Abdomen pain - any ideas?

[Paul1066]

Hello all, I've had some sort of IBS problem for about four years, I call it the Heinz 57 Variety as there seems to me many different ways it can appear and how quickly it goes away, any I digress, I've had a bad bout over the past couple of days, quite bad pain in my lower abdomen between my belly button and groin, all the way from the left to the right side of my body, I took to bed last night, quite shivery and sweaty but didn't have a temperature, slept for about 12 hours straight and this morning the pain is much reduced but I can still feel a little pain in the lower left side of my abdomen but none at all in the right side. Anyone suggest why the much reduced pain should still be there in the lower left side only? I usually take Meberevine and Buscopan but they didn't seem to do much with this bout and had the camera up the botty a few years ago and no signs of diverticulitis. Thanks

[Luisa22]

When you say you were shivery and sweaty but didn't have a temperature, did you actually take your temperature under the tongue?

It's good you felt a bit better after a great sleep. Did you "go #2" today, and were you constipated, have diarrhea, or normal? Or have a lot of wind?

Trapped wind can cause awful pain that can go on for hours or even longer.

My first thought was a diverticultis flare but you said they found no diverticular disease on the colonoscopy. It doesn't quite sound like appendicitis either if the pain didn't end up settling on the right side.

If you press quite deeply into your lower right tummy, does it hurt more when you let go of the pressure? That can be a sign of an inflamed appendix. In which case I would say call NHS 111 and listen to advice.

But don't take my word for it. If it gets worse ask the Doc.

Otherwise it may be one of the nasty things IBS can generally bring. I hope it passes off soon.

[Paul1066 in reply to Luisa22]

Thank you for the reply, hopefully seeing the doc this week (wish me luck) to discuss. Best wishes.

[CockeyMoor]

I was going backwards and forwards with something similar. I have an IBS history and Diverticular disease so GP just kept blaming that. Said go away and live with a chronic illness!

I was having to consume a lot of pain relief to get through each day.

I used to get hot and sweaty as the pain started to come on especially in the early mornings. I never showed a temperature but I think that is because some of us have a really good temperature regulation control and even when unwell there is no change on the thermometer.

Just to say “ kidney stone” All my suffering over a few years ended up being due to kidney stones. Ask for a CT scan to get to the bottom of it. The pain is similar to Diverticulitis but actually much worse.

Doctors find it all too easy to pass everything off as IBS etc. You probably do have IBS but what you are describing sounds more like something else is going on.

My problems flared in 2020/2021 during Covid so I kept putting up with it. It took until August 2023 to find out why I have been so unwell.

Don’t suffer any longer.

[Paul1066 in reply to CockeyMoor]

Thank you very much for your detailed reply and best wishes

[Luisa22 in reply to CockeyMoor]

That's so true. Pain can be dismissed as IBS when its cause can be from something that has nothing to do with IBS. But some doctors can be a bit blinkered. It's always wise to not just be fobbed off.

[Antish in reply to CockeyMoor]

That’s interesting to hear. I’ve been suffering with abdominal pain, pain under left side of ribs and back, bloating, wind, burning feeling and getting hot and clammy in middle of night too and I have a kidney stone. The urologist told me that the kidney stone wouldn’t cause the pain I’m experiencing and is too small to cause any problems - 3.5mm last time I had a scan. Were your symptoms similar to mine and did they remove the stones?

[CockeyMoor in reply to Antish]

Exactly the same except my pain was under my right rib and my kidney stone was on the right side and 3mm.

I believe I have passed it because I had very severe central cramping one day in Oct and all the pain literally disappeared. The medical on call GP dismissed I was passing it. The Urologist has refused to speak to me until I had the Colonoscopy.

Looking forward to finding out now properly if all this terrible pain has been a mis-diagnosis for years and I have probably been having small kidney stones all along. I do have Diverticulum and so that has clouded the issue but they have been too ready to send me away with antibiotics saying it is Diverticulitis when all along it wasn’t.

My pain from my kidney stone was “ mirrored” so I felt it on my left inguinal area and it migrated over my hip.

The fever after my third wee of the morning usually at 5am would concern me and then the pain would start and go side to side in my lower abdomen and then become like a central ache. Very little actual back pain.

It was horrible and I was taking 24 hour pain relief until I believe I passed it and now I feel fantastic. I still have some rectal pain and a bit of aching from the Divrticularvproblems but I can control that more now with being careful what I eat.

I am so angry they did not investigate me sooner for a kidney stone because it also caused urinary urgency for about 2-3 years. Also had an event of serious blood in the urine which now I believe was a kidney stone.

Definitely had the bloating for years, hard tummy, burning feeling in back passage, fever in the night, abdominal cramps and a lot of sleepless early mornings.

Shocking to think how many mornings I have been in pain and then gradually it built up to all day.

My symptoms started in Covid so I guess I neglected it all at first but I did seek help in 2020/21 and had a Cystoscopy but that came back as needing incontinence meds which would have been the worst thing to take!!

Good Luck.

Let us know.

[Antish in reply to CockeyMoor]

Thanks so much for your reply. It has helped a lot. You were very lucky to have passed the stone, albeit painful.

I too have had blood in my urine and had antibiotics. I wake up night after night burning up and then the abdominal pain starts and back n forth for a wee. I have a higher than normal Amylase in my blood so apparently this can be a marker to show inflammation, digestive disorder, kidney, pancreas, liver or gallbladder issues. The last three have been ruled out after having CT scans by my Dr except for the first two.

My symptoms started early 2018 and over the last five years have slowly got worse. I’ve had numerous blood tests, scans and appointments. Knowing that you have suffered similar symptoms to me has given me the motivation again to try and get the Dr to refer me back to the urologist and gastroenterologist. I don’t think they realise how much this affects my life as I’ve had to cut my working week down to three days atm as I struggle to function properly at times, especially when I’m having a very painful episode with sleepless nights.

You too have been through a lot. It’s exhausting trying to get treatment as they put it down to IBS or muscular and palm you off with meds! I wish you luck in finding your answers as apparently if you have one kidney stone then more could develop.

Will keep you posted

[Catlover16]

whenever I have a bad bout I get a pain on my right side. Goes when the bout is over.