Health issues have me worried..

HTguru1982

I've been having some health issues over the last 2 months. It started with pain in my right abdominal area. As the days went by, I began having other issues which prompted a visit to the ER. It turned out that I had developed a prostate infection. I was treated with a shot of antibiotics and given a prescription for some, as well. According to the doc at the ER, besides the infection, my blood work came back normal. After 2 weeks, the infection was gone. This was confirmed during a follow up visit to the urologist. But one thing remained: the abdominal pain. The urologist said it was normal to have this kind of pain after the infection.

I had another doctor visit a week and a half ago and I was told that the abdominal pain was nothing to worry about. Muscle injury was probable. No blood tests done. The pain is now very noticeable on my right side, inside and just under my rib cage. Occasionally I feel it in my lower abdominal area. It has also started causing problems in my lower back. None of this is ever excruciating but very uncomfortable. I have a somewhat physically demanding job and on more than one occasion, I have slowed down dramatically by the end of my shift.

I have another doctor visit scheduled for Wed. I hope I can convince them to do some kind of tests this time around. The last doctor didn't seem like he had any time and was quick to diagnose my problems as muscle related. I simply don't buy it. Hard to believe that when the pain is clearly under the muscles.

Liver disease is my big worry right now. I feel comfortable in the sense that I don't have any yellowing of the skin or eyes but not everyone does, it seems. I don't drink alcohol and literally have only been drunk once in my life. I have had a big problem with soda over the last few years, though.

I don't need any prayers at the moment but would just like to get some opinions on what might possibly be wrong. Reading all this stuff about liver damage and disease has me very worried. Maybe there's someone out there who's dealt with this or knows someone who has.

Thanks!

F1nut

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet, so all I can say is I wish you the best in figuring out what is obviously going wrong in your body.

EndersShadow

I agree w/ F1Nut, but throwing out a couple thoughts anyway.... is it near or around your Gallbladder or Appendix?

cfrizz

You can always ask to see/change to another MD. When asked the reason why you tell them flat out that your current one isn't listening to you.

Sometimes that is all it takes to change a doctors attitude. I did it when my mom complained that her doctor didn't listen to her. I called them up and asked them to pick her another one.

tonyb

Bingo Cathy. If the health issue isn't resolved, get another opinion,see a different doctor....and asap too. You don't want this blowing up to make other issues that may put your life in jeopardy.

boston1450

Yup. Go to another doctor. Stay right on that till you find out what it is. Only you know your body & if it doesnt feel right early detection would be the best thing to know. Hope you start feeling better

HTguru1982

Thanks, guys. The appointment I had for Wed is actually with another doctor. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll make it till tomorrow. I woke up this morning after only 4 hours of sleep, with real sharp pains in my upper abdomen that comes and goes every 15-20 seconds and is only getting worse. This is the first time that the pain has been severe. I've taken a vacation day from work. I'm hoping to get a hold of this new doctor when they open at 9 and see if they can fit me in today. If not, off to urgent care or the ER I go...

rooftop59

Sorry to hear about all this Thomas. Press the doc and make sure you get an answer. Good vibes sent your way...

tonyb

HTguru1982 wrote: »

Thanks, guys. The appointment I had for Wed is actually with another doctor. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll make it till tomorrow. I woke up this morning after only 4 hours of sleep, with real sharp pains in my upper abdomen that comes and goes every 15-20 seconds and is only getting worse. This is the first time that the pain has been severe. I've taken a vacation day from work. I'm hoping to get a hold of this new doctor when they open at 9 and see if they can fit me in today. If not, off to urgent care or the ER I go...

Get to the ER now !! Stop posting and get your **** to a hospital asap.

amb426amb1

As a health care professional I agree with Tony. Simple lab values will rule out liver involvement so don't let your thinking get ahead of this. Seek immediate medical attention for pain remarkable enough to keep you from work.

HTguru1982

I just got off the phone with the doctor's office. They are able to get me in at 11. Just an hour to wait. The pain has subsided a bit thankfully.

cnh

I agree. A SECOND opinion is warranted, as is an ultrasound of that area. There's a lot going on there: liver, gall bladder, pancreas, etc. And the stomach connecting to the intestinal system (could be something as simple as cramping or obstruction of the path).

Depending on your age I would not jump to a dire diagnosis of liver damage, unless you know something we don't?

But it's best to have some more tests for sure. You have to persist and INSIST! And if one Doctor does not respond. There are OTHERS! Let's face it there are a lot of putzes in that profession as well as some gems!

