Abdominal pain is a sign that something is wrong and needs your attention. Whether the pain is severe or mild, your body is trying to alert you to a condition that needs addressed.
When people get abdominal pain, quite often they relate it to an appendicitis. But there are many symptoms and possible causes for right side abdominal pain aside from an appendicitis.

What kind of pain are you experiencing? Is it a sharp or stabbing pain, a mild ache, or a burning sensation? An appendicitis is usually accompanied by lower right side abdominal pain along with other symptoms such as fever, bowel changes, and an altered appetite. Whereas, with a hernia the pain steadily increases and is painful to the touch. As well, hernias often involve nausea and or vomiting.

Do you have a fever? Is your fever low grade or high grade? When did your fever start? Was it before the onset of or after? There are many things that can cause a fever, such as a low grade infection or peritonitis, a life-threatening infection of the abdominal cavity.

Has your appetite changed? Were you eating more or less before the pain started? Did you eat something that you normally don’t eat? Does eating worsen the pain or lessen it? Food can be a big factor in causing right side abdominal pain. An often overlooked cause is Giardia, – a parasitic infection of the small intestines. The symptoms include mild to moderate right side abdominal pain, and diarrhea, and sometimes fatigue.

Are you nauseated or vomiting? Sometimes food poisoning can cause abdominal pain. Usually within a few hours after consuming something contaminated you will have symptoms such as bloating, nausea, vomiting, and a low grade fever. There are different types of food poisoning that include salmonella, botulism, and E. coli.

Have your bowel changed in color, hardness, softness, or odor? Do you also have bloating? If so, it is possible that you have a case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The pain associated with IBS is irregular and in the lower right side of the abdomen.

Are you a female? Did the pain come on suddenly and is the pain also in the pelvis area?
If so, you may be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and you should seek medical care immediately. Or you may have an ovarian cyst that ruptured. The cyst itself is not harmful but if left untreated a life threatening infection of the abdominal cavity called peritonitis can occur.

Right side abdominal pain has a lot of variables and can be difficult to diagnose. Patients who have any additional information will not only help with diagnosis but reduce the amount of testing. Other questions to keep in mind are as follows:
Is your urine unusual in color, smell, or frequency?

Is the pain fluctuating? What are you doing when the pain worsens? What helps the pain? Is the affected area painful to touch?

Are there body positions that help? Does it relieve the pain if you lie down or put your head between your legs? Does pressure ease the pain?

Right side abdominal pain should not be ignored. If you are experiencing severe pain then call your physician or seek medical attention immediately. As well, if the pain persists or worsens and does not improve within a few days then call your physician for advise.

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