Severe Stomach Pain can be experienced by men and women at any age, so much so that even children may suffer from it. Severe stomach pain can have both serious and no so serious consequences depending on peculiar symptoms and factors associated with it.
These pains can occur in various locations in stomach.
For example they can be any of the flowing;
- Severe upper abdominal pain
- Burning pain in stomach
- Severe stomach pain or cramps when patient tries to sit down
- Severe pain below ribs
Sometimes stomach aches can also be experienced as a result of side effect of some medicine that one is taking to treat some kind of medical condition.
- After drinking alcohol
- Some people may also have allergy to certain foods, like wheat for example and post a meal consisting of wheat, such patients may complain of severe stomach ache severe or acute pain in lower left stomach and so on.
Each of the above mentioned conditions are different from each other and may be indicative of different medical situation, requiring different diagnostic tests and exams to arrive at a treatment routine.
So when a patient visits doctor with a complaint of discomforted because of severe stomach pain, the responsibility lies with the doctor to examine the patient thoroughly and find out the exact cause before prescribing a medicine or treatment.
Sometimes the problem like food poisoning, lactose intolerance, Celiac Disease or food allergy can be treated with a course of antibiotics whereas more serious causes like appendicitis or may require small surgery.
If patient experiences stomach pain post intake of alcohol then it is a reason to worry. The underlying problems could be pointing towards acid reflux, liver, or gallbladder disease, gastritis, pancreatitis, and even inflammation of the upper digestive tract or can be a possibility of an ulcer in the upper digestive tract.
People consuming alcohol have a tendency to ignore these symptoms because they feel that after a while it will go away. This is not the right approach to treat problem of stomach ache because as well have already discussed, the causes could be many and so are the treatment options.
Sometimes avoiding alcohol can resolve this problem altogether but sometimes a treatment pattern may have to be followed.
When a patient visits the doctor the doc generally starts with physical examination; asks questions to the patient to understand timing, and duration of pain and what triggers it and also evaluate other symptoms like gases, diarrhea, headache and vomiting that accompany it.
Some serious causes of stomach pain could be appendicitis; kidney stones, and Pancreatitis.
When a child suffers from severe stomach pain and the doctor after examining the child thinks it’s beyond colic then the underlying causes are likely to be pointing a finger towards more serious conditions like Pyeloric Stenosis, appendicitis, and Intussusceptions.
Severe Stomach Ache Treatments
Needless to mention immediate treatment should be sought.
If stomach ache is due o allergy to some food the food should be avoided; like eggs wheat, spinach etc. If stomach ache is due to alcohol, abstinence from alcohol is the best remedy. If it is a side effect of some medicine like folic acid and iron, it should be brought to the notice of the doctor who prescribed it.
If gases is the cause of sever stomach ache it should be treated. If it’s beyond it then doctors will ask the patients to do certain blood tests, x-rays and ultrasounds to understand the situation better.
It is for the patients to co operate with the doctor and do the tests as told. If surgery is recommended, it should not be treated lightly or not be procrastinated beyond a point.
Whether stomach pain is a result of simple gases or something more serious like bacterial infection or problems related to intestine or digestive track, treatment should not be postponed and doctor’s advice should be followed to avoid further complications; because in some cases when initial symptoms are not given its due they can aggravate.
