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Can constipation cause discomfort on right of stomach, around liver/flank area.

Posted , 5 users are following.

HULKLOGAN
HULKLOGAN

hey ,

I take painkillers for lower back pain, which make me extremely constipated.

my question is , can constipation cause right sided discomfort , around liver area just below ribs, with discomfort around the flank area....it's not exactly super painful , maybe 3/10.

any advice is much appreciated.

thank you

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • HULKLOGAN
    HULKLOGAN

    Posted

    pain is hard to describe , it's like a swollen/achy/dull feeling , with a little pain (nothing that is crippling me).

    I have been constipated for around 4 to 5 days now but have had this pain for around 1 month

  • yonder01
    yonder01 HULKLOGAN

    Posted

    Taking pain medication on a reg basis will cause constipation, the best laxative to use is Miralax, it is very gentle and does not absorb the medication from your system like Metamucil will. This is very important as it can absorb any medication you take and you wont get the dose at all. Start taking the Miralax as soon as you can, take the full dose everyday at first, as your bowels begin to move you can adjust the dose as you need to per your system. Give it 2-3 days to start working, and then take it everyday and eventually you will get your dose correct. This is what patients with chronic pain must do. You do not want to stay constipated and Miralax is the recommended laxative when on any kind of medication, not Metamucil types. Miralax works by bringing water into and around your stool, making it move easier through your system. If you take to much it can give you diarrhea, but right now you just want to get things moving. Once you do that you can work with the dose and get it right. In the beginning as your bowels move, you may experience some cramping as the stool has become hard, and may be painful moving through, but you must get it out. It will not harm you, just may be carmpy, or may not be. Good luck and if this doesn't solve your issues, you need to go to a gastro to see if anything else is going on.

  • Naomi-04
    Naomi-04 HULKLOGAN

    Edited

    Can constipation causes right side discomfort?

    Absolutely NO.

    The right side just below the rib is where the liver located.

    If a person is constipated, the affected area is the bowel or large intestine.

    Meaning the unabsorbed food products stay in the colon.

    The one that causes the pain in your liver is the painkiller itself.

    Liver function is to detoxify any harmful agents that pass through our system including drug medications. That's why you feel pain because this is being affected or overused.

  • yonder01
    yonder01 HULKLOGAN

    Posted

    If there is something wrong with your liver, the enzymes will be elevated, but just metabolizing medications should not make the liver have pain, it is just doing its job. It is the same with any other kind of medication, the liver and kidneys metabolize it out of your system in the stool and urine. But this is their job and it should not be causing you liver pain unless you have something already wrong with your liver. Constipation can also be as low or as high as the ascending and descending colon which runs down both sides of the abdominal flank.

    • HULKLOGAN
      HULKLOGAN yonder01

      Posted

      hey yonder,

      thank you for your reply.

      so just to confirm constipation can cause pain/discomfort higher up towards lower liver area ? ascending colon?

      there are conflicting comments above , which is making me worry.

      I have had a liver test and all is normal, but i have read they can be normal even when there is damage/problems.

      thanks for the suggestion miralax, do they sell that in uk ? or is it prescription?

    • yonder01
      yonder01 HULKLOGAN

      Edited

      It used to be a prescription-only drug but is now available over the counter. Miralax comes in the form of a white powder, which is dissolved in water or another drink and then swallowed. A generic version is available and is often cheaper than the branded version. It is sold in the UK under the name Movicol. You can add it to most foods, soups etc...

      As far as the comment on the pain medication, take it as directed by your physician, if you have chronic pain then you may be taking it long term. Contrary to popular belief everyone responds differently to pain medications. Many pain patients remain on a constant dose for decades and never up that dose. A few patients need higher doses depending on how their body metabolizes pain meds. This will be for you and your Pain specialist to work out. Many misconceptions are out there right now due to the fake opioid crisis , the issue has never been prescription medications, it is illegal drugs that are causing the overdoses etc. I have studied this closely, best thing is to listen to your doctors orders on the pain meds, only he can tell you how you as an individual should take them. ! Liver damage can also come from taking to much Tylenol and ibuprofen, so only take the recommended does and as little as possible. Do not mix either with alcohol as that is harder on the liver. Some pain medications already have Tylenol in it, so ask your pharmacist this question before taking any more to be safe. !!!

      https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-colon#1

      On this picture of the colon, you can see that the ascending colon and descending colon go up very high to just below the liver and just below the stomach, that is why you may experience pain from constipation if your bowels are backed up to that degree, also as the hard stool moves through the colon on its way out of the rectum, it can cause some cramping etc. Also notice there are a couple of very sharp turns at the tops of the colon and these can be painful when hard stool moves around those curves. I hope you can see the picture and the location of the 2 sides of the colon. The poop actually comes out at the end of the your left side. It is un-likely you will be backed up that much but you may have some hard stool in those areas that can cause pain/cramping etc. If you find the laxative in the UK, isn't helpful after a few days 3-5 days , move on tot eh Gastro. I think the main thing with your case is to see if the miralax helps you after a few days, if you continue to keep having constipation from the paid meds that the laxative doesn't help with 5 days then you should def see your gastro doc. Good Luck !!!

    • moon53540
      moon53540 HULKLOGAN

      Posted

      liver damage that would show up in a blood test would have to be significant. A CT with contrast would be the most accurate test of your liver, if that is a concern. It is also the area of your gallbladder is, which would be better with an ultrasound, but a CT is still good for looking at that. Either test would be preferable to a blood test.

  • moon53540
    moon53540 HULKLOGAN

    Posted

    I am going to guess you are taking codeine, you should really only take these on a short term basis because they stop working properly after a while and can actually make pain worse. They also can affect your liver. Are you able to tolerate NSAIDs?

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