Pain in left side

There are no questions related to this post.

	Asked by curious28627 (Female; 53; hypertension, hypothyroid, bilateral carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, cervical degen. disc disease, depression; Relevant drugs:Prestiq, generic lotrel, levoxyl, lovastatin ) on Tue 17, Nov 2009 07:19am :
	I am a 53 year old white female. I suffered from GERD for years. Had a fundolipication in 2002. About 6 weeks ago I started experiencing pain (burning and dull to sharp pain) in my left side to the left of my breast. Pain continues and has awakened me past 4 mornings. Pain is mostly constant. Often I have a burning sensation in my abdomen also. Saw my dr. and tried muscle relaxers and Nexium--no relief. Had a CT scan last week and doctor informed me yesterday there are no "worrisome" findings on CT. Suggested I try gas relief products a few days and then a referral to gastroenterologist if problem persists. Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be going on? Any information would be helpful as the pain persists and I am confused as to the cause. Thanks for any insight  Download (image/pjpeg)
	Actions: | Forward |
	Answer by Dr Bhupinder K, MD (doctor) on Tue 17, Nov 2009 09:53am: Hi, Many thanks for posting to this forum. The description of the site of pain seems like it’s originating in the chest. The pain usually arises from either the intercostal muscles (muscles in between the ribs) called as myalgia or from the ribs or from the pleura (coating of the lungs) which can result from pleuritis. CT scan is a very sensitive test and usually picks up the pathology quite easily. However, since it hasn’t shown any significant abnormality, I don’t think there’s any serious pathology of the chest wall or the lungs. The pain could be likely due to myalgia which can be taken care of by applying some local painkiller gel or with oral painkillers. However, the other possibility is of the pain arising from acid peptic disease and radiating upwards. For the same, use of some anti-ulcer drugs like omeprazole, pantoprazole, digene etc should help. Also try raising the head of your bed about four inches with blocks. It also might help to avoid eating or drinking for two hours before you lie down. To help control the stomach acid, one should not drink alcohol or drinks with caffeine in them, or eat chocolate or spicy or greasy foods. In addition, I’ll suggest getting an upper GI endoscopy done to rule out peptic ulcer disease. I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.
	Please rate my answer (select the stars below, no need to log in.)
	Name Email Comments Enter your comments here Enter the text as shown above E-Mail me when someone replies to this post
	Comments: Comment by Dr.Kokil Mathur on Tue 17, Nov 2009 08:49pm: Hi ! Dr Bhupinder has answered your post very well. She has enumerated the possibilities of the origin of the pain and the solutions very well. There is a possibility of recurrence of the acid peptic disease and GGERD despite the fundoplication surgery. Pain that wakes a person up in the early hours of morning is generally due to severe acidity. As Dr Bhupinder said, get an endoscopy done. Meanwhile go for a late night snack along with cold milk. This remedy takes care of early morning pain and burning in the abdomen. Another thing contributing to acidity is the drugs you are taking. Hence you must take a drug to reduce acidity on a regular basis. While you get yourself investigated ask your doctor about the possibility of there being sensitivity to gluten or lactose or any other food product. This can also cause the acidity to be aggravated. Hope this helps. Do discuss these possibilities with your doctor. It is difficult to comment beyond this without examining. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!