Pressure in left rib cage?

I'm not quite sure your doctor is right. I have had the very same symptoms and for about 5 years now, i have had difficulty with diagnosis for it. however, a Gastroenterologist i saw recently suggested a colonoscopy to determine exactly what it is. but off the top of my head( having read up on this extensively) i would say it is Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

I am so excited to find this forum.  I now know I'm not alone with this weird symptom.  I constantly feel like I want to cut myself down the middle and pull out my insides and just stretch them.  I've been this way for over 10 years and I am convinced it is all stress/anxiety related (with a sometimes poor diet thrown in).  Stress and tension seem to go straight to that area with me and I clench it constantly without even knowing it.  I feel like I have a giant bowling ball under my ribcage.  No pain, just tension and sometimes twitching.

I had mild bouts of this for about a year but have had it every night for two months now or if I lay around.  Looked symptom up on the Internet and got very vestry scared until I read these comments and saw how many people complain of the same thing.  Has anyone gotten a diagnosis?

I have been having this problem for about 6 months now. It feels like a baby foot locked into my ribs. At times it takes my breath away. I am very tired when it gets bad. Had a CT scan last week and of course it came back with no significant abnormalitys. What that means I don't know. It's with me everyday all day. Seeing a gastro doc this week. There has to be something there for so many of us to be feeling it. Please if anyone finds something out let us know!! 

I have the same thing just like you after I eat I feel this annoying presure on my left side, did you find out what it was? Email me please if u did

If you are able, get a stool test (Full GI profile) performed with Metametrix Labs. WHat you might have is an underperforming pancreas. If you can't do that financially, try taking nutrametrix Isotonix Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics at double or triple the dose with each meal. Also try to eliminate sweets , white flour, sodas. They are hard on the pancreas. I spent a ton of money to get this information and I want as many people as possible to benefit from it. Hope you're all feeling better soon. Let me know if this helps you or you have any further questions. :)

So, You got a pain under your rib from nowhere. .. you flip out and think you will never be able to enjoy sex again cause it hurts like a heart attack... but, you're wrong... It's just farts that got stuck in your colon, called splenic flexure. Most Dr.'s won't diagnose it and make you pay for major testing. A good doc will tell you its gas. If you follow my advice and you still have pain after a day or so... go see a doctor.

#1 Quit chewing gum.
#2 Quit smoking.
#3 lay off the carbonation.
#4 lay in the yoga form "child's pose" or "downward dog".
#5 massage your belly, clockwise from the belly button out with firm but gentile pressure.

Relax... Fart... relax... and fart... and fart (this might take a day or so).

You will feel so much better.

I have been having the exact same thing for a year and doctor do not know what it is. I have had a chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, EKG, but nothing has shown anything. I haven't had a CT scan because I thought I would see if it would go away on it's own. Sitting makes it much worse as it seems to compress "it", and sleeping on my left side bothers me some as just the weight of my body on my left side and ribs seems to aggravate it. It comes and goes ALL day and night long. I thought maybe I was having muscle spasms of my intercostal muscles between my ribs. I don't know now.

What ever happened with this? I have the same issue and was wondering if you ever had a solution?

I had the same pressure, ache and pain behind my left rib. I went to my family dr, he ordered a ct with oral and IV contrast of my chest, abdomen and pelvic area. I had Nutcracker Syndrome, which is a compression of my left renal vein between the aorta and sma, which and had to have a stent. Search "Nutcracker Syndrome". Hope this helps!

Hi Ladies, I just wanted to let everyone know I myself have been having this pain along with the numbness and my doctor of course said as long as its on the left side and not the right its nothing serious just a part of pregnancy.. But I have stopped wearing a bra for the past few weeks to see if it was pressure from my bra and the pain actually has gone away. I know it sounds horrible to walk around without a bra whole carrying extra cargo but I wear a tighter tank top underneath my shirt to keep myself in place and the pain has really went from about an 8-9 down to a 3-4 and now I just have the numb feeling.in my skin left.. Also I'm 28 weeks so I still have quite a bit of time left but I can't seem to get comfy in any bra not even a sports bra they a make me hurt and feel shortness of breath so I go without.. good luck ladies!!

I have had this nagging dull pain under my left rib cage for a couple of years. Sometimes it feels like my back needs an adjustment, other times it feels like a spasm, even a sharp pain. I really dont have any idea what it could be. Looks like a lot of people have the same problem. 

Sarah, I have the exact same symptoms going on 5 months. 2 cts, mri, lots of blood work, all clear. Did you find anything out our are you feeling better? Would love to know. Doctors tell me the fever is not a big deal unless it is 101 or higher, but I don't agree. Please let me know how you are doing now or what you found out. Thanks. Jennifer

I reported these same symptoms to a MD.  She did labs and found no elevated white cells or liver enzymes.  These would indicate pancreatic cancer which is a very lethal form of cancer that presents in its early stages with similar symptoms.  She believes that I may have an acid imbalance which causes the sensitivity, gas, and odd pain under left ribs.  I also eat lots of meats/fats, which for me seems to make it worse.   

I have been having similar issues over the last few years. I tracked it down to being caused by coffee, for me. If I stop drinking coffee, it takes 2-3 days and the pressure completely disappears. If I start drinking coffee again (because I love it!), the pressure slowly returns over a few days. I find that the longer I go without, the longer it takes for the pressure to return, if I start drinking it again.

I tried bleached versus unbleached coffee filters and found no difference.

I tend to drink Folger's brand of coffee and have not experimented with other brands.

I tried switching to folger's decaf and had the same issues as with the caffeinated variety.

The only thing that I add to my coffee is half and half. I've ruled that out because I add the same amount and same brand to my green tea and have no problems.

Not sure this is the answer for any of you, but I've been following this thread for awhile and if it helps just one person, then my posting will have been worthwhile.

Good luck