Abdominal Pain Forum - Pain under right ribs

Conditions and Diseases > Abdominal Pain Forum > Pain under right ribs

Abdominal pain and bellyaches are common. Though most cases of abdominal pain aren't serious, sometimes you will need to see a doctor. We’ll review some of...

Q: Pain under right ribs

asked by: DoctorQuestion on March 1st, 2009

I've been having pain in the right hand side of my abdomin for over a year now. It started after coming off warfarin after having a pulmonary embolism. In the last year (in an attempt to find the problem) I have been treated for a kidney infection, cervicitis, had an ultra sound of my stomach, kidney, liver and gallbladder, had a breath test for h.pylori, had an endoscopy and been put on a course of lansoprezole. The result of my endoscopy was clear and showed nothing wrong with my stomach, opening to my stomach, duodenum or throat. The doctor at the hospital said I should go back to my doctors and have them check again for gallstones.

The pain is located under my ribs on the right hand side and leads around to my back. Is there a chance this is linked to my pulmonary embolism which was located in my right lung? It used to hurt maybe every few weeks or so, but now it seems to be a constant pain. There doesn't seem to be any specific food that sets it off. Any ideas?

Replies(1)

Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD

replied on March 1st, 2009

Abdominal Pain Answer A5924

The symptoms you reported (pain under right ribcage that spreads to the back between the shoulders) are characteristic for gallbladder inflammation and/or gallstones. The inflammation can be present without detectable gallstones.
You might want to have another ultrasound of the gallbladder.
If gallstones are found, a surgery might be suggested to remove them. Meanwhile, you might want to try a long-time (several months) taking of products with Omega-3 fatty acids. These products might help the liver with its bile forming function thus easing the role of the gallbladder.

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