It is common to experience a bellyache that goes away quickly, and it can be said to be a part of life. But if the pain is severe or persistent, you need expert care from providers such as Bharat Pothuri, MD, a cypress abdominal pain specialist at GastroDox PLLC. Your condition may be caused by numerous factors ranging from mild to severe, and identifying them is a step towards finding the best treatment option. The information herein aims at equipping you with information about abdominal pain to help you understand the condition.

What Is Abdominal Pain

Any uncomfortable sensation around your belly area can be described as abdominal pain. Several factors can cause this, and although some may not be a reason to be worried, sometimes it can indicate serious health complications needing advanced medical attention.

Abdominal pain can be said to be acute, chronic, and progressive. When you experience discomfort that only lasts for a few hours of the day, although other symptoms might accompany it, you are experiencing acute pain.  Sometimes the pain can last a long period of time, for several weeks, months, or more, becoming a chronic condition. When the situation becomes worse over time and pairs with other symptoms, your disease is progressive.

Possible Reasons for Abdominal Pain

You can experience pain in your belly area due to several factors ranging from mild to severe issues. Your abdomen may hurt due to an indigestion issue, constipation, or menstrual cramps if you are a woman. This is the common reason why most people complain of pain in the abdomen. However, you may also experience the pain due to other more severe reasons, including:

• Abdominal muscle pulls or strain.
• Urinary tract infection.
• Food allergies.
• Food poisoning.
• Crohn’s disease.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease.

Other causes such as hernia, gallstones, endometriosis, kidney stones, appendicitis, cancer, ectopic pregnancies, and bowel obstruction are severe but not common.

When to Seek Help

Note that some cases of abdominal pain may go away quickly without medical interventions. However, if your condition does not go away and your pain is severe, please reach out to your doctor. Besides, you would want to understand the cause of your disease as early as possible for effective management. Also, reach out to your doctor as soon as you experience the following additional symptoms:

• Fever.
• Urge to urinate often.
• Pain when you pee.
• You can’t have a bowel movement.
• Signs of dehydration such as being very thirsty and having dark-colored urine.
• You can’t keep food down for over two days.

Diagnosis

When you reach out to your doctor, they will try to evaluate your symptoms to understand the causes of your pain. You can expect your provider to carry out a physical exam and ask you several questions about your experience. Some tests such as blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound, stool or urine tests, and endoscopy may also be employed to help find the cause of your pain.

Treatment

The treatment for your condition will depend on the causes and additional symptoms you might be experiencing. In a mild case, your provider will guide you in some self-help practices to improve your condition. Your provider may also prescribe some medications depending on your state. Surgery can be recommended in severe cases, particularly to manage an issue with an organ.

Let Dr. Pothuri of GastroDox help you with your abdominal pain. Do not suffer anymore, book an appointment today, and your unique needs will be addressed through a customized treatment plan.