Right side pain? and gas? New here, and scared, pls. reply

I was told I might have IBS.  I sometimes get lower right side pain, and I always panic and think it is my appendics, but it never has been.  Well since last nite,  I have been paniced thinking the same thing again.....  I had a colonoscopy a little over a year ago.... and  everything was great.... they said not again for 4/5 years.  anyways, my symptoms are the low right side pain,  stomach gurgling, and growling noises,  passing gas,  then when I get up and move around, I can usually have a bowel movement.... no diahrrea here, just the symptoms described.  I am a little nauseaus, but I have terrible anxiety also, and when I don't feel good I get so scared, I feel ill.   also have some low back pain.   Anyone else have any of these symptoms?  does this sound like IBS?  thank you

Hi tjeffries,

Welcome to Healing Well!!

Your symtpoms sound like IBS.  Cathy gave you some good information.

I agree it does sound like IBS but I am one who always says to listen to your instinct.  Is it really tender to touch the area on your right side?  That is usually a good sign that points to appendicitis.  What kind of tests have they ruled out for appendicitis?  Did you tell your doctor that you suspected appendicitis?  Not all doctors will look at the appendix during a colonoscopy and most of the time it is difficult to see if it enlarged on a colonoscopy.  If it really bothers you, I would push your doctor to check a little further.

Take Care and Keep Posting

Hey there!

Appendicitis is a tricky one.  I had a ruptured appendix when I was 7, and let me tell you, that was the most miserable I've ever felt in my life.  Before it ruptured, though, I was vomiting profusely, had a fever, and EXTREME tenderness and rebound pain.  My parents waited three days to take me to a doctor, which is why it ended up rupturing, but you will know something is wrong long before it bursts.  They might check a white blood cell count, as it will usually be markedly elevated if you do, indeed, have appendicitis.

IBS can cause significant LRQ (lower right quadrant) pain that is difficult to differentiate between more serious and sometimes life-threatening conditions.  If you find that your LRQ area is exceptionally warm, hard to the touch, and you have a fever, it's time to see a doc!

Might help to get colonoscopy done, to rule out IBD.

I had my appendix out when I was 13. You would know if that's what it was. I threw up all day and my whole stomach hurt so bad and then in late afternoon it moved over to the right side. I had a fever also. If not for my uncle coming over that day and telling my parents to take me to the hospital mine would have burst. It was dangerously close too it and they had to do emergency surgery like at 10 at night. So yeah you would know if that was what it is. Barb

One year before my rectal cancer and all this IBS "fun" started for me, my husband had an emergency appendectomy. He occasionally would have heartburn but OTC meds took care of it. That evening, meds wouldn't relieve the "heartburn". It just kept getting worse and worse. Something woke me up at 2 a.m. and he was downstairs pacing the floor, sitting down, rubbing his stomach one minute, groaning and belching the next. Doing everything that used to help heartburn in the past but all of it combined wasn't even putting a dent into the pain. He called our Internist first thing at 8 a.m., they said to come right in. Long story short, as soon as they touched his stomach he about shot off the table. They sent him straight to the ER, they did a blood test or some test to confirm the appendix was inflamed (it shows up on this test). He had surgery the afternoon. It never ruptured and his recovery was considered normal. Since this was back in 1998, he had a two inch incision, which was quite painful which surprised him. Another long story short, we both realized the night before's heartburn was nothing like heartburn because it got worse and worse. Ever since then, I made a mental note for our daughters and myself, to always check something like this out, if it happens to any one of us.

And I often wonder why my surgeon didn't remove my appendix, he removed nearly all of my sigmoid, 15 inches of my colon, gall bladder and gave me a temporary ostomy. Later I even asked - you got my appendix didn't you? I might have even asked if they got my spleen too. He just sighed and said no. At the time I was relieved, realizing they did a whole lot to me that day but later, I wondered why not remove organs that could potentially become infected?

And just a few years ago an ex SIL who's a nurse told me that surgeons are not so quick to remove infected appendixes. I said what? After seeing how much my husband was in, I don't know how he could have stood it much longer. Later we realized he should have gone to the ER that evening and not waited so long. But back then we had high ins copays, as we do now. Now an ER visit has a copay of $250.

I have not been running a fever at all. My tummy is not hurting as much and most of the discomfort is lower than my belly button. I'm thinking it could be more of a gas issue or even a UTI. ONLY cause my back is hurting a bit now, which started the other day. I'm really lost but just in case I have an appointment with my doctor on Thurs now.. I was wondering if it could possibly be a back up? I constantly am pressing on my tummy and around it , just to see if it hurts. Not really at all, unless I press down deep and than I think it would hurt cause I could be touch organs.. LOL What do you guys think?

Right side abdominal pain could be gallstones. Just another thing to rule out

Hi new to the and new to IBS I've got the same pain lower right side its keeping me awake but more of an ache it does get you worried when its all new the doctor told just over a week ago that I had IBS and well what you can you do xxx

Please call your doctor and seek his/her advice.

@Tjeffries,

I get the same thing, and unfortunately haven't figured it out!! I thought it was appendicitis Bc of nausea, decreased appetite, RLQ pain, rebound tenderness etc. It does hurt worse with movement and it's very acute when I laugh or move certain directions-otherwise it's just a throb. However, they did blood work, did a CT with contrast just to be sure, and it came back fine. I refuse to go back to the hospital, because I can't afford to get a CT every time this happens. I can understand if it's pain from gas, but it's the same location that gets me. Why my RIGHT side?

Post Edited (J Special K) : 8/18/2017 7:48:58 AM (GMT-6)