Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

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Seashell84
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Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:16 pm
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by Seashell84 on Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:43 pm

Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

Hi,

I experience intermittent pain on the lower right hand side of my abdomen - sometimes it is just uncomfortable or more of an awareness that it is not the same as the other side almost like someone is pressing on it, or sometimes it can be quite painful. This generally never lasts more than a few hours at a time and has usually gone by the next day. The first time I felt this I was 12 and they thought I might have had Appendicitis which I didn't - I'm now nearly 30 and the same feeling is still there (it might go for a while without feeling it and then in the last week I've felt it three or four times). As far as I can tell there is no pattern to it and everything else is normal. It is also always on the right hand side and never anywhere else.

I also have Hypodontia, or Congenitally Missing Teeth, and after doing a bit of research online after a recent problem with a tooth I have discovered a link between this and Ovarian Cancer.

Does this problem sound like an abdominal/digestive problem or is there likely to be any link between the teeth and problems with the ovaries?

Many thanks for your help.

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Dr Nick Read
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:22 pm
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by Dr Nick Read on Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:17 pm

Re: Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

The lower right quadrant of the abdomen overlies the caecum which is the most distensible part of the colon. So if you have a rather sensitive abdomen, then you could well feel pain at that site when food residues enter from the small intestine and are fermented releasing gas. You might find that reducing your intake of gassy fruits and vegetables might help: see FODMAPs on the IBS Self Care Plan. Pacing yourself, relaxation, may also help to reduce the sensitising effects of worry or just being too busy. I don't think it has anything to do your missing teeth and the intermittent nature of the pain suggests something that blows up from time to time rather than your ovaries.
Dr Nick Read
Gastroenterologist and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... k_read.php

Seashell84
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:16 pm
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by Seashell84 on Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:41 am

Re: Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

Thank you for the reply. Seems as soon as I saw that link on the internet I've put the two together and have come up with ten! Am relieved to hear it's not likely to be that though. If it's not the same sort of question as how long is a piece of string, is there a general guide for how long food/drink would take to get to that stage in the intestine so I can see if there's something specific which triggers the pain? Apologies if this question is on the website you suggested, I didn't see it but I haven't had the chance to look in depth at it yet.

Thank you again.

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Dr Nick Read
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:22 pm
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by Dr Nick Read on Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:14 pm

Re: Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

Depending on how fast transit through your small intestine is, it would normally take anything from 2 hours to 6 hours (average four hours) for food to read the colon. But its never as straightforward as that. Eating a meal may cause the caecum to contract fairly soon and also cause a previous meal to move into it from the small intestine, so you might get discomfort within half an hour. .
Dr Nick Read
Gastroenterologist and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... k_read.php

Seashell84
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:16 pm
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by Seashell84 on Mon Jul 21, 2014 11:07 pm

Re: Intermittent Lower Right Sided Pain

I think I have a lot of reading to do! As said previously I'd never really considered the cause of this, until my tooth infection and Hypodontia started creating problems, so this is all new to me. I'll have a go at using a diary/the symptom checker and try to bear in mind the points you've made below, and see what happens.

Thank you :)

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