Vague Upper Abdominal Pain Associated With Nausea And Belching
Sometimes stomach pain is hard to identify or comes with multiple symptoms. Vague pain in the upper and mid-abdominal area that is linked to nausea, burping, or belching could be signs of a heart attack, particularly in older individuals. Physicians say tests like an ECG or cardiac markers can be lifesaving. They also warn that vomiting with back or jaw pain and shortness of breath can also be a sign of a life-threatening emergency.
Women are also more likely to experience abdominal pain or digestive issues during a heart attack. It’s important to learn how heart disease, including heart attacks, can affect women differently.
How Do I Handle Stomach Pain In Kids
Kids can get a stomach ache just like adults, and it often feels terrible for them. Feed your child simple foods like toast, banana, rice, and applesauce. If your child seems to suffer stomach pain after eating, you may want to ask their doctor to check for lactose or gluten intolerance or a new food allergy. Kids commonly experience stomach pain from constipation, gas, and illnesses like a UTI, or the stomach flu.
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Why Does My Stomach Hurt When Im Pregnant
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Menstrual Cycle & Bloating
Does your stomach feel bloated around the time of your period? Oestrogen has a big role in deciding how women retain water.
Levels of this hormone fluctuate during a womans monthly cycle, with the body typically retaining more water when oestrogen is higher in the week or so leading up to the start of a period.
As a result, a common symptom of premenstrual syndrome is bloating.
What Does Pressing On Your Stomach Do
Relieve constipation Massaging the abdomen may help to relax your stomach muscles. That, in turn, helps stimulate digestion and relieve constipation.
Why do doctors put a stethoscope on your stomach?
This is to make sure nothing is too tender, too big, or too firm. Along with the tummy-touching, a doctor will want to examine your skin, the shape of your abdomen, and how it moves as you breathe in and out. The doctor will probably also listen to the abdomen, as some bowel problems can be heard with a stethoscope.
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Injury Or Muscle Pain
If there is any injury or if you are lifting weight or exercise in the wrong way, all this can lead to belly button pain. Sometimes, while trying to clean it, there are chances that you poke in more than necessary. Even muscle pain or injury pain in the belly button takes time to heal. Consult the doctor to know the right medication.
Why Does It Feel Like Something Is Moving In My Stomach And Im Not Pregnant
Its possible to have sensations that feel like a baby kicking when you arent pregnant. Several normal movements in a womans body can mimic a babys kicks. This includes gas, muscle contractions, and peristalsisthe wave-like motions of intestinal digestion. Women often refer to the sensation as phantom kicks.
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Upper Abdominal Pain Between The Ribcage
If you develop an aching or stabbing pain or pressure in the upper abdominal area just under the ribs, this may indicate a heart-related problem. Physicians say this pain is often accompanied by shortness of breath and is concerning if the pain persists. People often assume this type of pain is indigestion, and while that may be the case, anyone with risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension should see a doctor as soon as possible.
If you do struggle with acid reflux, it may be time to talk to a gastroenterologist. They can help you manage your symptoms through medications, lifestyle changes and diet.
Causes Of Pain In Upper Stomach
There are several causes of pain in the upper stomach. Some upper stomach pain goes away on its own. For others, pain in the upper stomach may indicate there are underlying issues, such as:
When the muscle that normally keeps acid down in the stomach doesnt work properly, it can lead to heartburn . If you experience heartburn a few times a week or if over-the-counter antacids arent working, you may want to call your doctor.
Inflammation of the stomach
Sometimes pain in the upper stomach may be caused by gastritis. Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach as a result of a bacterial infection.
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the large gland behind the stomach , Normally, digestive fluid travels from the pancreas to the small intestine and activates to help digest food. If this fluid activates while its still inside the pancreas, it causes irritation and inflammation.
Ulcers
Pain in the upper stomach may be due to ulcers . Different things can cause ulcers, most commonly bacteria or anti-inflammatory drugs that damage the stomachs lining over time. Symptoms of ulcers may include a burning sensation, nausea, vomiting, or heartburn.
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What Does It Mean When A Doctor Pushes On Your Abdomen
Tenderness of the abdomen can be a significant sign of various diseases. Depending on the site of the tenderness e.g tenderness in the Right Iliac Fossa could be a sign of appendicitis or tenderness in the right hypochondrium could be a sign i Loading
What do doctors do when they tap your stomach?
So thats what doctors are doing when they tap your stomach: listening to sound and to the patient to discern normal from abnormal and reach a diagnosis, prognosis, and inform a treatment plan. Due to different densities, solid and fluid filled organs have a flatter tone than air filled organs.
