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Abdominal Pain Left Side
What is Abdominal Pain?
The area of the body that houses the stomach, appendix, liver and other organs is known as the abdomen or belly. The abdomen is surrounded by the flanks on the either side, pelvic bone on the bottom and the ribs above. Most people experience some kind of abdominal pain at least once in their lifetime. Though any kind of pain in the abdomen needs attention, when you experience abdominal pain left side, it should be investigated.
This abdominal pain can be of many types. It can be a throbbing or cramp like pain or even a sharp or dull pain. Some abdominal pain left side can even be long lasting and chronic while others can be sudden and acute. In many cases, abdominal pain may even be accompanied by diarrhea or constipation. Some people may even feel nauseous or even experience episodes of vomiting with abdominal pain.
Many times abdominal pain may be a symptom of an even bigger problem. It can even be a problem in itself and can be caused by diverticilosis or appendicitis.
- Inflammation in the abdomen can also be a reason for pain.
- Sometimes problems that cause blockages in a particular organ like hepatitis and gallstones can also cause abdominal pain.
- It can even be a symptom of heartburn or indigestion.
- Abdominal pain left side can also be an indication of many kinds of cancers like colon cancer.
Does This Mean I Have Cancer?
Persistant abdominal pain may or may not be a symptom of colon cancer. However, you need to be checked by a doctor if you have a persisting abdominal pain left side for more than a week that may or may not be accompanied by diarrhea or other such symptoms.
In case of colon cancer, abdominal pain left side may be accompanied by one or more of these symptoms:
- A feeling of tiredness without any apparent reason
- Cramps in the stomach
- An unexplained change in your bowel habits which persists for four days or more
- The appearance of blood in the stools
- Weight loss for no apparent reason
- Loss of appetite
Colon cancer is completely treatable when discovered early. However, the basic issue is that the initial symptoms of colon cancer are generally not prominent. People often ignore signs like fatigue and weight loss and attribute them to stress and tension.
Many times, people even don't pay attention to any kind of abdominal pain left side since they think that it may be caused by heartburn, gas or other such issues. As the tumor grows, bowel movements become irregular. Usually bowel symptoms are more pronounced when the tumor is in close proximity to the anus.
The right side of the abdomen houses the ascending colon and cecum. If you have cancer in this area, it may cause bleeding and even anemia due to the loss of blood. Initially the amount of blood is less and non-discernable when mixed with the stool. When the cancer occurs in the transverse colon, it causes abdominal cramps. The left side of the abdomen houses the S shaped sigmoid colon and the descending colon that are connected with the rectum. In these areas, the symptoms of cancer may include a lot of blood that is bright red in appearance along with the stool.
Get Screened!
According to the recent studies, American men have a 44% chance of developing cancer while the chances for women are about 37%. The general risk of developing colon cancer in the United States is about 6%. For this reason, it's important for everyone, particularly people above the age of 50 years, to go for routine screening even if you don't ever get abdominal pain left side.
Protect Yourself From the High Cost of Cancer
Whether discovered early or late, cancer is a debilitating disease due to the care, costs and the mental and physical trauma involved. Many times the cost of treatment leaves the patient in heavy financial distress.
Most insurance plans do not cover the total cost of the treatment, which leaves the patient and their family in a lurch. These days people have started purchasing affordable supplemental cancer insurance that can help in covering otherwise uninsured expenses related to cancer illness. If you would like to learn more about supplemental cancer insurance you can click here.
Written by Jerry Lang
Edited by Stephen Goldner
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