# left side pain and discomfort.



## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

Hi. I was just wondering what is located on your left side of the stomach,right on the outer side between the rib and the hip and also working from the belly button above and to the left? I get on off pains and twinges in these areas since having constant troubles two months ago. when I sneeze and stuff my left side hurts. Also after a large meal I get a winded pain right in the centre of my tummy just above the belly button,like someone is punching me. Thanks for reading kate x


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Your Descending Colon is there. You can use a your favortite search engine and search for images of the abdomen and I'm sure you will find a decent graphic.One can expect any number of sensations in the abdominal region with IBS.


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## dreamsdesire (Jun 21, 2011)

An enlarged spleen can cause pain and discomfort on the left hand side under the ribs, you should go to the doctors for a check up and make sure everything ok x


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

thanks guys, is particularly uncomforttable after a big meal or when im trying to be active for longer than half an hour.dreamsdesire, seeing a consultant for tests at the minute, but hate waiting in limboo with weeks between appointments, its seems to be such a slow process when ur suffering everyday xx


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## dreamsdesire (Jun 21, 2011)

I get that, after eating meals my left side feels heavy and swollen. Im also waiting for tests and appointments, its horrible having to wait. x


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

it certainly is, but then im scared of getting the results also!! im sure your feeling the same, well you are not alone  u will have to let me know how it goes for you. good luck x


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Try eating smaller meals more often rather than large meals.


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## hasenfuss (Dec 28, 2006)

I have left sided ab pain a lot. I would say 80% of my pain is on the left lower side. I have it since years and it comes and goes. It feels like a painful air pocket or stool which is stuck in this area. My doctor said it's the sigmoid colon and it's a common spot to have pain there when you have IBS. I still get worried sometimes because I am a worrier but I've seen 2 doctors who told me I have IBS. I had blood tests, celiacs blood test, x-rays, CT scan of my ab/pelvic area and a sigmoidoscopy. Nothing showed up so the doctors told me I have IBS. I am still getting nervous when I have a lot of ongoing pain but I post on this board when I feel that way.


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## TummyDepressed (Feb 2, 2010)

Hello guys. I get most of my pain here as well. I have IBS-C and the pain is worse after I have struggled with a BM.Mine feels like inflammation. I can associate with the pain above the belly button as well. It is worse after rich food. Like you have been punched!


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

Omg tummy depressed that sounds exactly like mine.along with my other symptom of bloating,my left side pain is worse when I have constipation 'usually once or twice a week' or whenever I am straining.I can deal with this pain as it comes and goes whenever I clentch etc.what I can't deal with is the all over pain 'winded'whenever I eat a normal size meal,or when I'm being active for longer that like an hour.its getting in the way of everything,feel so swollen and sore.BQ- I try eating smaller meals but it still happens between them.Hasenfuss,thanks for ur reply also, I would want to believe that was the sigmond colon as I have had only that part of a colonscopy checkd 'too painful to go further' but I thought that was lower down? My pain is in my left side between hit and end of rib, and also around my belly button,to the left and just above.?Its nive to know others seem to feel exactly the same as me  when this started 2mnths ago is suffered from not properly formed stools,now the constipation seems to be getting more frequent'with mucas aswell' . K x


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

There is a bend in the colon up under the left ribs and it is a common trouble spot. It is where the transverse colon takes a fairly sharp bend to the descending colon.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

The pain sounds very typical for IBS. Try either using an antispasmodic if the Dr has gievn you one or peppermint capsules.


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

Thanks guys,I have been taking peppermint tablets before everymeal for weeks they help with the wind.although the left side still feels inflamed. I can't seem to stop the punching pain in my tummy from meals and movement tho.I think this may be another problem alongside the ibs. Has anyone had this kind of pain and known it to last over 2months?I think the underlying problem has set the ibs off and I can't control one until I know what the other is. Thanks, kate x


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> can't seem to stop the punching pain in my tummy from meals and movement tho.I think this may be another problem alongside the ibs.


MAYbe ... but it still sounds typical for IBS. Why not ask the Dr for an antispasmodic?


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

Yeh I will when I go back to see the consultant on friday.I'm jus worried its something more as it came on out of the blue just over 2 mnths ago,and has persisted every single day.I can't live with this feelin like sum1 is punchin me in tummy everyday makes me feel sick and my tummy is constantly swollen and sore.can't work through it, can't have a proper relationship with my partner,just wish it wud piss off!:-(I've also lost too much weight and I just don't even look like myself or feel like me anynore. x


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

My first symptom when my issues began in 1984 was primarily a tight, twisted feeling on my right abdomen- starting below my ribcage and extending down into the pelvic area. I had many tests- ultrasound, CT scans, painful colonoscopies, sigmoidoscopies, bariums, one exploratory lap, and nothing showed up to explain it. I had severe pelvic pain.Not until a few years ago when I was seeing a chiropractor was I finally able to get an MRI. It showed a lipoma on my right abdomen. Lipomas are benign chunks of fatty-like tissue that can form anywhere in the body- often in the arms and legs and they tend to run in families.I had another fast-growing one removed a few years ago on my left chest. The surgeon brought it out in a jar. It looked like a string of sea scallops with tentacles- it wasn't pretty!I recently had a spinal MRI due to sciatica/back issues and it showed up again. The doctor showed it to me on the screen. It has the appearance of a whale with a tail trailing off on the bottom! I've decided that it is time to push having it removed. It is also now very obvious externally so it is pretty hard for doctors to deny there is anything there like they did for so many years. Even though it is located outside of the abdominal wall I still think it causes inward pressure and it is very uncomfortable when I sit or sleep, no matter which side I sleep on. It feels like having a tight belt around the area- also feel like it may be messing up the alignment on my entire right side. I won't know what impact,if any it is having on my abdominal or back issues until I have it removed.I'm hoping to see a surgeon this week about it and hope he will have mercy and remove it. I'm a little concerned he might refuse since it is so near the liver, especially if it has tentacles like the other one which must attach to something. Also, many doctors tend to downplay the significance of lipomas, treating them as though they are only a nuisance in the cosmetic sense and insurance tends to treat them as such. I will have to emphasize that it is a matter of comfort, not appearance. After all, I'm the only one who can see it most of the time!So, even if you've had test after test and they came back negative, there are some things like adhesions and lipomas that often won't show up.


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## mustngsallie (Mar 7, 2011)

katiebabe said:


> Thanks guys,I have been taking peppermint tablets before everymeal for weeks they help with the wind.although the left side still feels inflamed. I can't seem to stop the punching pain in my tummy from meals and movement tho.I think this may be another problem alongside the ibs. Has anyone had this kind of pain and known it to last over 2months?I think the underlying problem has set the ibs off and I can't control one until I know what the other is. Thanks, kate x


I have this pain in my left side as well, between my ribs and hips. started off several weeks ago on occasion like a "stich" in my side, since then, has gotten worse and almost an everyday thing. It has now gotten to the point it hurts immediately before a BM. Feels like stool is trying to squeeeeeze through that sharp s curve. I had a CT scan, which came back normal. Colonoscopy 2 years ago, normal as well with some diverticula. (which has put me in the hospital 3 times, but none recently) So, I naturally stress whenever I feel this pain. It's nice knowing someone else feels kinda the same as me!


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