Athens, GA Abdominal Pain
What is abdominal pain?
The abdomen, or belly, is the area between the chest and the pelvis. The pain can range from a mild discomfort to severe aching or cramping pain.
What causes abdominal pain?
Many things can cause abdominal pain, which can make it difficult to figure out the cause. Examples of some of the common causes of pain in the abdomen are:
- indigestion or heartburn
- stomach virus
- food poisoning
- food allergy
- stress and anxiety
- gastritis (an irritation of the stomach lining)
- constipation
- menstruation
- ulcers
- hernia
- urinary tract infection
- muscle strain
- disease or infection in the uterus or ovaries
- pregnancy, childbirth, and changing hormone levels during breast-feeding
- inflammation of the appendix or gallbladder
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 how serious the cause is from the severity of the pain. Mild conditions such as gas or stomach virus may cause severe pain, while more serious problems such as cancer may cause relatively mild pain.
How is it treated?
The treatment depends on the cause of the pain. Often there are simple things you can do to feel better:
- Put a heating pad set at low or a covered hot water bottle on your belly.
- Take a warm bath.
- If the cramps may be stress-related, relaxation techniques may help.
- 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 cramp-related pain.
If you come to Reddy Urgent Care for treatment, a healthcare provider will review your medical history, ask for details about the pain and other symptoms, and examine you. It will be helpful if you can tell your provider:
- how long ago you first felt the pain
- when it hurts (AM vs PM, constantly vs intermittently)
- how long it hurts (minutes or hours at a time)
- what you do that makes it hurt (for example, eat)
- what, if anything, you can do that makes it better
Additional testing may be required.
What should I do if I experience abdominal pain?
If you are experiencing abdominal pain then schedule a visit with your primary care physician. Sometimes abdominal pain can be more serious and will require more immediate attention. Go to an urgent care if you experience any of these symptoms:
- constant severe pain
- pain that is getting worse
- pain with shortness of breath
- pain with bloody vomit or bloody bowel movements
- painful urination or cloudy, bloody, or bad-smelling urine along with the abdominal pain
- pain with fever of 101 degrees F (38.3 degrees C) or higher
- inability to eat or drink due to nausea and vomiting
Call 911 right away if you have abdominal pain along with jaw, arm, shoulder, chest, or back pain; sweating; nausea; shortness of breath. These symptoms may mean you are having a heart attack.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/abdominal-pain/basics/definition/sym-20050728