Abdominal pain is a pain in the stomach. “Tummy ache” grows up with every child and is a physical pain that almost everyone has felt at one time or another. Many gastrointestinal diseases can cause abdominal pain, such as dysentery and acute gastritis in acute gastrointestinal diseases, and ulcer disease, gastric cancer, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and irritable bowel syndrome in chronic gastrointestinal diseases.
Under what circumstances should abdominal pain be referred to a doctor immediately?
Abdominal pain that occurs under the following circumstances is a sign of a more urgent condition and should be seen by a doctor immediately. Abdominal pain accompanied by fever, or “fever” as it is usually called. Underarm temperature test.
Normal body temperature: 36 to 37°C.
Low fever: 37.5～38℃.
Moderate fever: 38～39℃.
High fever: 39～40℃.
Super high fever: 40℃ or more.
Abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting. Abdominal pain with pale face, cold sweat, cold hands and feet.
Abdominal pain occurring after trauma. Abdominal pain initially occurs in the middle and upper abdomen and after a few hours, the abdominal pain shifts to the right lower abdomen. Swelling and pain in the left lower abdomen, trying to defecate but always unable to do so.
Sudden onset of severe abdominal pain with vaginal bleeding in women; normally normal menstruation, no menstruation for about two months before abdominal pain.
As the abdominal pain may not always be caused by internal diseases, the doctor will, according to the patient’s condition, after the necessary examination and laboratory tests, ask the participation of specialists such as surgeons and gynecologists to make further definite diagnosis if necessary.
How do I tell the doctor about abdominal pain when I see him/her?
When you go to the doctor for abdominal pain, you must tell the doctor clearly, in detail and accurately how you feel when you have abdominal pain, so that the doctor can make a correct diagnosis as soon as possible. Here are a few questions to help you describe your abdominal pain to your doctor.
1. What part of the abdomen hurts?
It is important to point out the location of your abdominal pain to your doctor as clearly as possible. This is because the location of abdominal pain may vary from disease to disease. After a few hours, the abdominal pain shifts to the right lower abdomen, which is often a sign of appendicitis.
2.What is the feeling of abdominal pain?
The nature of abdominal pain (self-perception of pain, duration, etc.) may vary from disease to disease, so it is important to describe your feelings in detail to your doctor. There are many different kinds of pain sensations, including vague pain, sharp cutting pain, twisting cramps, and dull pain. Some abdominal pains may appear as bouts of pain, others may be constant, or there may be sudden onset abdominal pain. The abdominal pain may come and go, or be mild and severe. The following are some common abdominal pain sensations in gastrointestinal disorders
Gastritis: mostly vague pain in the upper abdomen.
Perforated gastric ulcer: sudden onset of slashing, burning pain.
Gallstones: a burst of severe colic in the right upper abdomen with pain radiating to the back of the right shoulder.
Chronic cholecystitis: persistent dull pain.
Gastrointestinal tumor: the pain is often persistent and getting worse.
3.What are the conditions related to the severity of abdominal pain?
One should keep an eye on what conditions the pain flares up, what conditions the pain worsens, and what conditions the pain decreases, and tell the doctor clearly. Also, when the doctor presses on the abdomen, tell the doctor whether the abdominal pain is lessening or worsening. Conditions such as the following, which are aggravated and relieved, will help the doctor to make a diagnosis. Gastric ulcer disease: the pain comes on when you are hungry and is relieved after eating.
Gastric prolapse: abdominal pain with heavy force mouth after standing for a long time, which will be relieved after lying down. Cholecystitis: the condition worsens or abdominal pain attacks after eating fatty diet.
4.Is there any other uncomfortable feeling at the same time when abdominal pain?
The abdominal pain caused by different gastrointestinal diseases is often accompanied by different symptoms. Abdominal pain accompanied by jaundice (yellowing of the skin) is generally indicative of liver and biliary disease. Chronic abdominal pain with pus or blood in the stool is likely to be an intestinal tumor. Acute abdominal pain with fever is likely to be enteritis, dysentery and other diseases.
What should I pay special attention to when abdominal pain occurs?
Since the body’s ability to react is reduced in the elderly, when the disease is serious, it only manifests itself as mild abdominal pain, which should be paid special attention to and must be treated by a doctor as early as possible to avoid endangering life. Before the cause of abdominal pain is clear, it is strictly forbidden to take any painkillers, because after taking painkillers, the disease may not be relieved, but the patient does not feel the pain anymore.
After the cause of abdominal pain is identified, medication should be used to relieve the pain under the guidance of a doctor. Acupuncture points such as foot sanli, yanglingquan, tai;zhong and hegu can often also be used to relieve pain when abdominal pain is present.