Lower left abdominal pain for 6 days

(Colorado)

I am a 51 year old woman. Recently I had some kind of cold or flu virus with a wicked cough.

It started with a tickle in my throat and a really tight cough. Woke up with a fever two nights in a row and was extremely tired. After about five days, I was feeling better but the cough remained for a few more days.

I was coughing so hard my stomach hurt like I had been doing situps. Anyway, I felt something pull in my stomach and now just standing up or even walking down stairs a sharp pain will suddenly shoot from the left side toward the middle of my abdomen. Could I have a hernia from coughing so hard?

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Dear Madam,

You are right. It does sound like the severe coughing episodes have lead you to tear, or at least strain some muscles in you abdomen.

I wouldn't think that you would develop abdominal or groin hernia from this single episode especially if you have no problem with your abdominal wall strength before.

Is there any swelling you can see when you strain very hard or cough or perhaps blow blow very hard against the back of you hand with your lips firmly pressed against the back of your hand while you take a look at the area you have pain in?

If the cough is still a problem, why not try some Linctus cough syrup with codeine in it, if you are not allergic to codeine or the component of the cough syrup?

Should the pain continues, it would be wise to get your doctor physically examine your abdomen and or send you for an abdominal wall ultrasound scan to exclude hernia.

Thank you for visiting us here at abdopain.com and I hope you found the site useful. Please come back soon to follow our updates.

Good Health To You.


Dr O Edema MD MRCGP CCFP MSc DRCOG
Family Physician, Emergency Medicine Practitioner and WebMD
Abdopain.com.