What is causing my abdominal stabbing pain? Please Help?

Question

I felt a ripping pain in my mid-left quadrant of my abdomen when lifting a heavy box. The surgeon has checked me twice and found no sign of a hernia. A Cat scan came up negative. After 2 months, I still have the pain when I twist or turn a certain way, or lean forward. The strange thing is that, I can usually do heavy work now without any problems, but sometimes when I bend over to pick up something light, like a newspaper or a pan, the pain will manifest itself again. Sometimes I feel a heaviness or pressure in my lower left abdomen after eating a large meal, or after standing for awhile. I know exactly when I did it yet it doesn't seem to be healing. Do abdominal strains take this long to heal? I thought I might have torn a muscle, but the doctor said there would be bruising if that happened. Does anybody have any legitimate ideas what could be going on? I would appreciate any advice.

Answer 1

You know even cat scans have there limitations and the next best thing would be an MRI however they are very expensive. CT scan is about $400-600 and a similar fee to read it by the radiologist. An MRI is about $1500 and another $1500 to read it by the radiologist. Your surgeon is blowing you off as there is noting obvious, but you know your body... Some of these guys get burned once and operate on a complainer, only to find nothing. Then they become callous and never believe a patient again unless there is a clinical correlation. He is right about the bleeding if it was a torn muscle but then again it could have been an occult tear and not so easily discerned. Look for another surgeon and see if he has any better ideas, or at least will stick his neck out to authorize an MRI.

Answer 2

It's possible it's not muscle related. The left upper quadrant is where your large intestine makes a turn going toward your rectum. It's possible you may have diverticulitis because this is a very common spot to have it. If you press in this area and have pain (dull or sharp), this could be your problem. Undigested foods like seeds or hulls can become lodged in the diverticuli (small pockets) and they become infected. You might want to discuss this with your doctor. You might want to try taking a laxative and keeping away from seeds like tomato seeds, nuts or popcorn. At any rate, if you're hurting or running a low grade fever you need an antibiotic. You can take aspirin or ibuprophen to reduce pain and inflammation (with food). So I suggest you call your doc again or get another opinion. Godloveya.

Answer 3

You said that you picked up weight, the pain comes off and on, there nothing with you, at the moment. It is possible that you are suffering from some abdominal muscle. You should report to an orthopaedic surgeon and take a opinion.
Avoid heavy meals for time being.