dull to throbbing ache just under rib cage on right hand side

by Cikes
(Ireland)

Hello
Please help.

Pain is a dull to throbbing ache just under rib cage on right hand side. No nausea just pain. Yes bad after eating. It eases when I apply pressure on my tummy over the ache. I felt dizzy from time to time . I've had this a few months. I often get ache in my back on shoulder blades from it.

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Hi Cikes,

It is most certain that this dull to throbbing ache just under your right rib cage that comes on after meals is due to spasm of your gallbladder in a bid to overcome a blockade from gallstones or sludge found inside the gallbladder sometimes.

Does the pain tend to spread to your right side then to the back, lasting for a few minutes to perhaps hours? Do you find it difficult to find a place of comfort during such pain, turning around to or perhaps walking about to find comfort?

About 1 in 3 women and up to 1 in 6 men suffers with gallstone disease.

Gall stone disease is an umbrella word used to describe a number of conditions arising due to the presence of stones in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a pear shaped sac that is found under the liver (just below the right rib cage).

Gallstones are formed when some of the salts in bile stored inside the gallbladder forms crystals and become a hard mass. They could then block the free flow of bile outside the gallbladder, leading to distention of the gall bladder and pain (biliary colic), or encourage infection inside the gallbladder from the growth of bacteria causing fever and jaundice (cholecystitis) or the stones could dislodge and go to cause inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
The good news is that your symptom sounds like that due to biliary colic - which means that it is not the very serious of the gallbladder diseases. Reducing or avoiding fried foods, or too rich and heavy meals will help to reduce the frequency of attacks.

If this pain continues, what about seeing your GP and perhaps get a scan to confirm or exclude the presence of gallstones. The absence of stones does not mean though, that you cannot have gallbladder pain. In that case, you may require further investigation and maybe a referral to a surgeon for further assessment. You can read more about Biliary colic or gallbladder pain here.

I hope I have not bored you with so much information, Cikes.

By the way, how is Ireland today? It is frighteningly cold here in England and rainy too!

Thanks for visiting us here at abdopain.com and please do not hesitate to come back for updates and to let us know how things went.

Looking forward to hearing back from you soon.

Best Wishes,

Dr Edema.