intense side pain -- some PLEASE help me!

[leaves]

I am so at a loss here. I'm going to start off by saying I am 8 weeks pregnant but I don't think this has anything to do with my pregnancy.

Three days ago I started feeling pain on my right side, like a muscle pain. I felt this same sort of pain back in October but it only lasted a few days, was never severe, and eventually went away without notice. I figured it was because I bruised my side about a week before and maybe it was a bruised muscle or something. It wasn't debilitating at all and just felt like I maybe slept the wrong way or something. Mainly it was just annoying. 

So now, back to this time -- like I said, about three days ago I started getting this dull, annoying pain on the same side, but this time it hasn't gone away, it's gotten worse. Much worse. It's right below my ribcage, going from my side to my back, as opposed to from my side to my stomach. I can't cough, laugh, breathe deeply, I can barely move. It hurts to walk, especially upright, and the pain intensifies if I have to lift my right leg up. It's so bad, it's actually become tender to the touch and the pain has lead me to tears a couple times. Yesterday I had a low-grade fever, which worried me, but today I don't.

A few things have been suggested to me:

Displaced rib -- I've never had a displaced rib before, but it's not my actual rib cage that hurts. It feels like the muscle. 

Kidney stone or infection -- Other than the low-grade fever yesterday, I haven't had any other symptoms of some kind of infection. No blood in my urine, no frequent peeing or trouble peeing, etc. 

Ectopic pregnancy -- I have yet to research this, but does anyone have an experience with an ectopic pregnancy? I have not been bleeding and I still have all the delightful pregnancy symptoms. 

Bruised rib -- A friend said she experienced this pain in pregnancy after she had a bad cough and that it was a bruised rib. I had a cough last week but it wasn't terrible. I haven't been doing much physically at all, other than taking out a pretty heavy couch bed every night (I am out of town)

Can anyone give any suggestions as to what this might be? Next, I don't know if I should go to a chiropractor or a clinic. We don't have health insurance so everything would be out of pocket. I'm afraid of what they'll have to do to figure out what is wrong. 

TIA. 

[CarrieMF]

gallstones, hernia???

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I would guess gallbladder, since the pain is under the right rib and radiates through to the back. Any nausea? Notice if it gets worse after meals, or is it pretty constant?

I think you need to see a doctor. A regular MD who can check for appendicitis or signs of infection.

[SandyMom]

Gallbladder pain can feel like what you're describing - though generally there will be some type of sense that there is some digestion change... like things are slowing down?

Have you been burping a lot?

It could be just a bruised rib that's healing slowly, perhaps due to being pregnant? If it persists, do you have a midwife or other hcp you could ask about it?

Good luck, Mama.

[kjbrown92]

you can get a uti test strip at any of the big drugstores. Azo is one brand. three strips for around $10. That would tell you if you have an infection,  but wouldn't tell you if you had a kidney stone. Sciatica doesn't start up that high, does it? I can't remember. My gallbladder pain went from the right side up through my shoulder blade. My kidney pain is more like what you describe. But it could be many things. I don't know anything about ectopic pregnancy. It seems like you'd know if you bruised your rib.