Why Is My Stomach Bloated And Hard
When your stomach swells and feels hard, the explanation might be as simple as overeating or drinking carbonated drinks, which is easy to remedy. Other causes may be more serious, such as an inflammatory bowel disease. Sometimes the accumulated gas from drinking a soda too quickly can result in a hard stomach.
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What Does Abdominal Distension Indicate
A distended abdomen is either an organic or a functional problem. An organic problem can be explained by physical evidence, like a disease. Functional problems are observable but unexplained.
Organic causes
Organic causes of abdominal distension might include:
- Menstruation, which causes water retention.
- Significant recent weight gain, which tends to be stored as intra-abdominal fat and may restrict digestion.
- An obstruction of the small or large bowel, causing a build-up of gas and waste matter.
- Partial paralysis of the stomach causing a build-up of digestive contents.
- Inflammation of the abdominal lining .
- A build-up of fluid in the abdomen caused by liver disease .
- Organ enlargement from inflammation or a growth.
- Internal bleeding .
Functional causes
Functional reasons for a distended abdomen tend to involve digestive problems that cause gas and/or digestive contents to accumulate. Causes might include:
- Constipation causing a build-up of feces and back-up of digestive contents.
- Urinary retention causing a build-up of urine.
- A disorder of the muscle contractions involved in digestion , causing digestive contents to back up.
- Abdominal muscle weakness, which causes the abdominal contents to sag outwards and downwards .
Talk To A Doctor If You Think A Gastrointestinal Disorder Is Causing Your Bloating And Distension
If your bloating doesnt follow a neat pattern, you cant pinpoint a factor behind it like hormonal changes or lactose intolerance, and you experience additional bothersome symptoms, you could have a gastrointestinal condition like ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease. These both fall under the umbrella of inflammatory bowel disease , which describes conditions that cause inflammation of various parts of the bowel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that ulcerative colitis affects consistent stretches of the large intestine and rectum, while Crohns disease can affect any part of the digestive system, with inflammation usually occurring in patches.
- Unexplained weight loss
People with Crohns or ulcerative colitis can go for long periods of time with no symptoms. But these are serious, chronic conditions that require treatment. Left untreated, ulcerative colitis can lead to rectal bleeding, joint inflammation, and inflammation in deep tissue layers of the large intestine, the NIDDK says, while Crohns can lead to ulcers, intestinal obstructions, fissures, and abscesses.
Most of the time, bloating indicates nothing more than your digestive system doing its job. And now that you know how to determine if its potentially serious, you can tell the difference between when you may need to see a doctorand when its time to change out of your uncomfortable jeans and into your favorite leggings.
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Normal Variation Of Constipation
Constipation means bowel movements which have become infrequent and/or hardened and difficult to pass.
There is wide variation in what is thought normal when it comes to frequency of bowel movements. Anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is considered normal.
As long as stools are easy to pass, laxatives should not be used in an effort to force the body to a more frequent schedule.
Constipation is usually caused by lack of fiber in the diet not drinking enough water insufficient exercise and often suppressing the urge to have a bowel movement.
A number of medications and remedies, especially narcotic pain relievers, can cause constipation.
Women are often affected, due to pregnancy and other hormonal changes. Young children who demand low-fiber or junk food diets are also susceptible.
Constipation is a condition, not a disease, and most of the time is easily corrected. If simple adjustments in diet, exercise, and bowel habits dont help, a doctor can be consulted to rule out a more serious cause.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: abdominal pain , nausea, stomach bloating, constipation, constipation
Symptoms that always occur with normal variation of constipation: constipation
Symptoms that never occur with normal variation of constipation: vomiting
Urgency: Self-treatment
Why Is My Stomach Hard Am I Pregnant
Minnie Parsons | Answered December 13, 2021
Hardening is mostly due to excessive stretching of abdominal muscles. This generally happens around weeks 7 and 8. It is normal for the lower abdomen to appear more swollen and harder than when you were not pregnant. What to do: Because this is a normal finding, no specific treatment is required.
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Diagnosing Abdominal Swelling And Bloating
Often, abdominal bloating is non-specific in location, and pain can radiate from its source to another area. Because abdominal swelling and bloating have many causes, the diagnosis often has to be speedy. This can help you get prompt treatment for certain serious causessuch as bowel obstruction or appendicitis.
The first thing your healthcare providers will do in assessing your abdominal bloating and swelling is take your medical history and perform a physical examination. You will be asked about the duration, pattern, and location of your pain, as well as any associated symptoms you are experiencing and whether anything makes it better or worse.
Your physical examination includes an assessment of whether you are in distress, your temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and breathing rate.
Your provider will examine you to determine whether you have a specific location of pain or swelling. For example, a sense of bloating in the upper abdominal area could be associated with a peptic ulcer, while swelling in the lower abdomen on one side is more likely to be associated with an ovarian cyst.
