Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Stomach Pain
What is referred to as the stomach is actually a lot more than that, which therefore means that what most people refer to as stomach pain may actually not have anything to do with the stomach. This is why the subject matter experts over at the excellent frontlineer.com recommend that that part of the body be referred to as the abdomen and that pain there be referred to as abdominal pain. This is because the area that is commonly referred to as the stomach actually houses so many other organs other than the stomach as well as lots of blood vessels and muscles. Think of your liver, spleen, diaphragm, kidneys, reproductive organs as well as major blood vessels including the aorta and many others. This means that “stomach” pain may be a sign of something that is not that serious such as indigestion or it may be a sign of something a lot more sinister and life-threatening like appendicitis, and aortic dissection among others. Since stomach pain is something that is pretty common, it may be difficult to tell if it is or is not something to worry about. It is important to know when your stomach pain is nothing serious and it is something that you can ride out, or if it is a medical emergency requiring an immediate visit to an ER. This article will look to help with that as it will look to highlight some of the signs and symptoms that indicate that you should go to an ER for your stomach pain.
As far as when to go to an ER for stomach pain is concerned, the pain one is experiencing will help you decide if you need to go to an ER or not. There are a number of factors to consider such as the type of the pain, the onset of the pain as well as the location of the pain. As far as the type of pain is concerned, if you are experiencing stomach pain that is persistent and severe, worse than anything you have ever experienced before and is not going away, then you should head over to an ER such as the highly rated frontlineer.com as soon as you can. As far as the onset of pain is concerned, stomach pain that comes on suddenly and without any explanation such as the stomach pain that can be attributed to food you may have eaten, then you should head over to an ER as soon as possible, especially if the pain is severe and persistent. The location of the pain is yet another way to know if you need to go to an ER for your stomach pain, with stomach pain that is localized to be taken seriously always. If your stomach pain radiates towards or is localized in the lower right side of your stomach, then it may be appendicitis which is a medical emergency and should be taken seriously. If it is localized to the upper right part of your stomach, then it could be an infection in the gallbladder or cholecystitis and if it is localized in the lower left side of your stomach, it could be diverticulitis or an infection in the colon; all of which should be taken very seriously by heading over to an ER as soon as possible.
The accompanying symptoms should also tell you if your stomach pain requires a visit to an ER or not. Here, some of the red flags to look out for is if your stomach pain is accompanied by a fever, difficulty breathing or chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, dizzy spells or a feeling of lightheadedness, blood in the stool or dark, tarry stools, blood in vomit or if your vomit looks like coffee grounds or even appears green, stool in your vomit or your vomit smells like stool or a severe headache. You should also head over to an ER for stomach pain if it is accompanied by severe and persistent vomiting and/or diarrhea, as in such a situation, as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, dehydration is a real concern. Stomach pain accompanied by sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath as well as pain or pressure in your chest, jaw, neck or back should also be taken very seriously as it could be a sign of a heart attack. In such a situation, don’t drive yourself to an ER but call 911 so that an ambulance can come and take you to one. Other signs that your stomach pain requires a trip to an ER as soon as possible include if your stomach is extremely hard or tender when touched, if you notice changes in your vision such as blurred or double vision to go with the stomach pain or if you are unable to have bowel movements.
There are also certain groups of people that should head over to an ER such as the excellent frontlineer.com as soon as they can if they begin to experience stomach pain. These include women who are pregnant or who could be pregnant, those folks who have recently had an endoscopy or abdominal surgery, those who have undergone a gastric bypass surgery, a bowel resection or a colostomy or if your pain starts soon after having suffered severe trauma to your abdomen. Stomach pain in such situations may be a sign of more serious complications and if you are in such a situation, you should go to an ER as soon as possible to be attended to.
The above are some of the instances when you should go to an ER for stomach or abdominal pain, with more on this and other related topics as well as the best emergency urgent care services to be accessed over at the highly regarded frontlineer.com
