Abdominal pain

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Abdominal organs	Abdominal quadrants	Anatomical landmarks, front view	Appendicitis
Digestive system	Kidney function

Stomach pain; Pain - abdomen; Belly ache; Abdominal cramps

For mild pains:

• Sip water or other clear fluids.
• Avoid solid food for the first few hours. If there has been vomiting, wait 6 hours. Then, eat small amounts of mild foods.
• If the pain is high up in your abdomen and occurs after meals, antacids may provide some relief, especially if you feel heartburn or indigestion. Avoid citrus, high-fat foods, fried or greasy foods, tomato products, caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated beverages. You may also try H2 blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, or Zantac) available over the counter. If any of these medicines worsen your pain, CALL your doctor right away.
• AVOID aspirin, ibuprofen, and narcotic pain medications unless your health care provider prescribes them. If you know that your pain is not related to your liver, you can try acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Call 911 if you:

• Have sudden, sharp abdominal pain
• Have chest, neck, or shoulder pain
• Are vomiting blood or have blood in your stool (especially if maroon or dark, tarry black)
• Have a rigid, hard abdomen that is tender to touch
• Are unable to pass stool, especially if you are also vomiting

Call your doctor if you have:

• Bloating that persists for more than 2 days
• Diarrhea for more than 5 days
• Abdominal discomfort that lasts one week or longer
• Fever (over 100°F for adults or 100.4°F for children) with your pain
• A burning sensation when you urinate or frequent urination
• Pain in your shoulder blades and nausea
• Pain that develops during pregnancy (or possible pregnancy)
• Prolonged poor appetite
• Unexplained weight loss

From your medical history and physical examination, your doctor will try to determine the cause of your abdominal pain. Knowing the location of pain and its time patten will help, as will the presence of other symptoms like fever, fatigue, general ill feeling, nausea, vomiting, or changes in stool.

During the physical examination, the doctor will test to see if the pain is localized to a single area (point tenderness) or whether it is diffuse. He or she will be checking to see if the pain is related to inflammation of the peritoneum (called peritonitis). If the health care provider finds evidence of peritonitis, the abdominal pain may be classified as an "acute abdomen", which may require surgery right away.