Best wishes!

cnh

Oldfatdogs

Thomas,sometimes DRs will blow you off.Keep after them until your better,(the well it could be) crap doesn't make your pain go away.Press them for all the tests needed to figure things out.Not knowing can drive you crazy.Hope you feel better soon.

Dan

george daniel

I hope things turn out well-- keep us posted!

gdb

That describes the pain I get before I have a kidney stone episode,my pain can also "radiate" to many, seemingly unrelated areas. Get a CT scan. Good luck !

ken brydson

gdb wrote: »

That describes the pain I get before I have a kidney stone episode,my pain can also "radiate" to many, seemingly unrelated areas. Get a CT scan. Good luck !

That was my thought as well.

Polkie2009

What age man are you HTG? If you're over 50, you'll find yourself experiencing all_ kinds of pains in the old body. A lot of times, these pains come and go and sometimes they get worse til you have to go get medical treatment for them. Have you ever had any hernias or disc injuries in the lower back?An ultrasound may find what the problem is. Have read that many people can have gall stone problems for years and not realize it. Glad you're getting this looked at today.

steveinaz

I'll pitch a prayer your way anyway. Hope you get to feeling better.

polrbehr

I just went through a very similar situation about a month ago (almost). Sounds gallbladder related to me, or maybe kidney stones.

Sonogram, ultrasound, MRI and/or CAT-scans should ALL be done ASAP, at least those are the tests I had done.

Good luck to you, I certainly hope you don't go through any more pain than you've already gone through.

Dawgfish

Please take care and get well soon!

teekay0007

With what little info we've got, my dime is on gallstones - until proven otherwise.

Hope you get to the bottom of this and that you're feeling better very soon.

JerryR1verz

I have no opinion or advice beyond what has already been given.

I can share what happened to my wife tho. Severe abdominal pain, doubled over, and went for blood work. Liver counts were high and pointed to the gall bladder. She had it removed right away on a Saturday morning and liver counts went back down/ pain gone. Get well soon HT.

gmcman

Wish you the best, on top of what others said make double darn sure your appendix is ok, get a second opinion if necessary.

mrbigbluelight

Thomas, good luck with your doctor's visit today. As Ms. Cfrizz and Cnh mentioned, second opinions are warranted here. INSIST on proper medical care, DEMAND it.
There's nothing wrong with telling a doctor, "I don't see that as the problem. If it isn't, what other possibilities are there, and what tests do we need to perform to rule that out".
I'm no doctor and neither are you. BUT ... neither are the insurance companies. Their version of medical care is, "Have the patient take 800 mg of Ibuprofen every 8 hours and see if the problem goes away by itself in a week ... or two .... or three".

I've been seeing some doctors over the last several months for a little thing. 2 of them are quite a bit older (76 & 82 !). They remember what medical care WAS about. Last week, regarding a certain medical treatment, one of the nurses commented "I'm not sure if his medical insurance will want to pay for that". The older doctor made a beautiful statement, IMO: "Insurance companies are run by statistics. Statistics are ****". I told him, " You know what ? You're not just okay, you're all right ".

The point being, you've earned and are paying for at least competent medical care. Demand it, insist on it, and you'll get it.

P.S. my guess is a gall bladder issue which wouldn't be a bad thing. Co-worker had his taken out last fall and was back to work in a week (arthroscopic surgery). Not much fuss, not much pain.

Good luck !

P.P.S. your FX300i's are doing great !

HTguru1982

Thanks so much for your support, guys. This new doctor was extremely helpful and thorough. She has had me do new blood work and is getting me set up to have a CT scan. They will be checking for practically everything with the blood tests. She did notice some swelling in my lymph nodes which could indicate that I simply have another infection. I really hope that's all it is.

I'm only 31 so I'm really too young to have anything serious but you never know. I've been healthy all of my life except for some mild asthma so all of this is completely new for me. To read what some of these symptoms could indicate is pretty freakin' scary.

HTguru1982

That's funny because that's exactly what the last doctor recommended, "Take two Aleve a day for two weeks. Call if it doesn't get better". Right.

Glad to hear you're enjoying those 300i's. Did you ever find a grill for it?

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

Thomas, good luck with your doctor's visit today. As Ms. Cfrizz and Cnh mentioned, second opinions are warranted here. INSIST on proper medical care, DEMAND it.
There's nothing wrong with telling a doctor, "I don't see that as the problem. If it isn't, what other possibilities are there, and what tests do we need to perform to rule that out".
I'm no doctor and neither are you. BUT ... neither are the insurance companies. Their version of medical care is, "Have the patient take 800 mg of Ibuprofen every 8 hours and see if the problem goes away by itself in a week ... or two .... or three".

