ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a case of a 26-year-old woman who presents to her general practitioner with a complaint of abdominal pain. She was investigated and an ultrasound examination of the abdomen revealed gallstones. She then underwent an uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy but has continued to experience the same pain. She says that the pain is present all the time and is not related to any particular foods. She complains of fatigue and breathlessness on minimal effort. She has been suffering from chronic back pain over the past 6 years. She had been seen by an orthopaedic specialist and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the spine but no abnormality was detected. She states that she feels low in her mood and admits that she finds it difficult to cope with her children. She has no thoughts of self-harm or suicide. There is no guarding or rigidity but she winces visibly on palpation of the abdomen. No other abnormality is detected.
