What could cause upper left quadrant pain

I have had many health issues in my life but the one I have currently is upper left quadrant pain, my doctor said it could be diverticulitisis and to stay away from caffiene, and then I seen posts from other people with similiar problems and some can't have dairy, acid, tomato or sauces, what am I suppose to eat??

[CalGal]

What testing have you had done? If your doc said it could be diverticulitis but hasn't done or suggested any testing to find out what's going on, find another doctor. Typically the upper left quadrant is not the usual site for diverticulosis or diverticulitis, but if pouching is suspected it NEEDS to be investigated.

Could it possibly be gastritis that's suspected? Your mention of dairy, tomato etc suggests the issue might instead be acid reflux and possible gastritis. If you're looking for suggestions on a GERD-friendly diet, check under the diet section at www.gicare.com  You should find a representative example of suggested foods.

[FurballsMom]

You sound like me, which is pretty common actually.  You might have a combination of GERD, gastritis and IBS.  Fortunately, the GERD diets usually help with all three.  If you still have other food sensitivities that aren't covered by the handouts and information given for the GERD diet, you could also try a naturopath and go on a food elimination diet to discover food sensitivities you weren't aware of.  Most GERD diets don't talk about eliminating wheat and/or gluten, but a lot of people with IBS have this sensitivity without necessarily having Celiac.  Then, too, when cutting the gluten in addition to the dairy, even if someone does have Celiac and still doesn't test positive for it, mostly the symptoms will improve since diet is the main way of controlling Celiac.

I make mention of the IBS, because I get that upper lefthand quadrant pain you're talking about when I have an especially bad flair.  I've had all the tests under the sun that you should definitely still have done, as has been mentioned already, just in case it is something more than IBS.  IBS is no joke, but it is the lesser of all the colon issues that GI doctors deal with, so they sometimes treat it like it's nothing.  Or, if the patient is still having symptoms even when following the recommendations, I have had GI's with poor bedside manners who talk down to me like I'm dumber than a child and it's my fault I have the symptoms.  (It's the type of clinic that my insurance "allows" me to go to that has a high turnover rate of these "specialists".  Many have lousy bedside manners.)  Many GI doctors who treat people with the combination issues of GERD/IBS do NOT understand that while psyllium fiber might work wonders for the IBS, it irritates the GERD and the gastritis.  So, I suggest a different fiber if IBS ends up being your issue, since psyllium irritates GERD and gastritis.

One person I know who has GERD way worse than I do can't use the inulin fiber, because there are hidden sulfites in the stuff.  She is much more sensitive to the sulfites than I am.  It seems that this inulin fiber made from vegetables is alright in small amounts for me.  I'm just saying that it's a possible choice for fiber for you if IBS is the colon issue.