What Causes Left Sided Stomach Pain?

Brief Answer: Explained everything in detail XXXXXXX Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXXXX and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. Let me start by explaining what the ileum does and from there we will move on to possible pathologies that can be related to a presentation similar to yours ma'am. The ileum is the part of the small intestine which connects to the large intestine, so it is the final segment of the small intestine. It plays a vital role in the body as its function is to absorb vitamin B12 and some bile salts. The function of vitamin B12 is a very important one, and a deficiency usually results in symptoms like oral ulcers or soreness, tingling sensation/numbness usually in extremities, etc. The ileum is most commonly affected in a condition called Crohn's Disease, which is a variant of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Other causes can be: -Ileal ulcers -Infections (eg. salmonella) -Tuberculosis -Tumors -Medication side effects -Sarcoidosis -Complications of IBS In my practice the first thing I do is to rule out Crohn's Disease which has symptoms like: -Drop in appetite -Unexplained and frequent diarrhea -Blood in stools -Abdominal pain -Abdominal bloating (not always) -Abdominal cramping -Increased urge to pass your bowels after consuming certain food items (called irritants) I hope you find my response both helpful and informative ma'am. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help. Best wishes.

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Brief Answer: Queries addressed ma'am Detailed Answer: Hello once again ma'am. The Ileum is located to the right of the navel, and the sigmoid colon and Jejunum is located to the left. As for the treatment of Crohn's Disease, there exists a stage-wise treatment regimen for the condition which is decided only after a thorough evaluation, and moreover the diagnosis first needs to be established ma'am. If your Ileum is indeed affected due to some abnormality, then it will not go about its usual function (which is the absorption of B12). So the B12 adminstered will be excreted with the waste material from the body. So first, the condition that is affecting the ileum will have to be addressed. I hope this information helps you ma'am. Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always available to help. Best wishes.

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Brief Answer: All queries addressed ma'am Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXXXX The sigmoid colon's main function is to store all the fecal matter till the body is ready to expel it. Once the body is ready to expel fecal matter, the muscle walls of the sigmoid contract and push the fecal matter to the rectum which then pushes the fecal matter out through the anus. Jejunum is the second part of the small intestine. The stomach is connected to the duodenum, which is the beginning of the small intestine. This is followed by the jejunum, and the small intestine finally ends with the ileum. Yes, collection of gas and the pressure it can apply on these parts of the intestine can easily result in pain. But in my opinion, a more fruitful discussion would be to discuss which part could be affected and how to find this out. A colonoscopy would be most informative in a situation similar to yours, to find what the abnormality is and which part is affected. Once this is established we can worry about what the function of that part is and how exactly we can treat the abnormality, what to expect, and so on. I hope you find my response helpful ma'am. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always available to help. Best wishes.

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