upper left abdominal and side pain

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis last May. I have had a few flare ups since, but, am having a different pain. This is  in my left upper abdomen, side and back. It is a sharp, stabbing pain that hits out of the blue and last about 5-10 seconds. It started today about an hour after eating. Nothing out of the ordinary. I ate a small bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings, that's it. No residual pain, just hits and it's gone. It is sharp enough to take my breath away.
It's just at the end of my left rib cage from the abdomen all the way around to the back.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of the pain though this does not typically sound like a colitis pain. Likely possibilities that might be responsible are gastritis, GERD/ GI ulcers, GI infection/ inflammations, GI spasms etc. I would suggest getting this evaluated by a primary care physician or a gastroenterologist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management. Meanwhile you could try taking some OTC antacids and see if these seem to help with the symptoms.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!