When To Go To the ER for Stomach Pain

Stomach pain is a condition that often ruins a persons day. Its causes are many, which is hard to diagnose accurately without the correct training, experience and tools.  If you are in Houston, and experiencing abdominal pain please visit us at Memorial Village Emergency Room where we offer virtually no wait times for emergency medical care.

Visit an ER if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

Pregnancy 

If you are pregnant and have abdominal pain, it’s a potential warning sign that you should address immediately. Pain itself is not the warning sign, but the severity and symptoms related to the pain are what we want to watch for. Below we discuss what symptoms require emergency medical care:

• Ectopic pregnancies – severe abdominal pain and excessive bleeding are signs of ectopic pregnancy. This happens when a pregnancy tat occurs in the fallopian tube, which is lethal to the mother’s health. Complications start at approximately two months into a pregnancy.
• Preeclampsia – is a condition that causes excess protein in urine and leads to high blood pressure. Preeclampsia stomach pain accompanies a sudden increase in weight, severe headaches, and excessive swelling. It occurs after five months of pregnancy.
• Placental abruption – it’s a condition where the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus early. It causes stomach pain accompanied by tenderness, contractions, and severe back pain. It mainly occurs during the 3rd trimester.
• Preterm labor – it’s a condition where labor pain comes before the time of giving birth. It starts before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Stomach pain is intense combined with regular contractions. If addressed early enough, the outcome for your baby improves significantly.

Abdominal Trauma and Injuries

It is an injury that occurs to the stomach. It usually occurs following accidents such as motor vehicle crashes, floods, hurricanes, sports injuries, animal attacks, or buildings collapsing. It may involve displacement of the internal organs or general damage.

This abdominal pain may also be caused by assault or physical abuse. It occurs when objects penetrate and wounds the stomach. These objects include knives, gunshots, metals, or wooden pieces. If you experience this type of accident, visit an ER ASAP.

Special Medical Procedures

If you are experiencing abdominal pain after undergoing surgery, colostomy, bowel resection, gastric bypass, and gastrointestinal systems. If experiencing stomach ache after these procedures, visit an ER soonest. The period you experience pain ranges from one week to several years, depending on the type of surgery. Severe stomachache years after a gastric bypass or colostomy should trigger a visit to an ER.

Visible Changes to the Stomach

If you experience visible changes in the appearance or feel of your stomach, you should seek immediate medical attention. These signs include swelling, a sudden increase in the size of your belly, and stomach aches. It may indicate bowel perforation, acute pancreatitis, or blocked intestine.

Another sign includes bruising, which is unrelated to trauma. It may be due to hemorrhagic pregnancy or pancreatitis. Also, if your stomach suddenly feels hard, especially if you are over 40 years old, it may indicate diverticulitis. If experiencing these symptoms, seek medical help immediately since it could signify a life-threatening condition.

Additional symptoms

You should visit an ER for assessment if you are experiencing severe stomachache accompanied by other symptoms. Symptoms include coughing or vomiting blood, bloody diarrhea, chest pain, excessive vaginal bleeding, neck pain, fainting, vision changes, high fever, dizziness, fainting, difficulty breathing, bowel movements, and persistent vomiting (over two days), and severe constipation.

Conclusion

If you have these signs or conditions at any point, you should visit an ER in the shortest time possible. Not all abdominal pain is linked to severe conditions, but earlier intervention is better, mainly when the pain is due to an underlying infection.

Check this story to know how our ER can help you alleviate stomach pain by visiting our page on stomach Pain here.