pain in upper right side of abdomen

by holly
(garland,tx)

my name is holly im 33 yrs old. im having pain in the upper right side of my belly and goes to my back where my shoulder blade is and is hurts to breathe sometimes. the pain usually last for about 30 min to a hour. i have had a non cancerous tumor removed from my left side of belly in jan 2009 and also endometrial ablasion in aug of 2009. many people have told me it may be gallstones and wanted to get some other opinions.

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Hello Holly,

I am sorry to hear about your ordeals in 2009. You clearly have gone through a lot. Glad those difficult times are now behind you.

The pain on the right side of your upper abdomen you've described here certainly does sound like that from Biliary Colic .

The pain from biliary colic typically starts suddenly, any time of the day, but often within 30 minutes to an hour after meal or even at night, waking the "victim" up, and lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes, or in some cases lasts for hours - up to 3 days in some individuals.


They may be associated feeling of nausea, or actual vomiting. Some people find that bending over and walking around takes a little edge off the pain. They may sweat and become restless.


Pressure on the right upper side of the abdomen, about a hands breath from the right nipple, could worsen the pain in some cases.


Does that sound like you?


If it does, then you will need to be seen for some blood tests and ultrasound scan plus a HIDA scan, if thought to be necessary.


Meanwhile, if you ever develop fever (high temperature) and fever with this pain, you must make your way to ED to have cholecystitis excluded.


Good pain killers like ibuprofen and paracetamol (acetaminophen) may help with the pain if it is okay for you to take ibuprofen - if you do not suffer with asthma or have stomach ulcer, while you go to your doctor.