Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

Sharp pain in the left flank

January 9, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Christian Welsch

Dear Sir or Madam,

For about three weeks, I have been suffering from diffuse left-sided flank pain. Here is my detailed description:
On the left side of my body, around the level of the navel but all the way to the left, I have a stabbing pain, although it is very slight. When I press into this side, the pain intensifies and is also stabbing. During exercise or at rest, I am practically symptom-free because the discomfort is so mild. However, the following concerns me: whenever I press into it, there is pain. However, this pain can vary in intensity depending on the time of day. My bowel habits have not changed, my stool has a normal color, and I do not suffer from bloating, abdominal pain, etc. Apart from this stabbing feeling, there are no other symptoms such as weakness, night sweats, or nausea. However, if I have eaten something that doesn't agree with me, my stomach rumbles and the stabbing on the left side becomes slightly stronger, sometimes there are also short sharp stabs in the same spot.

I noticed the problem mostly at night: when lying in bed, it feels uncomfortable on the left side, especially when lying on the right side, it feels as if the left flank is \\"tense to the point of tearing.\\" Strangely, towards morning, this feeling of tension and stabbing is almost gone (because of an empty stomach/intestine?). I simply cannot make sense of it. Enlarged spleen is possible, but I have no accompanying symptoms and no infection. I think it might be the colon and I am afraid if something serious (in the early stages?) could be behind it. If it were just a \\"bloated stomach\\" (gas in the intestine), I could live with it, but why didn't I have it before and what exactly is stabbing there? I ask for an assessment of what these symptoms could mean and how I can get rid of them. As I said, my everyday life is hardly affected, but I am not comfortable with it because the discomfort has been persistent for weeks. Thank you for your response!

Christian Welsch

Dear questioner, that doesn't sound like anything serious in principle, but I would still advise you to consult a gastroenterologist specializing in stomach and intestinal problems. In addition to a mild intestinal irritation or reflux disease, there are several conditions that can trigger such symptoms, which cannot be assessed based on the patient's history of abdominal complaints alone.
An examination with ultrasound and laboratory values should be carried out, possibly also a gastroscopy or colonoscopy if nothing definitive is found here.
In the case of a malignant disease, which you would rightly be afraid of, I would expect more and more consistent symptoms.
Please get yourself examined, do you have any questions?
Best regards, C. Welsch