Colon pain is pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen, often accompanied by constipation, diarrhea, or bloody stool.
Symptoms. It may be challenging to know when pain is coming from the colon. The colon is located in the abdomen and runs up the right side, across the abdomen, and down the left side. For that reason, pain coming from the colon could cause pain in different parts of the abdomen.
A persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool. Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool. Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain. A feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely.
Problems with the colon, or large intestine, can cause pain in the lower abdomen. Possible causes include constipation, diarrhea, and a range of gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel disease or colitis.
The most common causes of colon pain are inflammatory bowel diseases. These conditions are usually triggered by an improper diet, excess stress, an inactive lifestyle or too many medications.
Many cases of colon cancer have no symptoms. If there are symptoms, the following may indicate colon cancer: Abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen. Blood in the stool.
The most common symptom of diverticular disease is intermittent (stop-start) pain in your lower abdomen (stomach), usually in the lower left-hand side. The pain is often worse when you are eating, or shortly afterwards. Passing stools and breaking wind (flatulence) may help relieve the pain.
Any changes in your bowel movements, sudden changes in weight or abdominal pain should be taken seriously, says Vilar-Sanchez. “Changes in bowel movements, blood in stool or very dark stool can be red flags for colorectal cancer,” Vilar-Sanchez says.
To do at-home colon cancer screening, you'll need a prescription from your doctor. You'll collect the sample at home with the prescribed kit, then mail it off to the prescribing doctor (or a lab). When the analysis is complete, your doctor will go over the results with you.
The second at-home test involves feeling your body lying on your back on a flat surface with your knees bent and feet planted on the ground or floor. From this position, you should feel a tube that is about 2 inches around. If this tube feels lumpy, it may mean a tumor in your colon.
The ascending colon is the start of the colon. It is on the right side of the abdomen. It continues upward to a bend in the colon called the hepatic flexure. The transverse colon follows the ascending colon and hepatic flexure.
Damaged nerves disrupt your rectum's ability to store and get rid of waste. Because of disrupted signals between the colon and the brain, you may not feel the urge to have a BM. This often causes constipation and BM accidents. Reflex bowel problems may cause a sudden, unplanned BM when the rectum is full.
Large polyps can obstruct the bowel and cause abdominal pain or cramping.
Smoking, obesity, diabetes, and inadequate exercise are risk factors for polyps, but many people with none of these risk factors have precancerous polyps in the colon. There are genetic risk factors for developing polyps as well.
Symptoms of diverticulitis are more severe and often start suddenly, but they may become worse over a few days. They include: Tenderness, usually in the left lower part of the abdomen. Bloating or gas.
When infection of the diverticulum occurs, it can manifest with a spectrum of symptoms such as pain, fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and bloody stools. Right-sided diverticulitis (RSD) may mimic several abdominal emergencies such as cholecystitis, appendicitis or epiploic appendagitis.
Narrow or pellet-like stools: if you have advanced or severe diverticulitis, your large intestine may narrow, causing stool to become thin, narrow, or pellet-shaped.
Nearly all cases of colorectal cancer develop from polyps. They start in the inner lining of the colon and most often affect the left side of the colon and rectum.
Blood from higher up in the bowel doesn't look bright red. It goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel.
With a bowel obstruction, the blockage in your colon or rectum can create a dull pain that extends from the abdomen to the lower back.
Anatomy and function of the colon. The colon is part of the digestive system. It helps the body absorb water and nutrients from food before excreting the waste. It is made up of muscle and located just below the stomach.
Where is the large intestine located? The large intestine is in your lower abdominal cavity from your waist down. It surrounds the small intestine in a sort of a square question mark shape, with the tail of the question mark ending at the anal canal.