Is abdominal pain after eating a common indigestion or a symptom of illness?

Characteristics of pain

When making a diagnosis, it is important to describe the nature of the pain. This is of great importance in determining the disease.

Early

They appear immediately after eating or within an hour. Occurs with the development of an inflammatory process in the upper part of the stomach (gastritis, erosion, ulcer). The pain will increase with increased production of gastric juice. After about 1.5 - 2 hours, everything will calm down, because the food lump will move to the small intestine

Hungry

They do not appear immediately, only 6 hours after eating. You can get rid of it by eating or drinking a glass of milk.

Late

Felt 2 hours after eating. They are a sign of pancreatitis.

Night

Remove with drinks or a piece of bread. They are a sign of an intestinal ulcer. They appear more often at night. Pain in the abdominal cavity on the right side.

Sometimes nausea and mild migraine appear with the pain syndrome.

Location

It is important to determine the location of the lesion. The abdomen contains many internal organs. It is necessary to understand which of them cannot function normally. To do this, you need to determine the points where the pain is felt most strongly. You can do a small test:

1. Lie horizontally on a hard surface, such as the floor.
2. Relax your stomach.
3. Begin to slowly palpate the entire surface of the abdominal cavity. Do not press sharply or deeply. Places with severe pain will be foci of the disease.

It doesn’t hurt sharply, but it pulls and presses – this is an inflammatory process in the internal organs, possibly of a chronic form. It often occurs as a complication after a cold or hypothermia. It could also be an allergic reaction to foods.

Burning, cutting pain - passion for foods that increase the production of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. The pain is acute, sudden - with poisoning, radiation, constant constipation, frequent overeating.

When the pain is localized in the lower abdomen with chills and high fever, an infection of the internal organs develops. If a person loses consciousness, it means internal bleeding has begun.

If you have pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy, you should urgently seek medical help.

If pain syndrome occurs in the left side of the abdominal cavity, then the internal organs located there may be affected - the spleen, stomach, sections of the small intestine, descending, section of the large intestine, parts of the diaphragm, pancreas. There is a possibility of developing inflammation of the mucous layer of these organs, excessive accumulation of intestinal gases, and the occurrence of pancreatitis.

If you experience discomfort on the right side, you can suspect an inflammatory process of the gallbladder - cholecystitis or appendicitis. Pathological spasms occur in the gallbladder after food with spicy seasonings, smoked meats, and marinades. Painkillers and antispasmodics help.

The pain during an attack of appendicitis cannot be tolerated; emergency doctors must be called. The situation is dangerous when the painful sensation intensifies when walking or lying down on the right.

Medications

Almagel

Gastal

No-shpa

Spasmalgon

Before taking medications, it is worth remembering that doing anything without a doctor’s prescription and diagnosis is not recommended. But how to treat the stomach if it hurts a lot? In the presence of gastritis or ulcers, effective medications are prescribed that normalize the acidity level and also eliminate pathogenic microflora.

Stomach pain can usually be treated with the following remedies:

1. Maalox;
2. Methyluracil;
3. Phosphalugel;
4. Drotaverine;
5. No-Shpa.

These are the most common ones listed, but there are many others that you should ask your doctor about. With their help, the stomach is treated without restrictions on certain foods. But it is worth remembering that the importance of diet has been proven and scientifically substantiated, so you should not rely on medications alone. To heal your body, you need to stop eating foods such as:

• Fresh bread and pastries;
• Hot spices;
• Roast;
• Alcohol;
• Tea and coffee;
• Animal fats;
• Chocolate.

It should only be cooked by steaming. Meals prepared in this way will help normalize the functioning of the stomach and improve well-being.

Severe pain can be relieved with the help of the drug “Pancreatin”. Alcohol poisoning is cured by Almagel. The acidity of the gastrointestinal tract is regulated by Maalox, and the drugs Festal and Mezim Forte normalize general digestion.

Antispasmodics such as “No-Shpy” eliminate the painful symptom itself. Furazolidone and Metronidazole help eliminate bacterial inflammation. For the treatment of stomach pain without a prescription, many pharmacies sell:

• "Hepa-Merz"
• "Bifikol"
• "Methionine"
• "Heptral"
• "Essliver Forte"
• "Progepar"
• "Bellalgin"

You will find other drugs for abdominal pain

It is dangerous to treat gastritis and acute ulcers on your own. Treatment tactics are prescribed only by a gastroenterologist after a thorough examination.

Severe stomach pain cannot be relieved with conventional analgesics. Gastroprotectors, for example, “Phosphalugel”, “De-Nol”, “Gastal” help relieve pain symptoms. They reduce inflammation, restore cells, forming a protective film on the mucous membrane.

Possible diseases

If your stomach often hurts after eating, this may be a manifestation of the disease. Based on the time of onset of pain, the location of its occurrence and its nature, experienced doctors are able to determine the pathology. It is important to skillfully tell the doctor about your symptoms.

