There are multiple explanations for your stomach pain. Seeking treatment for your Anchorage abdominal pain is critical regardless of cause, whether mild, for example, gas, or severe due to an underlying medical condition like Crohn’s disease. Your doctor will evaluate the severity and area of the abdomen affected to confirm an accurate diagnosis and develop an appropriate treatment plan to eliminate concerns.
Defining abdominal pain.
Abdominal pain affects the area between the chest and pelvic regions. Patients with abdominal pain report crampy, achy, dull, intermittent, or sharp pain, called stomachache. Localized abdominal pain is limited to one area of your stomach due to structural and functional organ complications.
You may experience bowel problems, including diarrhea, constipation, and bloating or flatulence if you have crampy pain. Cramplike pain affects people assigned to females at birth, especially due to reproductive complications like menstruation or miscarriage.
You may also experience significant stomach pain from viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections. Emergency intervention for this abdominal pain will prevent the spread of infection to other body areas.
Types of abdominal pain
Your doctor will conduct rigorous tests to determine the type of abdominal pain you have to develop an appropriate treatment approach to optimized wellness. Most patients seek treatment for acute, chronic pain causing productivity problems. Acute abdominal pain only lasts a couple of weeks. Chronic abdominal pain is more severe due to its constant or recurring nature. Three months of abdominal pain confirms a chronic stomach pain diagnosis.
It is difficult to determine the root cause of your abdominal pain, especially since there are many gastrointestinal and systemic disorders associated with abdominal pain. Collaborating with a trained specialist will lead to a quicker and more accurate diagnosis, preventing treatment delays and the development of abdominal complications due to pain.
When to call the doctor about abdominal pain
Mild abdominal pain resolves independently without necessitating medical intervention. However, most cases of abdominal pain require a trip to your doctor. Call your doctor if you develop stomach pain from traumatic causes like an accident or injury. Severe abdominal pain that prevents you from sitting still requires emergency treatment. Other signs you need to see a doctor for your abdominal pain include:
- Bloody stools
- Fever
- Persistent nausea and vomiting
- Skin and eye yellowing
- Abdominal tenderness
- Breathing complications
- Unexplained weight loss
- A burning sensation when urinating.
Abdominal pain diagnosis
Determining the cause of your stomach pain will require a series of tests. The first step to an accurate abdominal pain diagnosis is informing your doctor of everything you are experiencing. Your doctor will order tests and conduct a physical exam to determine the cause. Pressing on the abdomen to detect signs of tenderness and swelling could contribute towards an accurate understanding of affected abdominal organs. Other abdominal evaluations involve:
- Looking inside your colon and intestines, a test called colonoscopy
- Checking for abdominal inflammation and abnormalities, which is endoscopy testing
- X-ray to detect stomach abnormalities
- Collecting and testing blood, urine, and stool samples to find proof of bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections.
Contact Pioneer GI Clinic to find the cause of your abdominal pain and begin appropriate treatment to restore pain-free living.
