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Pain in lower right abdomin

Had a sharp pain in lower right abdomen for 18 months. At start was passing blood (2 months) but not any more,. Had CT scan, MRI scan, ultrasound scan and 2 colonoscopy all of which have not shown anything in that area. I have given up fibre which has improved pain massively. Started to eat fibre again and pain went worse again. IBD doctor and GP unable to diagnose. I was diagnosed with UC in 1997 and had about 10 flare ups since. 49 year old Male. Currently taking mesalazine.

  1. Hi, !
    Is the Mesalazine helping with the pain? Maybe you're consuming too much fiber? Whatever your fiber intake, it might be overwhelming the bacteria in your digestive tract. Has your doctor ever prescribed you a probiotic? I wonder if taking a probiotic along with eating fiber might balance your gut microbiome. You might want to ask your doctor about that.


    Please stay in touch and let us know how you're doing. I hope the Mesalazine is helping.
    --Traci, UC-IBD Team Member

    1. Mesalazine not helping. Speaking to others I am not sure that the pain I'm giving is food related as it only affects a small part of abdomen. It is like a stabbing pain in exactly the same part. (Lower right). If it was fibre related wouldn't it affect an area of my gut instead of one specific point. Thanks for reply.

      1. Hi , it's hard to say. Is it possible that only one part of your gut is flaring and that's why it's only causing pain in one part of your abdomen? I can't say for sure as I'm not a doctor (just thinking out loud). Has your doctor suggested that you avoid fiber? I wish that we could have more information for you. Eighteen months is a long time to be experiencing pain. Does your doctor offer any ideas for next steps for figuring out what's going on? -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)

    2. Sorry, forgot to mention that pain us movement related. Not all the time though. Had a week off work and felt fine. Back to work and started hurting again. Is stress a possibility?

      1. hmm, that is interesting. I wish that I had more answers or information for you. Hopefully some of our community members can chime in with their thoughts though, especially if they've experienced something similar. It's so frustrating to be in pain and not have answers! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)

      2. Hi . Stress can certainly cause flares in many issues that could cause pain in the right abdomen, as can increased motion. Your mentioned multiple tests that did not find anything, so you may want to ask about possible causes that would not show up on tests or difficult to diagnose such as gas or chronic appendicitis (which is rare - only 1 to 1.5 percent of appendicitis cases). Because of your previous diagnosis, causes related to it are the logical place to start, but there are multiple other potential causes from the appendix to hernia to kidneys and others, which only a doctor can diagnose. I know this is not a terribly helpful answer, but I want to make sure nothing is overlooked if the most likely causes (which should be checked first) do not provide answers. Hoping you get some answers and relief soon. Best, Richard (Team Member)

    3. Many thanks for all answers. Had my GP, IBD and private doctor who I was refereed to after it was suspected I had a hernia (which never show up on scan) all say they didn't know what it was . Private doctor suggested going in with a camera which I was a week away from doing until I stopped fibre which temporary helped. Very difficult to cut out fibre all together I can just avoid high fibre foods. Considering going back to private doctor again as currently on low fibre but pain still there. Pain is like a sharp stabbing pain in exactly the same area for over 18 months now. Pain only occurs when I bend or turn over in bed and at the moment is on all bending movements.

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