BG Med: Gotta get a CT Scan of abdomen maybe, help?

[Zalius]

have a bulge that starts below the right side of my ribcage. it runs diagonally towards my abs.

went to a doctor 2 months ago cause of pain in my side, he had no diagnosis ($200 bucks wasted yo) other than saying "it might be a hernia". i have to schedule another appointment with another dr before i can even get a ct scan, so i have 2 questions

i didnt have insurance at the time that i got the useless diagnosis. is this still considered a pre-existing condition because i had a medical visit?

also, any ideas of what this shit might be if it's not a hernia? doesn't look like its in the right location to be a hernia but hey it might just be a pretty beastly upward diagonal tear. at first i thought my abs were just getting ridiculously awesome but then i started getting really odd sensations and then it felt like shit for 3-7 days and since then it hurts whenever i do any difficult physical activity.

can't work, can't work out, fucked etc. someone said it might be a fluid buildup but idk

have a program i might be able to go through that will cover most of the cost of the surgery. otherwise i pretty much have to eat the bill cause i cant keep livin like this nahmeen

[Kobb]

It may be an epigastric hernia. Easy, quick surgery. Usually the surgeon will remove the hernial sac and cover the hole in your abdominal wall with mesh and suture. Can be done open or laparoscopically (through a camera and a couple ports).

[Not Kuno]

might be fluid. doubt it's something like an abscess or you'd be in a shitload of pain for something that size.

[Dimmauk]

CT scan will be expensive, but it will tell the doctor how to fix you.

[Myrrh_Quetz]

Drive to Canada, get the CT scan, drive back. Money problem solved

[Zalius]

yeah it only hurts when i move bulky or heavy stuff, and even then its not like FUCK its just like "awwww dude not cool" unless i keep going at which point it starts to cross into FUCK territory and then i stop.

time to schedule things

[zoobernut]

I am in no way a medical person but having had a hernia before it kinda sounds like a hernia to me. Get it checked out fast because sometimes organs, more specifically intestines can get moved into the hernial sac and if they do you run the real risk of them getting twisted up and losing their blood supply which kills the tissue in the hernial sac and leads to infection/sepsis. You shouldn't need a CT scan to tell if it is a hernia though a competent specialist or even a good GP should be able to tell.

Hernia operations are outpatient and they hurt like fuck, be prepared for some recovery time where you cannot move at all. Hope you have someone to take care of you for the first few days.

If it isn't a hernia then I have no idea.

[Tyche]

You can palpate some inflammed organs through the abdomen, but I've never actually seen it bulge, so I'd doubt anything that serious. If it was fluid in the third space or peritonitis, it would hurt like hell and it sounds too localized to be ascities. I'd say hernia as well. Have you had any bowel changes?

[Gwynplaine]

Silly you, the greedy Dr. only wants to feed you misinformation in order to get you to buy an unnecessary and expensive CT scan. Walk it off or take some herbal remedies champ.

[Heavencloud]

Sounds like a hernia to me. An ultrasound might be used for quicker evaluation if it could be an abscess... but it doesn't sound like an abscess because it's not red or anything, right? Otherwise, yep, to CT.

[zoobernut]

If you know it is a hernia why would you need a CT scan? I have had one hernia and my mother has had 2 and neither of us ever got a CT scan for any of them. They just went in fixed the problem and sent us on our way.

[Not Kuno]

Sounds like a hernia to me. An ultrasound might be used for quicker evaluation if it could be an abscess... but it doesn't sound like an abscess because it's not red or anything, right? Otherwise, yep, to CT.

If it's large enough to see/feel and he's not in horrible "holy shit I'm going to go into septic shock" pain, then it's not an abscess.

[kuronosan]

Could be some sort of peritoneal effusion. In this instance a CT might be the best thing. If you palpate it and feel no pain it's doubtful that it's an abscess. Like others have said, it could likely be a hernia.

[Talus]

Were you/are you a smoker?
Have you lost weight recently?
Does it bother you after eating or while you breathe?

[Calise]

This would be considered a preexisting condition but I don't think the insurance will deny the claim. When I got insurance I had a preexisting condition but I didn't get any denials. I do recommend going to a different doctor first...it will be cheaper that way and from the looks of it, other people that have had a hernia didn't get a CT scan..

[Dimmauk]

If you know it is a hernia why would you need a CT scan? I have had one hernia and my mother has had 2 and neither of us ever got a CT scan for any of them. They just went in fixed the problem and sent us on our way.

I had umbilical hernia surgery about 2 years ago, and they had to do a CT Scan to see how to fix the hernia. Just doing a Ultrasound wasn't enough.

[Heavencloud]

If it's large enough to see/feel and he's not in horrible "holy shit I'm going to go into septic shock" pain, then it's not an abscess.

I've seen small abscesses that didn't hurt that much (just some redness/swelling) & needed to be drained. Granted, yes, they're usually very painful, but not always. Given the size and location, it's reallly typical for a hernia.

[Not Kuno]

I've seen small abscesses that didn't hurt that much (just some redness/swelling) & needed to be drained. Granted, yes, they're usually very painful, but not always. Given the size and location, it's reallly typical for a hernia.

You generally drain abscesses anyway, unless you got a bunch then you just take antibiotics. It's true it doesn't always hurt, but if it's large enough to be a lump you can feel and not horrible horrible pain then it's just probably not an abscess.

[Zalius]

couldn't get a scheduled apt until mid november so im going through ER on friday. have an appointment to get either the entire process covered or 80%+ covered. CT in ER is 1-3000 here and surgery is 3-15,000. At worst im looking at 20% of $18,000, probably wont be that much though.

the bulge is pretty high up there, i dont want to sound like a dick or anything and i definitely have never been to med school but i dont think my intestines can travel up this far. its literally touching my ribcage on the side of my body and moving down towards the upper part of my abs in a diagonal line. id have to like, stand on my head for a really long time for gravity to do any sort of fucked up shit like that to me. doesnt even make sense. my lungs getting in there would suck tho

[kuronosan]

Put your hands on the top of your sternum, where your clavicles meet your chest. This is the top of your ribcage. Then travel down until you feel them split. The end of this bone is where your intestines generally start.

If your bulge is above that spot, anywhere between the top and bottom of the sternum, then the problem could be related to your liver, lungs, portion of your stomach, or heart. Maybe you should take a diagram from online and photoshop a nice big circle exactly where it is you're talking about.