Frequent discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn could be signs that your gut is having a hard time processing food and eliminating waste. You feel tired more often than not. People with chronic fatigue may have imbalances in the gut.
Standard imaging tests for gastric conditions include upper gastrointestinal series (UGI), ultrasounds, MRIs, CT scans and X-rays. For an even clearer picture of the gastrointestinal tract, a barium swallow or barium enema may be used in conjunction with an X-ray.
Pain in the abdomen may be aching, stabbing, burning, twisting, cramping, dull, or gnawing. There are many causes of abdominal pain. Abdominal pain can be serious, but most abdominal pain gets better on its own without needing any special treatment.
Call your doctor if you have any of these digestive symptoms: Chronic or unusual abdominal pain. Persistent or severe heartburn. Difficulty swallowing.
Pressing on your stomach is a way to find out if the size of your internal organs is normal, to check if anything hurts, and to feel if anything unusual is going on. Looking, listening, and feeling are all part of a physical exam.
Common digestive disorders include gastroesophageal reflux disease, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance and hiatal hernia. The most common symptoms of digestive disorders include bleeding, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, pain, nausea and vomiting.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the stomach and intestines, also called the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that you'll need to manage long term.
The most common causes of stomach pain
This kind of pain stems from a digestion issue, menstruation, or a passing virus. For example: Digestion issues, including indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, and food poisoning, are all extremely common causes of stomach pain.
Abdominal pain is pain felt anywhere from below your ribs to your pelvis. It is also known as tummy pain or stomach pain. The abdomen houses many organs, including your stomach, liver, pancreas, small and large bowel, and reproductive organs.
Normally, the abdominal cavity contains only a small amount of fluid. In certain conditions, large amounts of fluid can build up in this space. An abdominal tap can help diagnose the cause of fluid buildup or the presence of an infection. It may also be done to remove a large amount of fluid to reduce belly pain.
There are three main types of abdominal pain: visceral, parietal, and referred pain.
Pain in the center of the abdomen might be caused by injury or appendicitis. Pain in the lower abdomen or around the belly button can be caused by injury, flu, hardened stool, kidney infection, hernia, appendicitis or cancer.
When your healthcare provider presses on your belly, they are feeling to see if any of these organs are enlarged or painful. That might be a sign of problems that need more assessment. Healthcare providers use two ways to look at your belly: Palpation.
Call your doctor if you have abdominal pain that lasts 1 week or longer, if your pain doesn't improve in 24 to 48 hours, if bloating lasts more than 2 days, or if you have diarrhea for more than 5 days.
If the pain is sudden, severe or does not ease within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care. Sudden abdominal pain is often an indicator of serious intra-abdominal disease, such as a perforated ulcer or a ruptured abdominal aneurysm, although it could also result from a benign disease, such as gallstones.
When you have it, you may feel: Cramping, churning, tightness, or knots in the stomach. “Butterflies” in the stomach feeling. Shivering, shaking, or twitching of muscles.
When a doctor taps (percusses) the abdomen, the fluid makes a dull sound. If the person's abdomen is swollen because the intestines are distended with gas, the tapping makes a hollow sound.
Figure 1. The predominant sounds of percussion in the abdomen are tympany and dullness. Tympany is elicited over air-filled structures and dullness over fluid or solid organs.
If the pain in your abdominal region is dull and persistent or sudden and severe and is also accompanied by vomiting, that's another major red flag. The combination of abdominal pain and vomiting – especially if the vomiting is intense and lasts for a prolonged period of time – could be a sign of a major complication.
While it may be a sign of an emergency such as appendicitis, it may also be related to minor ailments or situations that don't need immediate medical attention, including colitis, cystitis, kidney stones, trapped gas, menstrual cramps, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are some possibilities.
Usually, stomach pains are harmless conditions caused by overeating, gas, or indigestion. Frequent or recurring sharp stomach pain often is due to stress and worry, even in children. But it can point to more serious medical problems like pancreatic diseases.