What Causes Diarrhea And Lower Abdominal Pain?

Posted on Sat, 7 Jun 2014

Question: Yesterday around 2:00 pm I had to get to the bathroom cause I had diarhea and a lot. Right after the diarhea I had severe pain on my left side in my lower abdomen. It has not gone away, still as painful as it started. I usually can take a couple Tylenol and that takes away the pain this didn't do anything still painful. Sharp stabbing pain deep inside.

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (19 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Detailed below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Diarrhea and abdominal pain are usually caused by bacterial or viral infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Such infection should last no longer than 48 hours. If it lasts longer it means that either the immune system can not fight the infection or there is another reason of such symptoms.
Other possible reasons are partial bowels obstruction, inflammatory bowels disease, diverticulitis.
I suggest you to avoid any solid foods for 12 hours. Drink plenty of liquids (Gatorade, warm tea). To help with the pain please take hot bath, have some muscle relaxing medicines like Buscolisine or Methamizole.
If the symptoms wont go away in next 12 hours, please consult your doctor.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

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

Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (4 minutes later)

What is diverticulitis?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (2 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
.

Detailed Answer:
Diverticulitis is an inflammation od diverticles. Diverticles are kind of pouches in the wall of large intestine. The main reason of them is constipation. Due to increased pressure in the large intestine such pouches do appear.
Diverticulitis gives very characteristic lower right abdominal pain.

Regards.

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

Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (5 minutes later)

You just said lower right but mine is lower left. It feels just like the pain I had when I had cysts on my ovaries but a little higher. What did you say that area and pain is?
Does a person have appendisitis on their left side?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (11 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
.

Detailed Answer:
I`m mean lower left side. Lower left side abdominal pain is very characteristic for diverticulitis.
It is hardly possible for ovaries cyst to give diarrhea. The only way ovaries cyst can cause diarrhea is when it compresses intestine so it leads to an obstruction. Otherwise cyst can not give diarrhea.
Appendicitis can not give left side pain.

Regards.

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