Solutions to abdominal pain – Part 1

Persistent, worsening abdominal pain that started less than a week ago, is referred to as acute abdominal pain. Anything longer is considered chronic.

One of the more difficult symptoms to diagnose, entire volumes have been written on the subject.

How severe is it?

The intensity of pain is not be related to the severity of illness. People feel pain differently, and some disorders may be life threatening, yet involve very little or no pain. Often a person who is suffering from appendicitis will feel a sudden relief of the pain, which often indicates that the appendix has ruptured, which is ultimately fatal if untreated.

Where is it?

Describing the location of the pain by quadrants provides your physician a general idea of where to begin. The RUQ, or Right Upper Quadrant, is everything on the right side of your body above the belly-button. Below the belly button is RLQ (Right Lower Quadrant). On the left side is the LUQ and LLQ. The center just under the breastbone is called the epigastric area. The location is important simply due to the anatomy of the region. The gall bladder, for instance, is located in the RUQ, whereas the appendix is in the RLQ.

There are four different systems that function inside your abdomen: Your urinary system, your gastrointestinal system, parts of your vascular system, and in females, the reproductive system. A failure in any one of these systems could be the source of the pain.

What tests might be performed?

In an emergency setting, expect a blood and urine specimen initially, including a complete blood count, with a manual look at the types of white cells in your blood. A chemistry panel including liver enzymes might be performed, and a hospital without the ability to perform a Computerized Tomography Scan (CT Scan, also known as a “cat” scan), may take a plain X-ray of your abdomen. Ultimately the CT is the best way to diagnose the problem, but there may be times when it is not indicated. Sometimes an Ultrasound exam may be used, if there is a skilled operator available.

What are the most common causes?

When a diagnosis is made, the two most common causes are appendicitis and problems with the gall bladder. A long list of other problems make up a huge portion of the remainder, such as bowel obstructions, gynecological problems to include ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, pancreatitis, renal colic, and cancer.

There is certain information that your doctor needs from you

1) Your personal medical history, and any family history of cardiovascular disease, especially aneurysm.

2) Any alterations in your urinary pattern, including pain, frequency, or blood in Lour urine.

3) Loss of appetite, change in your eating patterns, or nausea and vomiting

4) In females, a history of your menstrual cycles, recent sexual activity, and previous pregnancies or GYN problems.

A significant percentage of abdominal pain is a result of less life-threatening conditions such as gastroenteritis or constipation.

Nonspecific Abdominal Pain, or NSAP, is the most common diagnosis, and is made in just over a third of emergency room patients; it simply means that the clinical signs are not yet severe enough to reach a conclusion. Remember, the job of the emergency physician isn’t to find out exactly what is wrong with you, it is to determine if you have a life-threatening condition that requires immediate attention. Your primary doctor, who is thoroughly familiar with your history and has the ability to follow up over time, should ultimately discover and treat any chronic problems.

No related posts.