We all experience the feeling that something isn’t right with our stomach at some point. It might be as simple as overeating on Thanksgiving or a big job interview coming up. However, persistent or severe stomach pain is unusual. A walk-in urgent care clinic like The Urgent Care at Vermont can review symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea and diagnose the issue.
Common Causes of Gastrointestinal Problems
Abdominal pain can happen for many different reasons, and in most cases, it isn’t something serious. Common causes of abdominal pain include:
- Constipation
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Food intolerance (including lactose intolerance)
- Food poisoning
- Stomach virus
Remember that most of the time, stomach pain has a simple cause. Less often, it may be due to something worse, such as:
- Appendicitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
- Kidney stones
- Muscle strain
- Ulcers
- Urinary tract infections (UTI)
- Severe menstrual cramps
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- An abdominal aortic aneurism
- Bowel blockage
- Cancer
- Pancreatitis
The problem isn’t always connected to the digestive system. It could be something like menstrual cramps, pneumonia, or even heart attack. For mild abdominal pain, try sipping water or clear fluids and avoiding solid foods for a few hours. If you’ve been vomiting, ginger ale and small amounts of mild foods like crackers or apple sauce may help. If the pain typically follows meals, antacids may help.
When Should I Go to the Urgent Care Clinic?
Seek medical attention if abdominal pain occurs and you are being treated for cancer, you can’t pass any stool, there is blood in your vomit or stool, or you have pain in your neck, chest, or shoulder. Come see us for abdominal pain lasting a week or longer, if it doesn’t improve in a day or two, if bloating persists beyond two days, or if diarrhea persists beyond five days.
Vomiting or diarrhea for any cause (especially food poisoning) should not last longer than three days. If the symptoms persist after 72 hours, come see us. In the meantime, try to keep your fluids up with water, as diarrhea can easily lead to dehydration. If you begin experiencing symptoms of dehydration with your diarrhea (extreme thirst, dark yellow urine, headache, and muscle cramps), it’s a good idea to visit the urgent care.
When Should I Go to the ER?
If abdominal pain is sudden, severe, or doesn’t lessen within 30 minutes, go to the emergency room, especially if the pain is accompanied by fever. It could indicate a dangerous condition like appendicitis or a ruptured abdominal aneurysm. If you think you’re having a medical emergency, go to the emergency room. Triage will treat you based on the severity of your symptoms, not the final diagnosis.
How Can I Help My Doctor Diagnose the Problem?
One way patients can help us discover the cause of your problem is to describe the pain in your abdomen in clear terms. Are you experiencing:
- Generalized pain: the pain is distributed across more than half of your belly. This is typical of a stomach virus, indigestion, or gas. If it becomes more severe, it could be an intestinal blockage.
- Localized pain: the pain is coming from one specific area of your belly. This is more likely a sign of a problem with one organ, such as the appendix, gallbladder, or stomach.
- Cramp-like pain: this is usually not serious. Likely causes are gas and bloating, and diarrhea often comes next. More worrying signs would be recurring pain, pain lasting over 24 hours, or pain accompanied by fever.
- Colicky pain: this type comes in waves, often severe and starting and ending suddenly. Common causes of this type are kidney stones and gallstones.