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Abdominal Pain - Medical Negligence Claim

Abdominal pain involves any pain that is felt from your chest to your groin. It is also called stomach pain. Abdominal pain is common. Almost everyone has abdominal pain at some time in their lives or more often than that. It is rarely serious but needs your attention to determine what it must be. Pain in the abdomen can be from one or more of the following areas:

• Digestive organs, such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas
• The aorta, which runs down the middle of the abdomen near the back of the body
• Appendix, which is an organ that resides in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen
• The kidneys, located in the back on either side of the abdomen
• The spleen, which is located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and is involved in the straining of blood products

Pain in the abdomen can start in other areas of the body and can begin in the pelvis or chest area. You can also have body aches as a result of something originating in the abdomen. Pain can be mild or severe and doesn't always tell whether or not the pain represents a severe condition in the body or not. Pain that is severe can be from gastroenteritis and pain that is mild can be from liver disease or appendicitis.

Abdominal pain can be generalized, involving a part of the abdomen that is greater than half. Viruses, gas and indigestion will lead to generalized abdominal pain. Pain in the appendix, gallbladder or stomach will yield more localized pain. Crampy pain tends to be because of gas, bloating or diarrheal illnesses. This kind of pain is usually self limiting. Colicky pain is severe and usually results from kidney stones or gallstones.

Possible causes of abdominal pain include bowel obstruction, appendicitis, aortic aneurysm which has dissected, constipation, food allergy, diverticulitis, food allergy, food poisoning, inflammatory bowel diseases, indigestion or heartburn, ischemic bowel, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney stones, lactose intolerance, bladder infections, ulcers, pancreatitis or tumors.

When the bowel ruptures, the pain can be very severe, with bacteria entering the abdominal cavity, resulting in peritonitis. Peritonitis is considered a medical emergency, requiring hospitalisation, antibiotics and likely surgery.

You can get abdominal pain associated with menstruation and menstrual cramps. Such pain is made worse by the presence of endometriosis. Pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to abdominal pain. This involves an infection of the pelvic organs. Ectopic pregnancies can be medical emergencies; such a condition can cause serious abdominal pain. Colon cancer or other intestinal cancer can cause crampy abdominal pain from obstruction of the bowel or can cause gradually increasing abdominal pain from pressure of the cancer on abdominal contents. Interestingly, strep throat in kids can cause them to have abdominal pain as a result. Shingles can cause severe abdominal pain that results from pain in the nerves of the skin of the abdomen; usually the back is involved as well.

Treatment of abdominal pain includes drinking clear liquids or water. You need to avoid solid foods that will make the bowels work harder or can make you vomit. You can start small amounts of food after you have stopped vomiting for at least six hours. Consider an antacid or a medication that blocks stomach acid. These are available over the counter. Stay away from aspirin, anti-inflammatory medications or narcotic pain medicines.

Call 999 or go to your local A&E if you know you have cancer and are having pain, can't pass stool, are vomiting blood or have dark, tarry or bloody stools. Have sudden or sharp abdominal pain that doesn't go away, have a very tender and rigid abdomen, are pregnant or have had an injury to your stomach area. With other kinds of abdominal pain, you can make an appointment to see your doctor.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your pain and will do various tests. These can include an ultrasound of the abdomen, a colonoscopy or upper GI endoscopy, a urine test and blood tests of your liver, gallbladder and kidneys. A CT scan of the abdomen can show a great deal about what's going on with the abdomen. A barium enema can be done to determine if there is anything wrong with the colon. Plain X-rays and barium swallow x-rays can be done to determine the cause of the pain. Causes