Q: I feel frequent but gentle pain in the left abdomen for the last five months. Last month I suffered from piles / anal fissure also. (Only once the blood came with stool when I was suffering from fissure). At the same time I pass a lot of gas (both as burping and as flatus). I got the ultrasound done for whole abdomen, report of which was normal. The KFT & LFT and WBC tests are normal. What can be the reason for this gentle but continuous pain?

A:The usual causes of left sided abdominal pain are: 1. left sided hernia: please ask your surgeon to check out if you have one or are developing one. 2. diverticulitis: this is uncommon in India, but more cases are being encountered. Diverticulitis can loosely be described as an infection in the large intestine (this description is rather inaccurate but will serve for a start). You will need a stool examination and possibly an endoscopy. 3. a stone in the left urinary system: in the left kidney or ureter. This is common, but if your ultrasound and X-rays are normal you probably do not have one.