It’s safe to say that nearly every one of us will experience stomach pain at some point in our lives. Most of us experience it on a fairly regular basis, so when is stomach pain an actual cause for concern and not something to brush aside?

Our AFC Urgent Care Hickory team provides some helpful answers below, so keep reading!

What Causes Stomach Pain?

A large number of problems can cause stomach pain. In most cases, stomach pain is considered acute, which means that it happens quickly and goes away quickly, too. Chronic stomach pain can last on and off for a number of months, although this timeline isn’t exact.

Additionally, a “stomach” ache should really be classified as abdominal pain, due to the fact that there are so many different internal organs that could be causing the pain in your abdominal region. We’ve listed some of the most common causes of abdominal pain below.

Most Common Causes of Abdominal Pain

• Indigestion
• Constipation
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Food poisoning
• Food allergies
• Gas
• Urinary tract infection
• Abdominal muscle strain or pull

When Is My Stomach Pain a Cause for Serious Concern?

When you experience the symptoms that we’ve listed in the section below, medical evaluation is necessary to learn more about what your body is trying to tell you.

Furthermore, the below-mentioned symptoms could be signs of internal inflammation, infection or bleeding that requires treatment as soon as possible. Although it’s rare, some of these symptoms could be caused by things like colorectal, abdominal or ovarian cancer.

Serious Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms

• Nausea, fever or the inability to keep food down for several days.
• Bloody stools.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Vomiting blood.
• Black, tarry stool.
• The pain occurs during pregnancy
• The abdomen is tender to the touch
• Inability to eat or drink for several hours
• Fever greater than 102°F
• Weight loss without trying
• Feeling a lump in the abdomen

Concerned about your stomach problems? Our AFC Urgent Care Hickory team can help you figure out what’s going on!