What Pain on Your Right Side Could Mean

Pain on your right side is a common problem that can be due
to a variety of minor to serious conditions. Pain in the right side of your
belly (abdomen) is usually related to one of the organs in that area. They
include:

• Liver

• Gallbladder

• Part of the stomach

• Part of the small intestine

• Right side of the colon

• Right kidney

• Appendix

• Right ovary and fallopian tube in women
  

A blood clot or infection in the right lung also can cause
right-sided abdominal pain.

Types and Symptoms of Right-Sided Abdominal Pain

Pain on the right-side of your abdomen may be sharp or dull
and last a short time (acute pain) or a long time (chronic pain). The pain
might start in one place and move (radiate) to another.

Symptoms you experience with pain can be very important for
you and your doctor in figuring out the potential cause of your pain. They can
include nausea, cramping, diarrhea, fever and constipation.

Common causes of right-sided abdominal pain include:

• Liver
  disease, liver cancer, or liver infection. These conditions can cause pain
  in the right side of your upper abdomen. Upper-right abdominal pain is usually
  dull and chronic. Other symptoms may include nausea, yellowing of the skin or
  whites of the eyes (jaundice), fatigue, dark-colored urine, swollen feet and
  ankles, bruising, and weight loss.

• Gallbladder
  disease or gallstones. Both of these conditions can be the source of pain
  in the right upper abdomen. The pain may be sharp and acute, may radiate to
  your back, and may occur after you eat a fatty meal. Other symptoms can include
  clay-colored stools, jaundice, and fever.

• Cancer,
  infection, or diseases of the right side of the colon. These conditions can
  cause crampy pain in the right side of your lower abdomen. Other symptoms with
  lower-right abdominal pain may include changes in bowel habits, weight loss,
  fever, blood or mucus in the stool, or tenderness when pressing on the right
  lower abdomen. A cancer or disease that blocks the colon may cause crampy pain
  and constipation.

• Appendicitis.
  Appendicitis causes acute pain that starts in the middle or right side of the
  abdomen and moves down to the lower right side. The lower right side may be
  tender and swollen. Other symptoms may include chills, fever, nausea or
  vomiting, and constipation or diarrhea.

• Kidney
  disease, kidney infection, or kidney stones. These kidney problems can cause
  acute pain. The pain is sharp and may move behind the ribs or into the groin.
  Other symptoms may include a burning feeling when urinating, blood in the
  urine, fever, and tenderness in the right flank—the side area between your ribs
  and hip.

• Pelvic
  conditions in women. Conditions in a woman’s pelvic area that can cause
  lower-right abdominal pain include ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cyst, and
  infection. An ectopic pregnancy is a fertilized egg that has attached outside
  the uterus, typically within one of the fallopian tubes. Ectopic pregnancy pain
  may be acute and sharp. Other symptoms may include vaginal bleeding and changes
  in bowel habits. Pain from an ovarian cyst may come and go and be dull and may
  radiate to the back. Other symptoms may include abnormal and painful periods. A
  pelvic infection may cause fever and vaginal discharge or bleeding.

• Blood
  clot or infection in the right lung. A blood clot that moves to the lung is
  a pulmonary embolism. A blood clot in the right lung may cause right upper
  abdominal pain that is sharp, severe and acute. Other symptoms of pulmonary
  embolism may include shortness of breath, cough, fast breathing, and
  blood-tinged sputum (mucus) with coughing. A painful lung infection is pneumonia,
  which may cause fever.

Red Flags for Right Abdominal Pain

Mild abdominal pain that goes away and does not come back
may not need treatment. However, talk to your doctor if you are experiencing severe
abdominal pain or if it keeps coming back. It is never normal to have abdominal
pain, so tell your doctor about your symptoms.

Certain "red flags" mean you need to seek medical
care. Watch for these serious symptoms:

• Severe or worsening pain

• Pain with fever

• Pain with diarrhea

• Constipation that lasts more than three days

• Blood in your stool

• Pain with nausea or vomiting

• Vomiting blood

• Jaundice

• Pain with swelling of the abdomen

• Severe tenderness of the abdomen

• Pain with vaginal discharge or bleeding