Abdominal pain, swelling on left side, stomach problems

[littleflwr]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows what this is as I'm lost on what to do here.  As I've posted before, I've always seemed to have stomach issues,(since childhood, the constipation has gotten better, but pain worse) mainly pain discomfort, noticable bloating after I eat or drink anything, constipation on and off, some unexplained vomiting, painful gas, and back pain. Just starting a year ago or more, I've constantly been fatigued, I'm only 18 and I feel like a granny! I feel ill.. I've also had many many bladder infections, a few serious kidney infections, and in the last few years some symptoms similar to stds like itching, swelling/irritation down there, and weird sharp cramps. I've had pap after pap saying I'm clean, everythings normal, even though I feel it isnt. I've been on birth control pills for almost 3 years now as well, and i dont take any other medications.  Anyway recently, I've noticed on my left side of the front of my stomach from my hip bone across diagonally to my belly button,  I've felt slightly tender and it seems swollen slightly compared to my other side,  and the sameish spot above my butt on my back has been having random pain and just doesnt feel quite normal to me. its almost similar to when I would start getting a kidney infection, I'd feel the pain start on the left side around there but that pain was much more intense. What organs are there or what is this??
Anyway I've noticed this for about a month,  and when I think about it,  my boyfriend 3 months ago was diagnosed as having mono and a swollen liver, he also has hpv, i dont know if thats relavent but hes fine now, other then having fatigue as well on a regular basis. Someone has mentioned i could have endometriosis cuz my symptoms are similar to hers,   but my periods are generally pretty short and light after the first or second day, and were normal before i took the pill. I do experience cramping, but during my period my digestive system gets really upset so I think part of those cramps are from that. I just dont know whats up with me,  I've started a few trackers to see what my sleep and water and drug consumption are like, its interesting so far but i dont see a connection with my symptoms.(I smoke dope daily, drink a few times a month, generally live a low-stress lifestyle, my eating habits are arent the best but I eat 1 -3 healthy meals a day, my sugar consumption is a bit high and i dont drink enough water, but i think I'm generally healthy, 5'5 117lbs) My digestive discomfort is almost always lower, generally around my belly button and below... Any ideas welcome!  Thanks for taking the time to read ;]

[littleflwr]

Thank you for the information! Well I dont think its my spleen now that you mention that,  and my mother did have kidney stones once before,  and I've had problems with my kidneys for a few years now, I cant even drink alcohol very often cuz they start to hurt when I get dehydrated(its like a dull nagging pain that starts in my left lower back, always the left side) but seems to go away once I'm hydrated and have eaten.  As for my colon,  no I've never found blood and I look for it, and kinda look for connections between what I've eaten and how it ends up lol,  but its often changing.
  I dont know if both these could be connected in a way?  Or are they 2 seperate health issues.
As for my birth control,  thats a very very interesting idea, because when I miss pills or take 2 in 1 day, I get violently ill or feel really whack, and a friend has mentioned my brand might be too strong or something for me,  do you think just changing the brands will help or completely stopping them is what I have to do?(I'm on ortho tri-cyclen)
Could I possibly have a chronic kidney infection even though I have no symptoms like the last times, I quickly got very sick very fast, with bad burning, urgency, vomiting and diahrrea, and horrible horrible back pains. Right now the pain is in my left side still, its pretty dull almost feels like muscle aches but i know its not, from right above my butt it goes up a few inches and kinda feels like it wraps around above my hip bone to my abdomen, its like more of a weird burning pain in the front, while a sore achey type in the back.  It comes and goes randomly, but gets noticeably worse when I'm stressed or upset. Any ideas?  I'm off to the doctors this week hopefully...

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
I would suggest you to make some lifestyle changes as soon as possible. Make sure you eat healthy always. Avoid junk food and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Maintain your fluid intake by drinking at least 1—12 glasses of water.
Eat your meals on time and sleep for at least 8 hrs each day. Regular physical exercise is a must. Avoid smoking as much as you can.
Hopefully most of your symptoms will resolve. Take care!

[Jules77733]

Your spleen is located at the bottom of the left part of your rib-cage, underneath the ribs. If it's swollen, typically you should be able to feel it (just be careful--don't go poking around too vigorously because if it is swollen and you rupture it or injure it, this would be really bad), though when you experience pain or tenderness within the spleen, this wouldn't radiate to your back. The kidneys sound like they would be your problems there. Does your family have a history of kidney stones or any type of gastrointestinal problems? The problem doesn't sound like it's in your stomach; it sounds like it could be colorectal. Have you ever noticed any blood in your stool? You might want to get a colonoscopy done if you haven't, already. You should also have a CT scan of your abdomen done.

I would also have a gynecologist evaluate your situation, in case you suffer from something like polycystic ovarian syndrome, since the pain may come from your uterine area. It's really difficult to diagnose problems like this because there are so many organs doing so many things in that region...so it might take some time before you get an answer, but I hope you get one soon so you can feel better.

You also might want to investigate the birth control as causing problems. One of my friends had abdominal cramping/pain and extreme fatigue for a year that she couldn't explain...so she went from doctor to doctor and had all sorts of tests done, only to have one doctor finally suggest that she stop using the birth control she was on because it might be causing her problems due to her hormone levels changing over time (and the medicine no longer "jiving" with her system). Turned out he was right! I'm just saying that this could be adding to your more recent problems, though maybe it isn't.