Sleep Disturbances Or Fatigue
Serotonin produced in the gut plays an important role in the bodys ability to sleep restfully. A gut imbalance can lead to insomnia and chronic fatigue without enough of this neurotransmitter. A gut imbalance can also lead to stress.
It doesnt help though that people also often lose sleep when stressed. Thus, stress can cause constipation or stomach pain.
Sudden Stomach Cramps With Diarrhoea
If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also have diarrhoea, the cause may be a tummy bug . This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel. It should get better without treatment after a few days.
Gastroenteritis may be caused by:
- coming into close contact with someone who’s infected
- eating contaminated food
If you have repeated bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhoea, you may have a long-term condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome .
When To Seek Medical Care For Abdominal Pain
If your abdominal pain is severe or chronic, our gastroenterology team at Digestive Disease Consultants of Orange County can help. We use sophisticated diagnostic tools and a thorough evaluation to determine the cause of your pain.
Once theres a diagnosis, we create a personalized treatment plan to manage your condition and pain levels. Our doctors make sure you understand the course of treatment and check in with you regularly to ensure your pain and other symptoms are under control.
No matter whats causing your abdominal pain, our team can help you live without discomfort. To schedule an appointment at one of our locations, in Irvine, Huntington Beach, Tustin, and Foothill Ranch, California, book online or call the location nearest you.
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Causes Of Abdominal Pain In Children
There are many health problems that can cause stomach pain for children, including:
- bowel problems constipation, colic or irritable bowel
- infections gastroenteritis, kidney or bladder infections, or infections in other parts of the body like the ear or chest
- food-related problems too much food, food poisoning or food allergies
- problems outside the abdomen muscle strain or migraine
- surgical problems appendicitis, bowel obstruction or intussusception
- period pain some girls can have pain before their periods start
- poisoning such as spider bites, eating soap or smoking.
What Are The Last Days Of Liver Failure Like
This is because toxins build up in the blood, causing confusion. The person may be unable to tell night from day. He or she may also display irritability and personality changes, or have memory problems. As brain function continues to decline, he or she will become sleepy and increasingly confused.What can be expected in end-stage liver disease? Canadian Virtual
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Can Anxiety Cause Stomach Bloating And Gas
- Distention and Ache in the Stomach In addition, anxiety is a common contributor to a wide range of digestive and intestinal health problems.
- This can lead to gas, bloating, indigestion, and a number of other disorders, all of which can cause significant discomfort in the stomach and the abdominal region, and may also contribute to a variety of various pains that haunt you on a regular basis.
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How To Reduce Stress
Aside from managing the physical symptoms of stress, the only way to truly make a difference is to address the root of the problem the mind. Whilst its true that stress is not a physical condition, there are ways of managing it and improving your physical health.
Experts have suggested that good ways to reduce stress are meditating, breathing exercises and calming exercise such as yoga. Try to take some relaxing walks outdoors as exercise, combined with fresh air and sunlight, are fantastic natural mood-boosters.
You should also consider your work life are you staying late, or continually worrying about deadlines? Some people may find that their stomach pain or similar symptoms worsen while at work. If this sounds like you, take steps to address this work stress. Speak to someone at work and tell them how you are feeling. They should be able to point you in the right direction.
Some individuals also find that therapy or counselling can really help their stress, which subsequently will hopefully lead to fewer stomach problems.
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Start Here: What’s Your Biggest Gut Problem
Your symptoms: Diarrhea and blood in your poop.
You could have an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulceration and inflammation of the large intestine. You might have diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and pain, but the classic symptom is blood in the stool. “If it’s been going on for months and there’s a lot of bleedingyou’ll see blood mixed with the stool, rather than streaksit’s most likely colitis,” says gastroenterologist Lisa Ganjhu, DO, clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center. An abnormal immune system response may be involved heredity can also play a role. Mild cases may benefit from lifestyle changes, such as avoiding foods that seem to cause flare-ups and reducing stress. Research suggests that a low FODMAP diet may help some IBD patients. Most cases require prescription drugs, such as anti-inflammatories, steroids or immune suppressors. In some cases, surgery may be needed.
Your symptoms: Diarrhea , along with abdominal pain.
Your symptoms: Diarrhea , and occasional bloat. Symptoms are worse after you eat dairy.
You likely have lactose intolerance, an inability to digest the milk sugars in cow’s milk. Besides diarrhea, you may experience bloating or notice gurgling or other stomach noises after having pizza, a latte or other dairy. You’ll need to cut out dairy or take lactase enzyme pills to ease its digestion.
Physical Sensations From Stress Can Suppress Appetite
When Mindi Sue Black recently lost her father, she dropped a significant amount of weight. She forced herself to nibble here and there, but had no desire to eat.
I knew I should eat, but I just couldnt, she tells Healthline. The thought of chewing anything put me in a tailspin. It was a chore to drink water.
