Stomach Pain
I finally went into Urgent Care for the upper R quadrant stomach pain after a prolonged episode at 7/10 and had an abdominal CT. I saw the excellent doctor who did not allow bias to stop him from taking me seriously years ago when I presented to Urgent Care having had cardiac symptoms over the weekend--and sent me directly up to the cardiologist I still see to this day. I got a referral to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy which I had yesterday.
Liver: There are signs of hepatic cirrhosis, including atrophy of the left
lobe, hypertrophy of the caudate lobe, and micronodular surface contour. The
liver is mildly enlarged. There is mild diffuse hepatic steatosis.
Gallbladder and bile ducts: The gallbladder is surgically absent.
Spleen: The spleen is mildly enlarged measuring 12 x 11 cm.
Adrenals: The adrenal glands are normal.
Kidneys and ureters: The kidneys are normal in size and attenuation, with no
focal masses or collections. No renal parenchymal or collecting system
calcifications are seen. There is no hydronephrosis bilaterally.
Stomach and bowel: Mild colonic diverticulosis is present primarily in the
sigmoid and descending colon, with no signs of acute diverticulitis. The
stomach is within normal limits. Radiopaque enteric contrast proceeds from the
stomach to the distal ileum, with no evidence of small bowel obstruction. The
small bowel is normal in appearance.
Appendix: A normal appendix is identified.
Bones/joints: Sternotomy residuals. Degenerative disc disease at the lower
lumbar levels. No acute fracture. No dislocation.
Soft tissues: Unremarkable.
Vasculature: Mild aortoiliac atherosclerotic calcification is seen. No
abdominal aortic aneurysm.
I was worried about my pancreas but it appeared to be normal and enzyme test results were fine. My colonoscopy showed nothing that would explain the pain which is very reminiscent of my former gallbladder pain especially in location (without that squeezing feeling from the spasms). Yet my new gastroenterologist insists that the liver, the only thing in the region that shows damage, can't be responsible for this pain because the liver has no nerve endings. This is true--internally. But my reading (such as Mayoclinic, not some junk science site) indicates you can have liver pain and that there are nerve endings on the surface. When the liver is swollen you can apparently have pain. It also seems likely that a patient with fibromyalgia would have pain if anyone would. I'm happy to suspect another culprit if anyone can identify it. Otherwise I feel like I'm being gas-lighted.
I don't even know what to do when I have pain at this point. I don't have any medication that helps it and I'm completely freaked out over having the same kind of pain that I thought I would never have to feel again after getting rid of my gallbladder. Mind you, I had **22 years** of gallbladder pain during which I was told it couldn't be my gallbladder and maybe I should "talk to someone." So my patience for being told my pain can't be there or be what it seems obvious it is from is nonexistent.
I almost didn't have the colonoscopy after all that prep because they forgot to clear it with my cardiologist even though I'd indicated I'd recently had a nuclear scan. There was a troubling finding in that scan that made them worry about how I'd hold up under the procedure. So we waited while they contacted my doc, complicated a bit by the early time of my appointment. Then they were surprised he knew me by name alone. My cardiologist met me way back in 2001 and I have an unusual name.
Liver: There are signs of hepatic cirrhosis, including atrophy of the left
lobe, hypertrophy of the caudate lobe, and micronodular surface contour. The
liver is mildly enlarged. There is mild diffuse hepatic steatosis.
Gallbladder and bile ducts: The gallbladder is surgically absent.
Spleen: The spleen is mildly enlarged measuring 12 x 11 cm.
Adrenals: The adrenal glands are normal.
Kidneys and ureters: The kidneys are normal in size and attenuation, with no
focal masses or collections. No renal parenchymal or collecting system
calcifications are seen. There is no hydronephrosis bilaterally.
Stomach and bowel: Mild colonic diverticulosis is present primarily in the
sigmoid and descending colon, with no signs of acute diverticulitis. The
stomach is within normal limits. Radiopaque enteric contrast proceeds from the
stomach to the distal ileum, with no evidence of small bowel obstruction. The
small bowel is normal in appearance.
Appendix: A normal appendix is identified.
Bones/joints: Sternotomy residuals. Degenerative disc disease at the lower
lumbar levels. No acute fracture. No dislocation.
Soft tissues: Unremarkable.
Vasculature: Mild aortoiliac atherosclerotic calcification is seen. No
abdominal aortic aneurysm.
I was worried about my pancreas but it appeared to be normal and enzyme test results were fine. My colonoscopy showed nothing that would explain the pain which is very reminiscent of my former gallbladder pain especially in location (without that squeezing feeling from the spasms). Yet my new gastroenterologist insists that the liver, the only thing in the region that shows damage, can't be responsible for this pain because the liver has no nerve endings. This is true--internally. But my reading (such as Mayoclinic, not some junk science site) indicates you can have liver pain and that there are nerve endings on the surface. When the liver is swollen you can apparently have pain. It also seems likely that a patient with fibromyalgia would have pain if anyone would. I'm happy to suspect another culprit if anyone can identify it. Otherwise I feel like I'm being gas-lighted.
I don't even know what to do when I have pain at this point. I don't have any medication that helps it and I'm completely freaked out over having the same kind of pain that I thought I would never have to feel again after getting rid of my gallbladder. Mind you, I had **22 years** of gallbladder pain during which I was told it couldn't be my gallbladder and maybe I should "talk to someone." So my patience for being told my pain can't be there or be what it seems obvious it is from is nonexistent.
I almost didn't have the colonoscopy after all that prep because they forgot to clear it with my cardiologist even though I'd indicated I'd recently had a nuclear scan. There was a troubling finding in that scan that made them worry about how I'd hold up under the procedure. So we waited while they contacted my doc, complicated a bit by the early time of my appointment. Then they were surprised he knew me by name alone. My cardiologist met me way back in 2001 and I have an unusual name.