I've been seeing some doctors over the last several months for a little thing. 2 of them are quite a bit older (76 & 82 !). They remember what medical care WAS about. Last week, regarding a certain medical treatment, one of the nurses commented "I'm not sure if his medical insurance will want to pay for that". The older doctor made a beautiful statement, IMO: "Insurance companies are run by statistics. Statistics are ****". I told him, " You know what ? You're not just okay, you're all right ".

The point being, you've earned and are paying for at least competent medical care. Demand it, insist on it, and you'll get it.

P.S. my guess is a gall bladder issue which wouldn't be a bad thing. Co-worker had his taken out last fall and was back to work in a week (arthroscopic surgery). Not much fuss, not much pain.

Good luck !

P.P.S. your FX300i's are doing great !

krabby5

HTguru1982 wrote: »

Thanks so much for your support, guys. This new doctor was extremely helpful and thorough. She has had me do new blood work and is getting me set up to have a CT scan. They will be checking for practically everything with the blood tests. She did notice some swelling in my lymph nodes which could indicate that I simply have another infection. I really hope that's all it is.

I'm only 31 so I'm really too young to have anything serious but you never know. I've been healthy all of my life except for some mild asthma so all of this is completely new for me. To read what some of these symptoms could indicate is pretty freakin' scary.

whatever you do..do NOT google search symptoms on the internet. You will think you have the rarest form of cancer imaginable.

Jstas

krabby5 wrote: »

whatever you do..do NOT google search symptoms on the internet. You will think you have the rarest form of cancer imaginable.

I know! Right?

steveinaz

^ Exactly, the net will make you crazy. I have made my nervous wife promise not to diagnose herself via the web. She's had cancer like 15 times so far.......but not really.

NJPOLKER

Research from wherever and use your better judgment as to what to use and what to throw away. What can it hurt?

I have been going thorough something very similar except it's been going on for about nine months. GET A SECOND OR THIRD OPINION. I DID.

After all these months I am still not "cured" however things are feeling better.

Not knowing what's wrong is really draining and has led me to sleepless nights.

Music is a terrific means of therapy by the way.

More detail sent in PM

cfrizz

HTguru1982 wrote: »

Thanks so much for your support, guys. This new doctor was extremely helpful and thorough. She has had me do new blood work and is getting me set up to have a CT scan. They will be checking for practically everything with the blood tests. She did notice some swelling in my lymph nodes which could indicate that I simply have another infection. I really hope that's all it is.

I'm only 31 so I'm really too young to have anything serious but you never know. I've been healthy all of my life except for some mild asthma so all of this is completely new for me. To read what some of these symptoms could indicate is pretty freakin' scary.

Glad you got a doctor who is so thorough...keep her!

I have had male friends who always had male doctors that ended up with women and came back to say that it was the longest exam they have ever had. She asked me a million questions LISTENED to all my answers, poked, prodded and went examining things their male counter parts never went near, and had me go to the lab to take half my blood supply! But you know what, it was the most thorough exam I've ever had in my life and if she comes back and tells me I'm healthy I'll believe her because she checked EVERYTHING!

I had an accident last year that banged me up some but I figured I would be fine in a few days, well the next morning I was not only sore, but very sick & dizzy and couldn't keep anything down. By lunchtime I called my doctor and she had me come in. She did an ekg, and then told me to go to Quincy Med Ctr to get a CT scan of my head, she wanted to rule out heart attack and stroke! Why, because all of my symptoms were consistent with those two problems for women! The ER doctor was focused on xraying my knee and when I told him that I was there for a CT scan he asked me of what I told him my head and he said why? you're not having a stroke or heart attack, I asked him and you can see this how??? My doctor sent me for one, and I want one done!

Needless to say I was pissed! Well I got my CT scan and everything checked out fine, I had a bad case of vertigo. But I will always be thankful to my doctor and I made sure I told her, that she was thorough enough to check. Both my mother & a good friend of mine had heart attacks that went undiagnosed and untreated for a long time because our symptoms are totally different from mens!

So don't let some arrogant male doctor talk you into manning up and just taking it. The difference could cost you your life. Unless you are a hypochondriac, you know your body better than anyone, if you got a doc that won't listen, find one that will! Best of luck to you HTG.