My 84 year old mother has recently ( last 4 days) been experiencing sharp pain in the left side of her abdomen , at about the same hight as her belly button. The pain is so severe that she yells out in pain. It goes away in a few seconds and she feels OK, however it keeps coming back. She has had a bowel movement the previous day, although constipation is a problem. Any suggestions what I can do to relieve the pain, should I be taking her to a Doctor. She also has Parkinsons, thus movement is limited. Thanks for your advice.
Hi ! Yes, if she gets the pain regularly and the severity increases, then you have to show her to a doctor to exclude any surgical problem like diverticulitis (common in persons with constipation) and a ureteric colic for which he may advise her to undergo an ultrasound abdomen, and a colonoscopy if need be. If all these are negative, then this pain could be a central pain arising from brain, an infrequent symptom of parkinsonism. In that case, your family physician may give her only symptomatic treatment. I wish your mother to recover from her pains soon.