Stomach Pains

by Anthony
(Hanover Ontario)

i am a 28 year old male, and i have been having pains in the left side of my stomach and i went to see a doctor and all he said is it is just gas, but i dont think it is i get a sharp pain from time to time for the last year, sometimes they hurt to the point i curl up in pain and sometimes its just a small pain... i would like to know what to do because the doctor said it was just gas build up.

any suggestions would be great

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Hello Anthony,

I believe you must have had your urine tested to exclude a left sided kidney infection or stone. Have you had a scan?

While it is true that trapped wind, constipation and problems in the spleen could all cause a left side upper abdominal pain, it is important to also exclude conditions like a left costochondritis, left kidney stone, diverticulitis (not likely at 28 years of age, more an illness of the elderly, but can still occur at any age), irritable bowel syndrome, Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis.


Those are the more common causes of pain on the left side of the abdomen.

Research each of those likely causes and weighing it against the symptoms you have might help you to narrow down the likely cause of your "stomach pain" to be able to discuss your suspicion with your doctor. What do you think?

I will strongly suggest you get a thorough assessment and only when nothing could be found should trapped wind or ibs be labelled as the cause of your intermittent abdominal or stomach pain.

Thank you for visiting us here at abdopain.com and using our free online medical consultation service. Please do not hesitate to come back to us, should there be any further way we can help.

Wishing you a quick diagnosis and cure of your abdominal pain.