Abdominal Pain

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KEY POINTS

• Abdominal pain is aching or cramping in your belly. The pain can be mild or intense, and sharp or dull.
• Treatment may include medicine for gas and bloating, pain, or infection, or in some cases surgery.
• Ask your provider how to take care of yourself at home, what symptoms to watch for, and what to do if you have them.

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What is abdominal pain?

Abdominal pain is aching or cramping in your belly. The abdomen, or belly, is the area between your chest and pelvis. The pain can range from mild discomfort to cramping or severe pain. It could also be sharp and stabbing or dull. It may feel like pressure or burning.

Abdominal pain is not normal, but often it may not be serious.

What is the cause?

Many things can cause abdominal pain, such as:

• Ulcers, indigestion or heartburn
• Infections, such as food poisoning or stomach flu
• Food allergy or trouble digesting milk products (lactose intolerance) or gluten
• Constipation, diarrhea, or gastritis (stomach irritation)
• Hernia
• Urinary tract infection or kidney stones
• Muscle strain
• Appendicitis

Women may have pain caused by menstruation, pregnancy, cramping of the uterus during childbirth or breast-feeding, or a disease or infection in the uterus

Sometimes abdominal pain is caused by a problem in another part of the body, such as the lungs or the heart. For example, a heart attack can cause upper abdominal pain.

You cannot always tell where the problem is or how serious the problem is from the severity of the pain. Mild conditions such as gas or stomach flu may cause severe pain, while more serious problems such as appendicitis or cancer may cause only mild pain at first.

If your abdominal pain is severe or you also have any of the following symptoms, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible:

• Nausea, fever, or not able to keep food down for several days
• Blood in your bowel movements
• Trouble breathing
• Vomiting blood
• You are pregnant
• The abdomen is sore to the touch
• Pain is after an injury to the abdomen in the previous days
• Pain lasts for several days

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history and examine you. Be sure to tell your provider:

• When you first felt the pain
• Where it hurts
• When it hurts
• How long it hurts
• Anything that makes it hurt such as eating or walking
• Anything that makes it better such as avoiding certain foods or resting

Tests may include:

• Blood tests
• Urine tests
• Chest X-ray
• CT scan, which uses X-rays and a computer to show detailed pictures of the structures inside the body
• Ultrasound, which uses sound waves to show pictures of structures inside the body
• Endoscopy, which uses a slim, flexible, lighted tube and tiny camera passed through your mouth to look at your esophagus and stomach
• Colonoscopy, which uses a thin, flexible, lighted tube and tiny camera passed through your rectum to look at your large intestine

How is it treated?

Your treatment will depend on what is causing the pain. Your provider may prescribe medicine to:

• Treat pain
• Treat or prevent an infection
• Relieve gas and bloating
• Reduce the acid in your stomach

Your healthcare provider may advise surgery for some problems, such as to remove an infected appendix.

How can I help take care of myself?

Here are some things you can do that might help you feel better, after your healthcare provider has made sure that you do not need other treatments.

• Take a warm bath.
• Sip water or other clear liquids.
• If you also have gas and bloating, it may be relieved with nonprescription medicine that contains simethicone.
• Antacids may help to relieve indigestion, heartburn, and nausea.
• Nonprescription pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help relieve menstrual or muscle pain, but aspirin and ibuprofen can make an upset stomach worse. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, you should not take these medicines for more than 10 days.
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin, may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age.
  • Acetaminophen may cause liver damage or other problems. Unless recommended by your provider, don't take more than 3000 milligrams (mg) in 24 hours. To make sure you don’t take too much, check other medicines you take to see if they also contain acetaminophen. Ask your provider if you need to avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medicine.

If you have seen your healthcare provider about the pain, follow their instructions. Ask your provider:

• How and when you will get your test results
• How long it will take to recover
• If there are activities you should avoid and when you can return to your normal activities
• How to take care of yourself at home
• What symptoms or problems you should watch for and what to do if you have them

Make sure you know when you should come back for a checkup.

Call 911 right away if you have abdominal pain along with jaw, arm, shoulder, chest, or back pain, sweating, nausea, shortness of breath, or anxiety. These symptoms may mean you are having a heart attack.