Demand the CAT scan and an MRI.
Make it stick, make them do it.
Go for the best technology can do.
Dull pain with intermittent shooting pain?
Something is up!
Make them find it.
.
Have you lifted anything or slept in a position that might have caused strain on the cartilage between your ribs? I’ve done this a few times and taking a deep breath felt like I was getting stabbed. After a couple of days of not reinjuring it and it was gone. The first time was along the left side of my sternum and my initial thought was a heart attack.
Maybe a blood clot in the lower lung area. Ask about blood thickness, personally my blood is prone to clotting more that most out there so I am subject to a lifetime of blood thinners.
Do you have a regular primary care physician who will advocate for you? Demand the tests necessary to diagnose your pain. That is what they have the CT and MRI for.
I am afraid that sometimes women are dismissed as hypochondriacs.
It sounds like you might have a duodenal ulcer. It is terribly painful and the symptoms get progressively worse if left untreated. You need to see a gastroenterologist.
Mrs. greedo had it many years ago, they gave her something for it, and it got better.
google it and see if the symptoms match yours.
yours very truly,
Dr. greedo
I will only ask this...is the pain right below the left side on the rib cage....kinda like you took a tennis ball and squeezed the heck out of it?
If yes? Then, it’s the same thing I’ve had for fifteen years. And early on, with no diagnosis (and still none)...I learned to raise my arms above my head and twist to the left with the whole body. The shooting pain disappears within ten seconds, and doesn’t come back for at least a day or two. Lately, with a different nutritional diet...I haven’t had the pain in six months (less fat, more salad oil, more fruit).
Check Celiac’s
Here is a search for lower left quadrant pain via Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/abdominal-pain/MY00390/DSECTION=causes
You will see there are several issues that can present on that side. You can rule out some or most but a few should give you a good idea of what is going on and with a bit of extra reading you should be able to get a more specific symptom/cause/issue, at least enough to give the docs more helpful information.
Good luck and don’t let them turn you away.
Do you have a GP or private doctor of some kind? If not, you need to get one.
You should get a referral to a GI. That is your stomach.
It could be a lot of things. Please follow up with your doc (horrified by the treatment you got at the hospital!)
In the meantime, check out this link:
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/hiatal-hernia
spleen
Follow up with your doctor as soon as you can.
He may recommend the CT. Not that much in Left upper quadrant.
Could be stomach, colon,Lung possible, spleen also in LUQ. Kidney and pancreas less likely.
If you go back to the ER expect to repeat everything, and them probably do the CT. They are not benign. The radiation from an abdominal Ct is 1000mRem. The radiation from a chest xray is 10mRem for comparison. Each abdominal CT increases risk of cancer over your lifetime by a fraction of 1%. And if you are a female of reproductive age there’s a significant dose to your ovaries.
I know its hard to hear this but the fact you’ve had the pain for weeks suggests it’s actually not emergent. Most of the problems we get really concerned about in the Er would not last that long before making you really ill or killing you. Doesn’t mean nothing is wrong, just not an acute process. The job of the ER is to identify those in immediate danger, we can’t diagnose every problem. The most common diagnosis of abdominal pain in the ER is “Unspecified abdominal pain”. We can only do so much in the ER. Trust me I kind of know what I’m talking about here.
Shit...I ain’t no doctor...but i recommend....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkb8xre37F0
If you don't have a primary care physician, perhaps you can go to a walk-in clinic and use them to guide you through the process. Try to avoid going from one doctor to another on your own. Have a primary care physician, or nurse practitioner that you can come back to to discuss the situation and decide what to do next.
From my experience, muscle spasms can mimic other more serious problems. While this may have nothing to do with your problem, it is my only thought at the moment.
Years ago, I would have a minor accident, being thrown from my horse. The initial shock went away, but hours later I would have severe pains that would almost immobilize me.
I had two or three such events.
Their is no way to really see or diagnose them. My only relief was to be on muscle relaxant drugs until the muscles stop the spasms
Diverticulitis or Aortic Anuerysm/Dissection?
I’ve had friends experience both.
They were loudmouths, had great insurance and the ability to write large checks.
Check those.
If you can, find a concierge medical service, sign up and go see them ASAP.