Suspected diseases:

• Irritable bowel syndrome. There is the appearance of diarrhea, rumbling in the intestines, and bloating. When the gases pass, the pain decreases, but when a new portion of food arrives, the gases accumulate. The syndrome develops most actively when the body is in a calm state, that is, during sleep.
• Pylorospasm. Unpleasant sensations occur immediately after eating in the lower part of the stomach. Food is not digested, causes irritation, and severe vomiting begins. In some cases, the temperature rises. Subsequent weight loss occurs due to poor absorption of nutrients.
• Pancreatitis. With inflammation of the pancreas, the main symptom is a cutting pain 10-15 minutes after eating. It starts from the middle of the abdomen, then circles around.
• Ulcer. It is often a complication after gastritis. Discomfort manifests itself in breaks between meals. Pain in the upper abdomen. Additional signs are weight loss, heartburn, poor appetite, heaviness after eating.
• Dyskinesia, cholecystitis. Inflammation occurring in the bile ducts causes pain on the right side under the ribs. Performance decreases, you feel tired and drowsy. The bile stagnates, causing a white coating to appear on the tongue, and the skin acquires a yellowish tint.
• Dysbacteriosis. With this disease, food in the intestines undergoes rotting. The walls of the organs are destroyed, which causes the stomach to hurt after eating.
• Colitis. This is called inflammation of the large intestine. It causes stabbing pain in the lower abdomen. It goes away after taking antispasmodic drugs, the passage of intestinal gases, and bowel movements. A common symptom of colitis is impaired digestion of food - constipation or diarrhea, they can alternate.
• Low acidity of gastric juice. A lack of hydrochloric acid leads to the fact that food cannot be processed normally and lies in the stomach for a long time, which causes discomfort and pain.
• Neoplasms. With the development of an oncological process in the stomach, pain will appear above the navel, and eating even a small amount of food will cause a feeling of overeating and fullness of the stomach. There will be a noticeable increase in the size of the abdomen.

It will only be possible to relieve pain in such pathologies at home temporarily. For complete recovery, a visit to the doctor is necessary. Such problems are dealt with by an endocrinologist and gastroenterologist. If necessary, an infectious disease specialist and a surgeon are involved.

Heartburn before bed or during sleep

When producing large quantities of flour products, substances such as milk fats, leavening agents, various additives and yeast are added.

Animal fats found in pies are not fully processed by the digestive system.

Along with the aging process of the body, there is a disruption in the production of a sufficient amount of enzymes for processing dairy products.

Pieces of fruit, nuts, and seeds have become popular components of flour products. They are also irritants to the gastrointestinal tract.

These ingredients are much less processed and remain in the stomach much longer. They can cause heartburn.

It appears in cases where a person does not follow nutritional rules. It is important to remember that the last meal should occur no later than 3 hours before bedtime.

Heartburn during sleep can also occur if a person sleeps improperly. This can be fixed simply: all you need to do is put an extra pillow under your head for a comfortable sleep.

According to the rules, the head should be higher than the feet.

Fans of excessive consumption of sweets not only suffer from diabetes and excess weight. They are often accompanied by another nuisance - heartburn from sweets, which manifests itself in an extremely unpleasant burning sensation in the chest and esophagus.

Medical statistics say that children are more often susceptible to this disease; among the adult population, it occurs mainly in women. In our article we will answer the question why sweets cause heartburn in fans of sweets.

Why does a burning sensation develop from sweets?

How to help with pain

It is imperative to find out why your stomach hurts after eating. Without this, it is dangerous to provide assistance; there is a risk of worsening the patient’s condition. The main ways to get rid of pain are to review your diet and use medications prescribed by the doctor.

When your stomach starts to hurt after eating, there can be different reasons. Only a specialist can understand them. To clarify the diagnosis, blood tests are taken and ultrasound examinations of the digestive organs are performed. Using special colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures, the mucous membrane of the intestines, stomach, and esophagus is examined.

If your stomach hurts after eating, you should consult a doctor. In case of unbearable pain, take antispasmodics - No - shpu, Drotaverine according to the instructions. If you vomit or have diarrhea, do not panic; the body has freed itself from unnecessary toxic substances. To avoid dehydration, you should drink 2-3 glasses of clean boiled water in small sips. Can be with sugar or salt. If you have Regidron or Polysorb in your home medicine cabinet, dilute and drink them according to the instructions, they are for such cases. If this happens to small children, in addition to the temperature rising, you need to call an ambulance.

Prevention and prognosis

To date, there are no specially designed preventive measures to prevent abdominal pain after breakfast or other food consumption.

The likelihood of illness can be reduced by following these simple rules:

• complete renunciation of addictions;
• maintaining a moderately active lifestyle;
• proper and nutritious nutrition;
• constant increase in immune resistance;
• body weight control;
• avoiding emotional exhaustion;
• taking medications strictly as prescribed by the clinician;
• early identification and treatment of any disorders that may lead to pain.

Do not forget about regular preventive examinations in a medical institution with visits not only to a gastroenterologist, but also to other doctors at least 2 times a year.

Abdominal pain after a meal can easily be treated with conservative therapy; patients often have a favorable prognosis. Ignoring or eliminating pain on your own can aggravate the problem, and refusing medical help will inevitably cause the progression of the underlying disease. The combination of such oversights is dangerous with negative consequences, even death.

Preventive measures

It is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it later. This fully applies to pathologies of the food digestion system. She is very responsive to following the basics of proper nutrition. You can start with a balanced breakfast and gradually spread the good habit to lunch and dinner.

If you have pain, it is better to refuse food and eat only porridge with water, preferably without salt. Baked and boiled vegetables are also allowed, except for cabbage and potatoes. Fermented milk products are useful. Gradually, other daily foods are included in the patient’s diet.

Prevention tips:

• do not overeat, especially at night;
• monitor the quality and freshness of food;
• eat less processed foods;
• do not leave infections in the oral cavity, treat dental caries in a timely manner;
• at any age, move actively, perform feasible physical exercises;
• Avoid eating foods that are difficult to digest in the afternoon. For dinner, eat dairy products and fruits.
• give up bad habits;
• After eating, do not lie down, it is better to take a leisurely walk for 30 minutes to turn on the digestive system;
• monitor bowel movements, it should happen daily;
• Do not drink food, it is better to drink a glass of water before eating.

By following these rules, there is hope for reducing the likelihood of developing common pathologies of the digestive system.