abdominal pain

[KristiM]

I am a 29 yr old female. I have had abdominal burning and stinging for about 2 weeks. it hurts every time I eat or drink anything including water and pepto bismol, it is starting to be constant and this morning i had green stool any ideas what this is?

[Maria RN]

Abdominal pain and green stools may indicate infections in the gastrointestinal tract. These symptoms may be experienced by patients who have gastroenteritis, giardiasis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis), conditions affecting the intestines, or salmonella food poisoning.


Here's a blog entry about abdominal pain and green stools: http://www.drjoshua.com/2008/11/29/abdominal-pain-headache-and-other-symptoms/

[jennifer]

Abdominal pain is pain and discomfort that occurs in your abdomen. Your abdomen is the section of your torso between your chest and your pelvis. Other terms used to describe the abdomen are stomach, tummy, gut and belly.

Everyone experiences abdominal pain from time to time. Abdominal pain can be mild or severe. And abdominal pain can be short-lived (acute) or occur over weeks and months (chronic).

Most cases of abdominal pain aren't emergencies. But call your doctor right away if you have abdominal pain so severe that you can't move without causing more pain or you can't sit still or find a comfortable position. Also seek immediate medical help if pain is accompanied by other worrisome signs and symptoms, such as bloody diarrhea or chest pain.

Most of the time, it's difficult to determine where abdominal pain originates from. And though you may feel pain in one area of your abdomen, it may actually be caused by something in another area of your body — what doctors call referred pain. Few causes of abdominal pain are specific to one area of your abdomen.

Seek immediate medical attention Have someone drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if:

Pain is so severe that you can't sit still or need to curl into a ball to find relief
Pain is accompanied by bloody stools, persistent nausea and vomiting, skin that appears yellow, severe tenderness when you touch your abdomen or swelling of the abdomen
Schedule a doctor's visit
Make an appointment with your doctor if your abdominal pain worries you or lasts more than a few days.

In the meantime, find ways to ease your pain. For instance, eat smaller meals if your pain is accompanied by indigestion. Avoid taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) because these can cause stomach problems that may worsen abdominal pain.