Re: lower abdominal [pain]

Posted By HFHSM.D.-rf on April 23, 1998 at 23:11:01:

In Reply to: lower abdominal [pain] posted by sean on April 15, 1998 at 19:51:59:






I have been haveing these abdominal pains on and off for about a
year. The first that I noticed them was after a heavy night of
dringing on an empty stomach. In the morning I found bright red blood
in my stool. I waited, too embarresed to see someone, and the pain went
away. The bleeding and the pain came back recently and has not went
away yet. I went to a clinic the other day and they said that it was
not hemeriods or infection and I was not anemic so I have not lost too
much blood. They refered me to a specialist, but this person cannot
see for at least two weeks. I'm am a 27 year old male and am in pretty
good health. The pain seems to be in my upper left large intestine.
My question is what kind of things should I be worried about and
is their anything that I should do as far as diet and medication
goes until I can get in to see someone?



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Dear Sean,
Thank you for your letter.  It is difficult to determine the cause of abdominal pain solely on the basis of history and the location of the pain.  Pain in the upper left abdomen can be due to several causes including pancreatitis (which can be caused by alcohol), gastric inflammation or ulceration (which can also be caused by alcohol), colonic disease and kidney disease.  You do not provide information regarding the extent of your drinking.  Remember that excessive alcohol can severely and irreversibly damage the liver as well as other organs.  I would strongly urge you to stop using alcohol until the cause of your pain is identified.  Regarding diet you should avoid foods that exacerbate your pain.  Without a diagnosis, specific pharmacologic treatment to relief your pain can not be suggested.
I am uncertain regarding the significance of the bright red blood with your stool.  If the blood was on the surface of the stool, the most likely explanation is a rectal process either hemarrhoids or fissures.  If the blood was mixed with the stool, the physician must consider problems elsewhere in the colon.
This response is offered for your general information and should not replace the conclusions drawn from a careful and complete evaluation by your physician. If you wish to be seen at our institution, Henry Ford Hospital, please call our PHYSICIAN REFERRAL LINE at(313) 876-2393 and request consultation with Dr. Ben Menahem, one of our experts in the investigation of abdominal pain.
Best of luck.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: abdominal pain, alcohol, hematochezia
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