Diagnostic tests can include:
Additional tests may include minimally invasive tests. During an endoscopy, a tube is placed into the throat, and during a colonoscopy, a tube is placed in the colon so your doctor can view areas of potential disease.
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Why Do I Look Pregnant
Eunice Salazar | Answered July 20, 2020
What it is: Simply put, its a separation of your abdominal wall muscles. Youll be able to physically feel that theres a separation or a weakness of your muscles in the abdominal wall, which will cause bulging that may give you a pregnant look, says Singh.Dec 2, 2021
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You Live A Sedentary Lifestyle
Diet and lifestyle also play a role. A sedentary lifestyle is linked to having higher amounts of that hard-belly visceral fat . Women are more likely to store fat as subcutaneous fat than visceral fat, though they start storing visceral fat when they reach menopause.
There are many ways to get started moving moreeven getting up and walking around more frequently during the day matters. If you want a gym routine and don’t really know where to start, try this total body workout.
Why Do Some People Experience A Painful Bloated Stomach
Having a constantly bloated stomach doesnt necessarily mean youre producing more gas than usual.
And its not always a symptom of an underlying condition. In some people, its simply an overreaction to normal amounts of gas in the abdomen.
And unfortunately, the reasons why this happens to some individuals and not others arent fully understood.12
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Youre Not Maintaining A Healthy Diet
In a paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found evidence that people who ate more refined grainsa category that includes white bread, white rice, muffins, bagels, pancakes and the likehad more visceral fat. In contrast, people who ate whole grainsbrown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, and grains like kasha and bulgurhad less visceral fat. Check out this list of whole grains you should be adding to your diet .
What Tests Might I Need
After the initial exam, your provider will recommend other tests to confirm a diagnosis:
- Ultrasound or CT scan: These imaging scans show your abdominal area in more detail.
- Paracentesis: Youll get a local anesthetic before this procedure. Your provider inserts a needle into your abdomen to remove fluid. The fluid is analyzed for signs of cancer, infection, portal hypertension and other conditions.
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When Should I Seek Medical Attention
Its unlikely that your swollen abdomen is the result of any serious illness, but there are a few things you should look out for. Call your doctor if your abdomen is getting bigger, or if you have other symptoms that accompany the swelling, such as fever or nausea.
Seek medical care if you have extreme diarrhea or blood in your stool. If you find that youre unable to eat or drink for more than eight hours, tell your doctor.
You can connect with a primary care doctor in your area using the Healthline FindCare tool.
Why Is My Stomach Bloated
The most common cause of stomach pain and bloating is excess intestinal gas. If you get a bloated stomach after eating, it may be a digestive issue. It might be as simple as eating too much too fast, or you could have a food intolerance or other condition that causes gas and digestive contents to build up. Your menstrual cycle is another common cause of temporary bloating. Sometimes a bloated stomach can indicate a more serious medical condition.
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Why Is My Stomach Hard
The perception of what constitutes a hard stomach tends to vary from one person to another. If you are feeling otherwise healthy and well, a hard stomach could simply reflect normal abdominal muscle tension or something usually harmless although uncomfortable like constipation.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Stomach hardness accompanied by other signs or symptoms, however, could signal a potentially serious underlying medical problem.
Why Is My Stomach Hard At The Top And Soft At The Bottom Early Pregnancy
It is likely that you are in the midst of a contraction if you notice that your pregnant tummy is suddenly becoming extremely rigid and stiff all throughout. There is absolutely no need for alarm here. It is very natural for the uterine muscles to tighten and contract in preparation for the actual labor process.
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Other Abdominal Pain Causes
Abdominal pain can also occur due to the following.
- Bowel issues: Both diarrhea and constipation can cause abdominal pain symptoms. If your bowel movements are less than normal, you can expect some form of abdominal pain.
- Stress: Many diseases can come from mental and physical distress. Anxiety and panic disorders are connected to abdominal pain as well.
- Internal injuries: Internal bleeding, stomach ulcers, and tearing in any of the stomach muscles, lining, or nearby organs can cause severe abdominal pain that should be treated as soon as possible.
What To Expect At Your Office Visit
Your provider will examine you and gently push on places on your belly. People with peritonitis will often tense the abdominal muscles when the area is touched. This is called guarding.
The provider will note any point of tenderness. The location of the tenderness can indicate the problem that is causing it. For example, if you have appendicitis, you will have tenderness when a certain place is touched. This spot is called McBurney point.
The provider will also ask questions about your symptoms and medical history. These may include:
- When did the symptoms start?
- Is this the first time you have had such discomfort?
- If not, when does the discomfort tend to occur?
- Are you having other symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea, fainting, vomiting, or fever?
You may need to have the following tests:
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