Thoughts on my Lower Abdomen

In My Humble Opinion
1

OK, I know you’re not my doctor. I’m not seeking medical advice. This is not a serious issue, I have a doctor, and if this doesn’t resolve I will call her. It is not yet to where I believe it requires the doctor. But I am very perplexed.

The other day I woke up and had a mild- not pain, but feeling- in my gut, MY right side, just below my stomach. It felt exactly like when you have some gas that needs expulsion and I assumed that’s what it was. Very mild discomfort.

Over the last couple of days it’s still there, but it seems to be moving. Next it was a little lower, maybe what I’d call upper pelvis on my left side, and today I’d say upper pelvis in the middle. So it feels like I’m passing something- but here at day three bowel movements have been normal.

Earlier in the week I did eat a massive amount of fiber. My wife made one of my favorites, white bean, kale, and chorizo soup. I ate that like 4 meals in a row and there are a LOT of beans and kale in that.

Any thoughts what this could be? I feel like at some point I’m going to pass a golf ball. Note that I have not consumed any golf balls recently.

ETA: I see discourse thinks this is about golf.

2

Not golf, appendicitis.

It is not necessarily very painful. Go to your doctor. This is something from which you could die.

3

Also possibly an inguinal hernia. Check for any slight bulging in that area.

4

We are none of us spring chickens these days.
Get it checked out by a doctor.

5

I thought the same.

6

I’m assuming you are male.

Have you pulled a muscle, at the gym or work perhaps? Or even vigorous sexual activity could pull muscles.

But really I believe it may be a hernia thing.

Go to the gastro doc.

7

I used to have these discomforts when I had gallstones. It fits your sense of wanting to pass something.

8

So I called the doctor yesterday and she told me to come in. She looked me over, poked and prodded, and said she doesn’t think it’s appendicitis. She also said they can’t rule it in at their office, and the insurance won’t let them schedule a scan, and even if it would, by the time I got a scan I’d be past the ambulance ride were it appendicitis

So the result is “Probably fine. Wait it out. If it gets bad go to the ER”

There’s still a slight sensation there, and it seems to have moved a bit lower overnight. Or I’m crazy.

9

Appendicitis stays in the lower right quadrant, it doesn’t move all over the abdomen. Same with hernias, they stay where you found them.

My bet is gas.

Considering this:

It would be surprising if you did NOT have debilitating gas for a while.

10

Reminiscent of the episode on Sanford and Son where Fred eats “eight-day old collard greens.” The doctor’s advice to Lamont was “stand back when he finally belches.”

11

For the record, I didn’t really think it was gas because I was having normal bowel movements, and I haven’t been especially gassy.

The doctor suspect I may have essentially a lump of hard stool (my words, not hers) slowly making its way through.

I’ll report back if I pass any rocks.

Also, I finished off the soup last night :slight_smile:

12

It could also be something like mild diverticulosis.

13

I’d bet you have a hard stool blocking a ton of gas. I’m put in mind of the 2009 film with Jimmy Page and Jack White titled “It Might Get Loud”.

14

Once in the Hospital they fed .e some roasted cauliflower.

As that was the best thing the gave me 3 days I gobbled it down.

Oh, boy was I sorry! Crampity cramps for days.

I swear, 4 years later I still have roasted cauliflower floating around in there. Somewhere.

15

Diverticulitis/diverticulosis from my experience is quite localized. The pain is from specific diverticules. The pain doesn’t move around.

In Caucasians it is usually on the left lower abdomen. People with asian ancestry can get it on the right side.

It can be serious, you get antibiotics, 5 days of clear liquid diet and a lecture about changing your ways or getting a bowl resection.

16

I’ll have you know that you have a +1 on things to be Thankful for today. I spend much strength of will to NOT link the .gif of a certain fart so powerful that it sent a concussive wave through a forest.

But I’m having T-day with my in-laws in two hours, so I didn’t have enough willpower to spare to not MENTION it, like a better person would have.

To our OP @OldOlds though, glad you got it checked out. Even if it turns out to be nothing more than passing a mass or gas this time, it’s worth it. Not to mention if it does turn out to be an emergency, it’s nice to be able to show the insurance (after an ambulance ride) that you took prudent measures to have it checked before it became an emergency. Damn they sometimes hate to pay for ER visits that aren’t serious enough.

17

If you lose your appetite, get yourself to an ER fast. I lost mine slowly over a few days, and was off work, so didn’t really notice I was pretty much on a liquid diet, if you count Greek yogurt and Fairlife milk mixed to make ersatz high-protein kefir.

I was also taking a couple of days worth of Gas-X and strong antacid every few hours, and just not counting.

Turned out I had volvulus, or twisted gut, and was a few days away from localized necrosis-- a few more days, and I would have gone home with a colostomy bag (“temporary,” but that meaning for several months), and about a week away from an ambulance bringing me in, in a state of sepsis.

I’m glad I have a cousin who is a doctor, who convinced me that I wasn’t a baby for calling the doctor about a stomachache.

18

You can buy an OTC “stool softener.” They’re little gel capsules. Take a couple at bedtime. And then one the next night and the next. See if that helps.

19

I just heard that a good friend who I had been writing and recording music with for years has died suddenly. Bleeding from an undiagnosed stomach ulcer.

His wife said there didn’t seem to have been much warning other than some recent fatigue. We men are reluctant to go to doctors… and of course there are a lot of hypochondriacs who waste doctors’ time. Still: listen to your body, I guess.