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Unexplained abdominal pain
I am a 70 year old women who takes Crestar for high cholesterol and metropolol for high blood pressure and palpitations, and synthroid for thyroid condition. For the last year, I have experienced on and off pain in left pelvic and abdomen areas, that often went to my back. At first, went to my gastro doctor who gave me a colonoscopy with negative results. The pain subsided a little bit and I assumed it was just muscular in nature. But in the last three months, the pain and burning has came back and I can only get relief by taking either a hot bath or lying down.
After reading your NYTimes article, I was convinced that it was a hernia and therefore went to my family doctor who ordered a sonogram of the entire pelvic, abdomen, uterus areas. Again, this test did not show anything. I have even stopped taking Crestar thinking that it might have effected my muscular system (no change in the pain yet). I have also stopped exercising or walking since I find it brings on more pain.
I am trying to rest but feel this is no way to live and therefore am most frustrated.
Thank you for your advice and counsel.
Marilyn
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1 Reply
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Unexplained abdominal pain
Hernias can cause groin pain, radiating around to the back. Lying flat makes it better. So many of your symptoms may be suggestive of a hernia.
When ordering an ultrasound, it must be a specifici hernia ultrasound. The technician or radiologist should have you stand up, bend forward and back, push your belly in and out, and basically have you do maneuvers to exacerbate a small hernia and make it more likely to visualize a hernia. If that is not diagnostic, then I recommend MRI pelvis with Valsalva. Based on our research, a CT is likely to be nondiagnostic with small hernias.
If all are negative and you still have symptoms highly suggestive of a hernia, then you should have the ultrasound/MRI re-read. I read my own images and there are a lot of “negative” interpretations because radiologists are not in time with what constitutes a small hernia. Especially in women.
These are my suggestions.
Hip problems can also manifest as groin pain. Just another thing to think about.
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