I recently had an abdominal ultrasound as I have been having sharp pains on the left side below my rib cage and in my back. When they did the exam the right hand side was so painful I could have cried. They kept saying that you cannot see the bowel on an ultrasound but didn t say anymore. I am still in a lot of pain 5 days later from this, is this normal?
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. No it is not normal to have pain on right lower rib cage. We need to rule out pulmonary cause first.  Causes are1. Pleural effusion2. Pneumonia3. Pulmonary contusion4. Musculoskeletal pain. So better to get done chest x-ray to rule out above causes. If x-ray is normal than your symptoms are due to muscular pain only. Avoid strenuous exercise and heavy weight lifting. Take painkiller and muscle relaxant. Apply warm water on affected side.