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What Would Be A Possible Diagnosis For Pain In The Lower Left Abdomen?
Posted on
Mon, 29 Jan 2018
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 29 Jan 2018
Answered on
Mon, 27 Aug 2018
Last reviewed on
Question : My grandson, age 26, has a severe pain in his lower right side which has been building for seven days. He describes it as a ten. He went to urgent care and the practitioner thought it was a pulled muscle and gave him pain pills. Xray showed nothing. He has a stressful job and an upcoming event he feels he cannot miss. He declined ambulance transport because of this. He has enough athletic background I believe he would know if it were a muscular problem. He lives out of state and has no family there. What could be possible diagnoses?
Correction: Lower left side
under rib cage
Correction: Lower left side
under rib cage
Brief Answer:
As detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for your query.
Noted the history about your 26 year old grandson and understood your concerns.
The pain on the left lower abdomen is usually not due to muscle spasm unless there is a direct hit or some sort of accident.
The commonest cause of pain on the lower left side of abdomen in a young man with an athletic background to the scale of 10 and been building for seven days can be as follows:
Ureteric stone that may be missed on X-ray and this may need an ultrasonography of abdomen on preparation.
Colitis can cause similar pain.
Some testicular problem like orchitis or torsion can be referred to the lower abdomen but then the pain would be present in the scrotum too.
Rare causes like diverticulitis, intestinal inflammation and so on.
I would advise him the following in such a situation:
Consult another Doctor or get a reference for a General Surgeon for proper clinical evaluation, examination and ask for relevant investigations like ultrasonography of abdomen and scrotum, tests of urine, stool and blood.
Further investigations as would be needed.
Please give any history related to bladder/urinary and bowel habits?
Any other associated symptoms?
I hope this answers your query and helps your Grandson further to get an appropriate diagnosis at the earliest as he is suffering for seven days.
Take care.
Dr. T Chandrakant, General Surgeon
As detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for your query.
Noted the history about your 26 year old grandson and understood your concerns.
The pain on the left lower abdomen is usually not due to muscle spasm unless there is a direct hit or some sort of accident.
The commonest cause of pain on the lower left side of abdomen in a young man with an athletic background to the scale of 10 and been building for seven days can be as follows:
Ureteric stone that may be missed on X-ray and this may need an ultrasonography of abdomen on preparation.
Colitis can cause similar pain.
Some testicular problem like orchitis or torsion can be referred to the lower abdomen but then the pain would be present in the scrotum too.
Rare causes like diverticulitis, intestinal inflammation and so on.
I would advise him the following in such a situation:
Consult another Doctor or get a reference for a General Surgeon for proper clinical evaluation, examination and ask for relevant investigations like ultrasonography of abdomen and scrotum, tests of urine, stool and blood.
Further investigations as would be needed.
Please give any history related to bladder/urinary and bowel habits?
Any other associated symptoms?
I hope this answers your query and helps your Grandson further to get an appropriate diagnosis at the earliest as he is suffering for seven days.
Take care.
Dr. T Chandrakant, General Surgeon
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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