What Do Stomach Cramps And Left Sided Flank Pain Indicate?

Posted on Sun, 4 Sep 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 5 Sep 2016 Answered on

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have pain on my left side that resonates when I lay on my left side sleeping. Also have had stomach cramps but am having bowl movements daily. When laying on my right side I can feel a bulge on my left side

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Diverticulitis can be the reason.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

The most common reason of such symptoms (especially left lower abdominal pain) is an inflammation of sigmoid colon diverticles. Even if your last colonoscopy (done 3 years ago) did not diagnose it.
Cramps, slight fever, blood mixed with the stool are other common symptoms of diverticulitis.

Stomach cramps do appear when the stool does not pass freely through the digestive tract. In some cases cramps indicate partial bowels obstruction. Such obstruction may appear for some time due to diverticulitis. It may also appear due to some small bowels issues including adhesions or polyp.

I suggest you to consult your doctor. Blood work and abdominal CT should be done at first. In case of diverticulitis, antibiotic treatment (including Rifaximine) is necessary.
If no diverticulitis, you should consider gastrologist consultation and having a test called CT enteroclysis (to rule out small bowel issues).

Hope this helps.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar