. She suspected Endometriosis but then decided that wasn't it, I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. I was send to the hospital where they gave me an internal scan, told me I had a cyst (which by then I knew) and told me to go home and get rest as there was nothing they could do. By this point no one had bothered to prescribe me any painkillers so I was in a lot of pain. It started to fade after a while but then it came back, sometimes on the left but mostly on the right. I went back to the doctors and was told I now had a cyst on the left and was told to, once more, go home and get some rest.
That was all about 9 or so months ago, then about 3 months ago I decided to go to a different doctor (Chinese doctor, different methods). He told me that it could be an inflamed appendix (not appendicitis) or a problem with my gut, I was asked to come back in a few days if the problem hadn't gone. I came back and he rules out appendix problems but still couldn't tell me what was causing my pain. Again, at this point I still hadn't been prescribed and pain medication.

And here I am. I still have terrible pains in my right side (varying from a dull ache to stabbing sharp pains. Not like my cyst pains from before). I don't seem to have many other symptoms; I don't get nausea, no constipation or diarrhoea, no vomiting, no dizziness, no loss of appetite. I've been urinating a bit more frequently but I drink a lot of fluids so I assumed it was normal. I've also been getting tiny patches of dry skin across my calves, one or two on my arms and one on my left eyelid (don't know if that could be related). And I get occasional hot flushes and I'm tired nearly all the time. The pains tend to get worse when I'm tired, if I've been standing up or walking for a while or when I'm upset or stressed. They're still there when I get my period but mine are painful anyway so it's hard to tell between them (and I'm on the pill, helps regulate and the pains are even worse when I'm off the pill).

At this point I really don't know what to do. My doctors can't seem to tell me what's wrong (and I've been to four different ones!), it's interfering with my job and my coursework, it makes it difficult to get out of bed sometimes. My mum won't take me to the hospital for any sort of tests because she doesn't seem to take it seriously and she thinks that the hospital will be a waste of time.
I could really use some help please!
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Replies(9)
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jgirardi
replied on May 22nd, 2009
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similar problem i had
Hi
I had a few of your symptoms which forced me to get an appendectomy done. I had to go to the Emergency 4 times before i demanded a CT scan to look at my appendix. Low and behold i needed to get my appendix removed. The doctors did not believe i had a problem because i was showing no signs of the illness. I looked healthy, had no fever, was not vomiting. All I had was a discomfort feeling in my lower right abdomen. It was never hurting me, but i knew something wasnt right. Also, nothing was coming up in my blood tests. After the doc removed it he said that your immune system was keeping the infection localized to the appendix and this was possibly why i wasnt showing the true symptoms of appendicitis. Also, the doc says, that I had very high pain tolerance, just lucky I guess, possibly due to less pain receptors in that area. So if you havent got a CT scan already i would demand one because you are going through exactly what i was going through. I looked perfectly healthy and was acting perfecting healthy (no constipation and no loss of appetite). So again if you havent got a CT scan i would recommend you do so just to rule out whether the appendix is giving you problems.

JP
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Users who thank jgirardi for this post: chibi 
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oracle1
replied on May 27th, 2009
New User
ongoing right abdominal pain
Hi,

It could well be the appendix and CT scan is a good idea. Do you experience a sharp or a dull pain when you press on the area? Does it hurt when you press anywhere else on your stomach.Do you feel a tendet mass on your right side when pressing if so where exactly, what size and shape? During the periods when you are not experiencing pain does it hurt when you press on your right side too?
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oracle1
replied on May 27th, 2009
New User
ongoing right abdominal pain
Hi,

It could well be the appendix and CT scan is a good idea. Do you experience a sharp or a dull pain when you press on the area? Does it hurt when you press anywhere else on your stomach.Do you feel a tendet mass on your right side when pressing if so where exactly, what size and shape? During the periods when you are not experiencing pain does it hurt when you press on your right side too?
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chibi
replied on May 30th, 2009
New User
jgirardi:
Yeah that sounds like what I have; it really hurts to walk sometimes or if I've been standing up for a while, it's been getting worse recently as well, for the past week whenever the pains start I begin to get really nauseous. I've also been constantly tired no matter how much sleep I get.
I'm hoping to go to my doctor and ask for a CT scan at the end of the week but I don't know what the medical system is like in England so I'm worried about costs. Also I've never had to have surgery or anything like that and just the thought of it really scares me so there's a bit of me that doesn't want to get the scan in case they tell me I NEED to have surgery Sad

oracle1:
Hi, no it doesn't hurt at all when I press on it, it used to feel better when I applied a little pressure and heat (like just placing my whole hand across the are) but recently when I press on it I just feel nauseous. There doesn't seem to be any mass or anything though.


So my main question is, after nearly 2 years of lower right abdominal pain, normal blood tests, occasional nausea but otherwise no symptoms; could it be something like chronic appendicitis and do I really need to get a CT scan done soon?
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jgirardi
replied on May 30th, 2009
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To be honest, it is weird that you have at it for two years. You are right, it could also be a chronic condition. But, you are feeling nauseous, that is a symptom that something is not right, and may be a symptom due to the appendix. So make sure you tell the doctor that. Check to see if you have a fever, that is another symptom which sometimes accompanies an inflamed appendix. It is totally up to you if you don't want to get a CT scan. Talk to your doctor, a CT scan will rule out whether the appendix is swollen and on the verge of bursting. So you could take a couple things away with this...you can find out it is your appendix, and get the surgery and go back to a normal life...or find out its not appendicitis, which i also think is good, cause then you won't be as worried thinking about it since a swollen appendix is a serious condition.

I hope this helps

JP
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chibi
replied on May 31st, 2009
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Well I think it's been two years, I mean, I'm just finished my first year of university and it started in my second year of college. Well the nausea only developed within the last week or two, I wouldn't be able to tell if I have a fever though because I don't handle heat well generally, the past few days I've come into uni after walking in the sun I've felt like I was either going to pass out or be sick.
I probably should get the scan, I just need to finish my hand-ins first
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oracle1
replied on June 1st, 2009
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Your symptoms are really a-typical of appendicitis but it could be that you have chronic appendicitis and as a result your appendix has eventually developed scar tissue, almost like a callous. That might explain why the pain is almost constant even after your immune system has fought off a bout of infection.Good luck with the scan and keep us posted.
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chibi
replied on June 1st, 2009
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I've got an appointment with a doctor at my surgery for friday, hopefully I'll get a referral to get a scan over the weekend or something

Thanks guys ^^
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Natalie3799
replied on June 4th, 2009
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Hello Chibi,

Please let me know how you get on with requesting your CT scan - I have a similar post on the forum (if you get a chance, read it) and I have also been experiencing the same symptoms for years. I believe it is chronic appendicitis (the title of my post)- which a lot of doctors don't believe in - possibly we have the same thing?!

I hope you manage to get some joy from your doctor and get your CT scan - let us know how you get on and I hope you get some relief from the pain soon.

Natalie
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