Lower left abdomen pain

[Joy03]

So I was diagnosed with Celiac disease about two years ago. I have been gluten free the whole time besides for test here and there. 
 

I have been having intense pain in my lower left side of my abdomen. I have an endoscopy and there was a blockage, we then went and did a upper GI contrast X-Ray that showed no blockage. Now I’m gluten free again healthy and not having any issues besides the pain.

The lower left abdominal pain happens when I train my horse, work out, lift weights, run, even sometimes walking for a long time.

As a Celiac I’m sure you guys can understand the hate of going to the doctor. I’m not sure what to think. Has anyone else had this problem? 

 

all my blood work has been seemingly normal, I have been gluten free not had any problems. But this is just worrying me. I’m a 19 year old female if that means anything.

any help or thoughts would be thanked. 

[cristiana]

Hi Joy03 and welcome to the forum!

Firstly, I should say that I am not a doctor so do please follow up with a health care professional  (I am just the same as you, BTW, I don't like going to see doctors either - as lovely as my doctors are!)

Anyway, I wanted to share with you that I had pain in the lower left abdomen for a long while after being diagnosed.  One reason was to do with digestion, the other was a musculoskeltal problem.

One part of the problem was to do with bloating in the descending colon.  The pain was quite significant. I told my gastroenterologist about it and he commended that I try going dairy free for three weeks to see if it helped.   It did indeed.  However, being cautious, we agreed I should have a sigmoidoscopy (which is when they look at the lower part of the large colon with a little camera) just to check all was well.  It was well worth doing - a very quick procedure, minimal discomfort, and they found nothing amiss there.  Peace of mind is worth its weight in gold! 

But there was another pain that persisted in that area.  It was musculoskeletal in nature - most of the time I woke up without it, and it built up over the day.....  It was kicked off by exercise, lifting heavy weights etc.  I went to see a chiropractor who happened also to be a retired doctor and she diagnosed a problem with my sacroiliac joint.   This is a common issue in celiacs apparently.   The pain can refer to the front, sort of around the groin area, but also rarely slightly higher in the lower left abdomen.  There are a lot of diagrams online you can google.  The pain sometimes affected my buttock area and thigh too, but not always.

On walks I used to find the pain so overwhelming I remember sitting down and having a good cry on one or two occasions, mid-walk!  Once in the middle of heathland, another in the middle of a country churchyard!  Fortunately no-one else was around!   Anyway, on this I would recommend you see a physio or chiropractor and they will be able to  tell you if they think you have this issue.

I have to say that the groin pain has eased considerably with time.   I still tend to avoid carrying heavy weights as that tends to trigger it, or doing too much walking if it's playing up.  The good news is, if this is your problem, you will find that the chiropractor/physio can give some great exercises to relieve it.   Epsom salt baths also help me.

The problem for us ladies, though, is sometimes we can have gynaecological pain in that area so again, that's another avenue to explore.  I had a couple of ultrasounds to rule anything out which again I would recommend.

But as your pain sounds triggered by movement, I would hazard that its a musculoskeletal issue, possibly the sacroiliac joint.  

Here's a helpful picture regarding where the pain refers to.  As I say, there's loads to look at online.

Do come back to me if you need any more help.

Crisitiana

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by cristiana

[Aussienae]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:28 PM, cristiana said:

Hi Joy03 and welcome to the forum!

Firstly, I should say that I am not a doctor so do please follow up with a health care professional  (I am just the same as you, BTW, I don't like going to see doctors either - as lovely as my doctors are!)

Anyway, I wanted to share with you that I had pain in the lower left abdomen for a long while after being diagnosed.  One reason was to do with digestion, the other was a musculoskeltal problem.

One part of the problem was to do with bloating in the descending colon.  The pain was quite significant. I told my gastroenterologist about it and he commended that I try going dairy free for three weeks to see if it helped.   It did indeed.  However, being cautious, we agreed I should have a sigmoidoscopy (which is when they look at the lower part of the large colon with a little camera) just to check all was well.  It was well worth doing - a very quick procedure, minimal discomfort, and they found nothing amiss there.  Peace of mind is worth its weight in gold! 

But there was another pain that persisted in that area.  It was musculoskeletal in nature - most of the time I woke up without it, and it built up over the day.....  It was kicked off by exercise, lifting heavy weights etc.  I went to see a chiropractor who happened also to be a retired doctor and she diagnosed a problem with my sacroiliac joint.   This is a common issue in celiacs apparently.   The pain can refer to the front, sort of around the groin area, but also rarely slightly higher in the lower left abdomen.  There are a lot of diagrams online you can google.  The pain sometimes affected my buttock area and thigh too, but not always.

On walks I used to find the pain so overwhelming I remember sitting down and having a good cry on one or two occasions, mid-walk!  Once in the middle of heathland, another in the middle of a country churchyard!  Fortunately no-one else was around!   Anyway, on this I would recommend you see a physio or chiropractor and they will be able to  tell you if they think you have this issue.

I have to say that the groin pain has eased considerably with time.   I still tend to avoid carrying heavy weights as that tends to trigger it, or doing too much walking if it's playing up.  The good news is, if this is your problem, you will find that the chiropractor/physio can give some great exercises to relieve it.   Epsom salt baths also help me.

The problem for us ladies, though, is sometimes we can have gynaecological pain in that area so again, that's another avenue to explore.  I had a couple of ultrasounds to rule anything out which again I would recommend.

But as your pain sounds triggered by movement, I would hazard that its a musculoskeletal issue, possibly the sacroiliac joint.  

Here's a helpful picture regarding where the pain refers to.  As I say, there's loads to look at online.

https://www.celiac.com/uploads/monthly_2021_09/image.png.06a236e885bc767063fb354a4eddae00.png

Do come back to me if you need any more help.

Crisitiana

 

 

 

 

Hi Crisitiana

Im a newbie, but what you described sounds so similar to the pain I have! 

My pain starts of minimal in the morning and increases as the day goes on. By night time its pretty bad and no pain relief works. Its low abdominal and lower back (seems more left sided) almost like groin pain. Ive had a ultrasound and CT with contrast.

Can you tell me if your pain was constant? And how long recovery took? Ive been gluten free for 7 weeks but seeing little to no improvement. Cant get into the GI for another 5 weeks. 

Thanks!