Pain and bubbling almost always on the LEFT side? Why?

Hey phoebe, this must be confusing, I have almost always had the right lower quad. However when I first got diagnosed it was in the centre right around the belly button. As Crohns is from the Mouth to Anus, you could have something there. I am on Humira and it is almost symptomatic free. You should go have it checked out. Why stress yourself over something that could be fixed. Take care, hope you get well fast!

I'm not sure about the shower part, but as for pain, well I have crohns in my ileum which is left sided, but my pain is ALWAYS left sided, same with my dad...sometimes I guess it just happens that way even if your crohns isn't there...and gurgling was something I got just before I got SUPER sick and a bit flaring, and needed a major change of meds. You might wnat to get it checked out if you can, gurgling can lead to bad things sometimes.

Phoebe, do you know where your Crohn's is located? Mine is confined to my small intestine. However, the pains and the gurgling, bubbling feeling I've been getting have all been on the left side as well. BUT, I know why.

As Bektold stated, the descending colon pretty much runs up the left side of your body. You have to think of your digestive system from the top down, i.e. from mouth to anus. So the colon STARTS in the lower right quadrant at the ileocecal valve w/the cecum, then the ascending colon running up the right side, the transverse colon running across the body below the stomach, the descending colon running down the left side of the body, the sigmoid colon running across to the center of the body, the rectum running down the center of the body to the anus.

The intestine is kind of like a slinky. That's why and how we can have 20 feet of small intestine packed into our abdominal area. The last 3 feet of the small intestine is what is referred to as the terminal ileum. It is 3 feet if it is stretched out, but of course, it isn't, remember the small intestine is like a slinky.

When my Crohn's first struck, unlike the majority of us, it struck me at the proximal (top) end of the terminal ileum, rather than at or near the ileocecal valve which is the bottom end of the small intestine. I had to have 18 inches of my small intestine resected at and above that area where it first struck. And it is that area that has narrowed since the resection and is causing the pain, gurgling and bubbling sensation on my left side.

Now my narrowing after all these years is almost all scar tissue so I'm not too far away from another resection. You might say I am running out of borrowed time until my next (second) resection. But, hey! I've had a good run ... 20 year remission after that resection and then 10 years of pretty well controlled by medication symptomatic remission. Until just this past year of minor symptoms.

In your case, you most likely have a narrowing in the area on the left where you are experiencing your symptoms, but most likely, depending how long you've had Crohn's and how well its been treated up to now, your narrowing there is inflammation and should respond to an increase or change of meds. Certainly you need to discuss this w/your gastro.

Good luck and God bless!

Hey everyone thanks so much for the replies, I had been trying to research this via the net and the answers you provided with me were a thousand times more useful and accurate!

My Crohn’s is located throughout my whole bowel and intestines, I am 22 and was diagnosed three years ago, and have not had another colonoscopy since … I would be interested to see how the disease has progressed if at all, and how things are standing down there… it’s such a mystery to me, and the disease seems to change so rapidly from week to week! Sometimes the burning is so intense I cannot speak whilst it’s happening and have to just sit it out, at other times the bubbling and gurgling is the most embarrassing thing, and it’s so loud it’s like there is an alien inside my stomach… I am forever wondering what’s happening during these burnings and gurglings… seems it must be mostly affecting my large intestine…

Those diagrams were very useful ChronnieToo; it helps to visualize precisely where things are happening!

Hi Ivy!!!
I managed to get through my final exams and graduated!! Felt very accomplished considering crohn’s decided to appear in my life in my first semester of uni! I was even offered to do an honors degree, but decided I would get into the workforce for a bit before deciding whether or not to write a dissertation… I would really like to go back one day though I miss studying…

I have been working since the start of the year at a law firm as a marketing comms person … but am now looking for a new job. My crohn’s has been pretty good but is unpredictable as always, so I never really know what its going to do. I don’t eat any spicy foods so I don’t know what the burning could be, apart from perhaps an over production of acid? My dad thinks I should go on a low carbohydrate diet because apparently when you eat carbs, your body produced more acid than is necessary, however when you eat protein it only produces the amount necessary to digest the food. And apparently there are studies proving the success of low carb diets on treating crohn’s.I don’t know, it’s all pretty complicated and a big step to go onto a protein based diet!

How have you been Ivy?

Phoebe,

Whenever I'm having a bad flare (or a flare at all for that matter), my lower left side hurts the most. I hope you feel better soon!

-Emma

Gas pain stretching the width of the intestine can often be relief by laying on your elbows and knees w/your butt up in the air for a while, then laying on your side, one leg stretch out, the other curled up, then back w/your butt in the air and maybe some time on your other side, and back to butt up in the air.

Like you, all of my pain, gurgling, etc., is always in the lower left quadrant. My disease is in the terminal ileum, and technically I'm in remission. But I still have symptoms almost exactly like yours, as a result of my shortened intestine and removal of my gallbladder. The discomfort is pretty constant, and it's never ever occurred on the lower right side.