Abdominal Pain On The Left: Why?
Most of the time, abdominal pain is caused by gas buildup. However, if the pain is very severe, it could be a serious disorder.
Pain, no matter what form or where it is, is often a symptom that something more or less important is happening in our body.
We should not, however, obsess over the subject and practice self-diagnosis, but it should not be ignored either. With every health problem and concern, you should consult your doctor.
But, what is the abdominal pain that many people experience in the left side of the body due to?
We are going to tell you about it today in order to clear up your doubts and show you that once again, you should not neglect your health. Remember, only your doctor can give you a correct diagnosis.
What causes pain in the left side of the abdomen?
If you feel pain in the left part of your stomach, you should not ignore it, and deal with it fairly quickly if the following symptoms are present:
- Constant pain. It is not just a little discomfort for a day or a few hours, which disappears and then returns from time to time. Disturbing abdominal pain – which needs to be treated quickly, is pain that occurs very regularly, or that you may feel right after meals.
- You feel like a burning sensation, a dry, very throbbing pain. It’s not just a little annoyance like when you have gas. The pain is strong enough, it is impossible for you to think of anything else.
- When you take a pain reliever to relieve your pain, it goes away for a while before coming back forcefully after a few hours or the next day.
- The pain felt in the left side of the stomach is the most common. In the majority of cases, this is simply due to stress, or gas, as we told you before.
- However, the fact that in this area there are important organs such as the pancreas, stomach, left kidney or left part of the liver, should urge us to be cautious.
We will see what are the possible causes.
1. Pancreatitis
This is the most common cause, which is why we mention it in the first place. Normally, pancreatitis manifests itself so intensely that immediate hospitalization is required.
The pain is extremely intense in the left part of the body. It is normally accompanied by fever, vomiting, palpitations, etc. It is important to pay attention to these symptoms, which can alert you to the onset of the disease in the near future.
Evaluate the quality of your digestion. If you feel full and heavy, and you have a strong pain centralized in the left part of your stomach, you need to act on it.
2. Intestinal obstruction
Pay close attention to intestinal obstructions. Many patients come to the emergency room with very dangerous cases of obstruction of the colon or small intestine.
But, why does this happen? This blockage is due to the fact that the affected intestine can no longer evacuate the fluids and food ingested. The symptoms of this pathology are quite obvious. In addition to the abdominal pain present in the left part, you will feel a fever and the total inability to expel gas or pass stool.
3. Diverticulosis
We have told you frequently about diverticulosis in our articles.
These are small inflammations of the digestive tract, more precisely small balls filled with pus which cause a lot of pain to those who suffer from them.
Episodes of diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, swelling and rectal bleeding often accompany this disease. You have to be very vigilant.
4. Kidney stones
On some occasions, kidney stones can form in our body without showing any noticeable symptoms. But, at some point, their size is such that they start to cause pain.
This discomfort can be localized in the left part of the abdomen, and cause pain. But, it is also felt in the same side of the back, at the exact height of the kidneys.
5. Ovarian cysts
Women are, of course, the only ones to suffer from these disorders. And they can form in the left ovary. But, how does this manifest itself?
When you eat just a few bites of food, you feel full. You experience strong pain in the left side of the stomach, which is normally accompanied by irregular menstrual cycles, pelvic pain, nausea, vomiting, and discomfort in the abdomen.
6. The other less important origins of these pains: food poisoning, gas, episodes of stress
These are the most common causes of abdominal pain, and also the least important. Even if they are not as serious as pancreatitis for example, that does not mean that they should not be taken into account and treated.
Sometimes certain foods hurt us. Our body reacts violently and defends itself. It can then cause severe pain in the left part of the stomach, usually accompanied by vomiting.
Gas is also very common, and although it may seem strange to you, it usually only accumulates on one side of the abdomen.
And what about stress? Why can stress cause pain in this part of the body? Is it important to remember that stress somatizes in our body? It causes bad digestion, nervous breakdowns in the stomach, etc. This is why this possibility should not be ignored.
To conclude, keep in mind that as soon as you have any symptoms or have any concerns, do not hesitate to tell your doctor about your situation.
Never self-medicate, and always follow the advice of healthcare professionals.