Like Black, some people lose their appetite due to the physical sensations associated with anxiety that make the thought of eating unappetizing.
Often times, stress manifests itself through physical sensations in the body, such as nausea, tense muscles, or a knot in the stomach, says Christina Purkiss, a primary therapist at The Renfrew Center of Orlando, an eating disorder treatment facility.
These sensations could lead to difficulty being in tune with hunger and fullness cues. If someone is feeling intensely nauseous due to stress, it will be challenging to accurately read when the body is experiencing hunger, Purkiss explains.
Raul Perez-Vazquez, MD, says that some people also lose their appetite due to the increase in cortisol that can happen during times of high anxiety.
In the acute or immediate setting, stress causes increased levels of cortisol, which in turn increases acid production in the stomach, he says. This process is meant to help the body quickly digest food in preparation for fight-or-flight, which is mediated by adrenaline. This process also, for the same reasons, decreases appetite.
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Acid Reflux And Headaches
While there are no studies showing that gastrointestinal disorders can lead to headaches, there are publications that illustrate how gastric problems, in particular acid reflux, can coincide with headaches.
A study involving 43,782 patients studies the possible prevalence of headaches in patients with gastrointestinal problems. Compared to diarrhea and constipation, patients with acid reflux symptoms report higher prevalence of headaches.
Another study involving 1,832 migraine patients were tested for heartburn and GERD symptoms. Of the group, 22% reported GERD diagnosis, 11.6% reported heartburn, and another 15.8% reported previously undiagnosed reflux symptoms.
These studies show that patients with acid reflux problems also tend to experience headaches, although there are no clear reasons why. Although unclear, doctors confirm that treating gastrointestinal problems also alleviates headache symptoms, which is how acid reflux-related headaches are treated.
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Which Food Allergies Are Most Common
In adults, they include:
- Tree nuts, such as walnuts
- Shellfish, including shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab
For children, the food allergens that most often cause problems are:
- Milk
- Peanuts
Adults usually don’t lose their allergies, but children do sometimes. Kids are more likely to outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, and soy than to peanuts, fish, and shrimp.
The foods that you’ll react to are often those that you eat regularly. In Japan, for example, you’ll find rice allergy. In Scandinavia, codfish allergy is common.
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Change In Bowel Movement Frequency
There is no magic number of bowel movements we should all be having each day. Some people go three-to-four times a day, and that is normal for them. Others only move their bowels once a day and that is their normal. However, if you or a loved one experiences a significant change in bowel movement frequency, whether more or less often, its important to discuss this change with your healthcare provider.
Feeling Nauseous Or Vomiting
At some point in your life, you will feel nauseous which can be accompanied by vomiting . The reasons we feel nauseous and/or vomit are many, including motion sickness, overeating, gastrointestinal infection, or a bowel obstruction . If you or a loved one frequently feels nauseous with or without vomiting, its important to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider.
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Urgent Advice: Speak To Your Gp As Soon As Possible If:
- you have severe abdominal pain, especially if it’s concentrated in one area
- the pain starts suddenly or unexpectedly
If your GP is closed, phone 111.
Serious causes of sudden severe abdominal pain include:
- appendicitis the swelling of the appendix means your appendix will need to be removed
- a bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer
- acute cholecystitis inflammation of the gallbladder, which may need to be removed
- kidney stones small stones may be passed out in your urine, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes, and you’ll need to go to hospital to have them broken up
- diverticulitis inflammation of the small pouches in the bowel that sometimes requires treatment with antibiotics in hospital
If your GP suspects you have one of these conditions, they may refer you to hospital immediately.
Sudden and severe pain in your abdomen can also sometimes be caused by an infection of the stomach and bowel . It may also be caused by a pulled muscle in your abdomen or by an injury.
Herniated Or Protruding Disk
If an individual has digestive issues because of a herniated disk, a doctor may first recommend conservative treatment. This means the person would need to modify their daily activities to avoid movement that causes pain, and take pain-relieving medication.
Doctors frequently recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for mild to moderate pain and possibly muscle relaxers. They may also suggest an epidural steroid injection under X-ray guidance to direct medication to the location of the herniated disk.
The doctor may also suggest physical therapy.
If conservative treatment is unsuccessful, the doctor may discuss potential surgery to remove the protruding area of the disk. Sometimes, they may recommend removing the entire disk and fusing the vertebrae to prevent friction.
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Types Of Abdominal Pain
There are several types of abdominal pain, which are based on how quickly your pain starts and how long it lasts:
- Acute pain starts over a few hours or days and may come with other symptoms.
- Chronic pain lasts longer — from weeks to months or more — and may come and go.
- Progressive pain gets worse over time and often comes with other symptoms.
What Does A Stress
Just as everyone experiences stress differently, they may experience the stomach discomfort it causes differently.
