*Women health>>>Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Can Irritable Bowel Syndrome present with severe right upper flank and side pain?

Severe enough to make the person cry and to break through 15mg of Lortab? Would it also have a gradual (over a month) onset at the age of 25? [Gallbladder is removed, so it's not cholecystitis.]

You need medical attention!

It IS possible to have biliary colic (related to the common bile duct or the liver) after gallbladder removal. You could also get stones after gallbladder removal. Another possibility is scarring in the area where the gallbladder was removed (either on the bile duct itself or the intestines).

The timing of the pain is important (i.e. is it immediately before or during a fatty meal?). Also, the presence/abscence of fever is also critical. Is the urine turning dark? Is there nausea/vomiting accompanying? Are you turning yellow? All of these are very worrisome and should be seen immediately.

Lortab is NOT a good medication for any type of bowel complaint. The main reason is that it causes constipation. If you have IBS (which is possible but a diagnosis of last choice) you could be making it worse with lortab. You should not be taking this medication for bowel pain, but if you must, you should buy some Colace or Magnesium Citrate at the drug store and include them in your daily regimen. If you get a fecal impaction, life will get very unpleasant.

Another possibility is a kidney stone. The kidneys are located in the flanks and so you could have right upper quadrant pain radiating through to the back, etc, with a right renal stone. Blood in the urine is a sign, but the abscence of blood does not mean you don't have one.

I recommend you get some lab tests: Liver function panel, urinalysis and a CBC. To get them, you will need to see a doc. Don't let this type of pain go, you could have a serious problem.

If you have scarring/obstruction of the common bile duct, you could be at risk of liver failure and death. I don't mean to be dramatic, but your history of prior cholecystectomy brings this up.

You sound pretty knowledgeable about this - I'd say yes, it could. The large bowel runs down that way - but you also may need to be checked for appendicitis. Either way, it probably would be a good idea for you to see an internal specialist & at least have them rule out inflammation in your appendix.
Have you looked up any IBS web sites? there may be some out there with information to help you make an informed decision. Good luck & I hope you feel better soon!!