[berrykat]

I have pain in my lower left abdomen...I have had it off and on for 2 weeks. The good news is I will be getting health insurance in a coupple weeks so I can got to a docter then. I am glad it is on the left 'cuz right would be appendix and Then money or not I'd have to see a doc. It is just really uncomfortable sometimes it is sharp stabbing pains most times a dull ache. Anyone have something similar?

 

[Blue Plastic Straw]

There are so many things going on in the abdomen, there's no way for a lay person to really know. If you're having sharp stabbing pains you should see a doctor right away, not wait a couple weeks.

 

[soilman]

It could be a hernia. Is there a bulge? If so where exactly is the bulge? Which sex are you? If you are male you are 10 times more likely to get a hernia. Males get inguinal hernias and only rarely femoral hernias. Females get inguinal hernias and also plenty of femoral hernias. Both sexes get incisional hernias.<br><br><br><br>
The appendix is on the right; the rectum is mostly arced toward the left. How old are you? Colon disorders get more common if you are over 50.

 

[soilman]

It could be a hernia. Is there a bulge? If so where exactly is the bulge? Which sex are you? If you are male you are 10 times more likely to get a hernia. Males get inguinal hernias and only rarely femoral hernias. Females get inguinal hernias and also plenty of femoral hernias. Both sexes get incisional hernias.<br><br><br><br>
I had sharp stabbing pains for many months before my hernia became evident.

 

[berrykat]

I'm 39. I'm thinking hernia maybe or gallbladder as I am female. I go to the doc in a coupple weeks so we will see maybe I just pulled something but stabbing pains usually happen before I have to use the bathroom.

 

[soilman]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>berrykat</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
I'm 39. I'm thinking hernia maybe or gallbladder as I am female. I go to the doc in a coupple weeks so we will see maybe I just pulled something but stabbing pains usually happen before I have to use the bathroom.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
"stabbing pains usually happen before I have to use the bathroom."<br><br><br><br>
That says hernia or perhaps problem with colon or rectum -- if you mean pain shortly before defecating (even an hour or so before) or during defection. I think gall bladder pain is in the "higher" abdomen, not the lower abdomen. On the left side.<br><br><br><br>
Probably hernia.<br><br><br><br>
Questions: have you given birth? This increases your chances of an inguinal or femoral hernia. Have you had abdominal surgery near where the pain is? Surgery increases you chances (obviously) of an incisional hernia.<br><br><br><br>
You are at the right age for a hernia. Mine showed up at 39. Collagen is starting to get weaker. Tendons start to stretch, and get thin.<br><br><br><br>
Avoid constipation. This will accellerate the development of a hernia. With a developing hernia, You might not notice a <a href="http://www.shouldice.com/hernia_demo/index.htm" target="_blank">bulge</a> for several months or years after the pain starts. (Or a bulge may be the first sign of a hernia, and there may never be any pain.) But look for a bulge, even a small one. Inguinal -- just above the crease between abdomen and thigh. Femoral -- just below the crease. Inguinal may cause a labium majus to bulge. Femoral tends to be more likely to cause pain, and to cause more pain -- sometimes shooting down the leg. Inguinal, pain is usually confined to the abdomen.

 

[berrykat]

I have 2 kids and had a c-section with my second the doc did the old fashion straight up and down cut not the bikini cut.

 

[soilman]

Get to a doctor. But very often primary care physicians are unable to diagnose hernias, and unable to diagnose gastro-intestinal problems. Very often gastro-enterologists are unable to diagnose hernias. Same story with urologists and ob-gyns. Even some general surgeons, who do a few hernia repairs a year, have trouble diagnosing hernias. Especially small ones that don't produce obvious bulges. "Is that a hernia or a normal bulge?" You are more likely to be familiar with your abdomen, and with what bulge is a new bulge, than your primary care physician is. I had to go to a surgeon who SPECIALIZED in hernia surgery, before I could get a diagnosis. If you get your problem diagnosed by the first doctor you see, you will be lucky. This is the kind of thing where, unfortunately, you may have to "run the gauntlet" before you get a diagnosis.<br><br><br><br>
The good news is that most hernias are not life-threatening, just annoying. However some gastro-intestinal or abdominal pains can be a sign of a life-threatening condition, so yea, get to a doctor as soon as you can.

 

[Lothar M Kirsch]

If it was like a ledt side appendicitis it might also be diverticulitis.<br><br>
But like soilman said: <i>get to a doctor as soon as you can.</i>