People with stress- or anxiety-related stomach pain most often complain of a knotted feeling, cramping, churning, bloating, indigestion, nausea, or diarrhea.
Broadly speaking, stress increases the movement and fluid secretion of your gut, which can leave you feeling like your stomach is either unusually blocked or extra active.
While acute or chronic stress has the potential to exacerbate the symptoms of any digestive condition, there are a number of specific stomach complaints that have been linked to stress, each with its own symptoms.
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What To Do When Toxic Mold Causes Chronic Stomach Problems
Toxic mold exposure can take you from enjoying an unrestricted diet of your favorite foods to suffering from severe stomach problems no matter what you eat. I have patients who can only eat one or two things without bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or other digestive issues.
If you have a history of mold exposure, toxic mold may be responsible for your stomach problems. Thats because mycotoxins, the toxic byproduct of some molds, as well as the immune response to mycotoxins can cause damage to your intestinal lining and harm your gut microbiome, leading to leaky gut. Leaky gut opens the door for a whole host of other health conditions including autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and environmental sensitivities.
Thankfully, with diet and lifestyle changes, its possible to get better. In this article, youll learn how mold causes chronic stomach problems and how you can heal your gut while detoxing mycotoxins from your body so you can reverse the root cause of illness and restore your joy in livingand eating.
Can Anxiety Cause Stomach Pain And Diarrhea What Does It Feel Like
Its no coincidence that people feel like they have butterflies in their stomach when theyre nervous. The gut and brain are connected. You can experience physical symptoms in your digestive system when youre having strong emotions.
The chemicals and hormones that your body releases when youre anxious impact your intestinal microbiome. This can cause a number of stomach problems. If you have experienced stomach pain and digestive issues without a physical cause, you might be dealing with anxiety.
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Why Does My Stomach Hurt
There are numerous reasons for abdominal pain. It can come from any of the organs in your belly gallbladder, pancreas, liver, stomach and intestines or the abdominal wall the outer shell of the body. Sometimes you feel the pain in your belly, but its actually coming from the chest, back or pelvis.
Abdominal wall pain is common and easy to miss as healthcare professionals may direct their attention to internal organs as a cause of the pain. Once the abdominal wall is considered as a suspect, it is generally easy to nail down this diagnosis. If a patient strains the ab wall muscles from exertion, he may tell his doctor that he has right sided stomach pain. Clearly, this pain is not caused by a diseased internal organ such as the gallbladder or the stomach.
Healthcare providers can often determine where pain is coming from by taking a detailed history from you. Depending upon the physicians style, you may be simply asked to relate your medical story in your own words as a narrative. Other physicians may prefer to ask a series of detailed questions. Others may utilize both techniques. This medical history is paramount, even more important than the physical examination. After the history and physical, certain diagnostic tests may be advised to make an accurate diagnosis.
Bananas Bloating And Gas
Bananas are a key component of the BRAT diet, which is a very bland diet once recommended by pediatricians for children with an upset stomach.
Although bananas are generally well-tolerated, some people experience bloating and gas after eating them.
One reason a person may experience discomfort after eating bananas is due to their soluble fiber content. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and is more readily fermented in the colon than insoluble fiber. This can lead to gas and bloating in some people.
Bananas also contain sorbitol. Sorbitol is a naturally occurring sugar that acts as a laxative and can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea when consumed in large amounts.
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When To Call Your Doctor
If you have severe or unusual menstrual cramps, or cramping that lasts more than 2 or 3 days, tell your doctor. Whatever the cause, cramps can be treated, so it’s important to get checked.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and menstrual cycles. Youâll get a pelvic exam, in which your doctor will use a tool called a speculum to see into your vagina and cervix. They may take a small sample of vaginal fluid for testing and use their fingers to check your uterus and ovaries for anything that doesnât feel normal.
If it turns out that your cramps arenât due to your period, you might need other tests to find the right treatment.
Full Body Discomfort Or Malaise With Diarrhea Or Constipation
Possible explanation: lactose intolerance
What is it: Lactose is a component of milk-based products that requires an enzyme called lactase in order to be digested. In many people, this enzyme stops being produced in sufficient quantities and the lactose gets passed to the large intestine. Once there, it promotes the growth and activity of some gut bacteria that in turn cause a variety of unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
Treatment: There is no cure for the gradual lessening of lactase production, but the condition can be mitigated by avoiding milk-based products or by taking lactase supplements that aid in the digestion of lactose.
Gastroenterologist AppointmentSome reasons for your stomach pain are no big deal at all, and theyll usually resolve on their own. But some can indicate a deeper or potentially more dangerous problem. If you have been having stomach pain that lingers, it may be time to talk with a gastroenterologist. Contact Carolina Digestive today to make an appointment and find some much-needed relief.
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