What To Do When You Have Stomach Cramps

How To Get Rid Of Stomach Cramps

Dont eat solid food while you have the cramps or for a few hours following. When you resume eating again, eat simple items such as rice, applesauce, bananas, toast, or plain crackers.

• Dont eat dairy products, acidic foods such as tomatoes, and fast food .

Eat small meals. Large meals can also strengthen intestinal contractions. Aim to eat small meals frequently throughout your day so as to not strain your system.

Avoid any complex drinks, alcohol, or any caffeinated or carbonated drink. Sip water or clear fluids.

Avoid fatty foods. Fatty foods contain substances that can exaggerate the strength of intestinal contractions, thus resulting in increased stomach ache and cramping. Aim to eat low-fat meals, avoiding anything greasy, fried or fatty.

Avoid overloading your digestive system with food that will add to the digestive burden. Keep things simple for a while until the cramps pass if you experience any vomiting, dont eat until 6 hours have passed.

Go to the restroom. It may seem impossible, but sometimes all a stomach ache is asking for is a good, solid bowel movement.

Try to exercise the cramps away. Take a walk around your house, or in the garden. This can be helpful when you find that sitting or lying down is uncomfortable. Its not advised to walk too far from a bathroom, though, just in case the cramps are signaling the onset of diarrhea.

How To Treat Stomach Cramps During The First Trimester

Needless to say, painful cramps during early pregnancy can be inconvenient and uncomfortable. You might be experiencing physical and emotional changes, and adding cramps to your discomfort might feel overwhelming. Treating pregnancy cramps can help you feel more comfortable and as stress free as possible.

If youre experiencing cramps, here are a few tips for alleviating them quickly:

• Drink water. You are more likely to experience cramps if you are dehydrated. Make sure that you drink at least eight cups of water each day.
• Change positions. When you experience cramps, try shifting positions while lying or sitting down. Dont put pressure on the source of the pain.
• Stretch and exercise. Try doing mild pregnancy exercises or stretch your body to soothe cramped muscles. In addition to relieving active cramps, this can also help prevent future ones.
• Gentle massage. A massage can stimulate blood circulation in your muscles, relieving uncomfortable cramps. Getting a gentle lower back massage might help relieve aches.
• Sleep. Try to get a good nights sleep during early pregnancy as this makes you feel rested. Try to get enough sleep every night.

Foods That Hurt: High

Nine out of 10 Americans get too much salt. That can throw off the balance of electrolytes, which are minerals that help your muscles work the right way. When you have too much, your body may be more likely to cramp up. It can also make you bloated. Most of our sodium comes from store-bought and restaurant foods. Check labels at the grocery store for sodium, and cook at home more often.

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Why Does Belly Pain Happen

Pain is the body’s way of telling us that something’s going on. Belly pain alerts us to something that’s happening inside us that we might not know about otherwise.

Some reasons for belly pain are easy to spot, like when someone gets hit in the gut or eats spoiled macaroni salad. Oher times, it might be hard to figure out.

When you get a pain in your stomach, it might be an actual problem right in your stomach, but not necessarily. Your abdomen is more than your stomach. It’s more than your intestines. It’s the whole area between your chest and your pelvic bones. With so many organs in the abdomen, different problems can have similar symptoms.

Food That Helps: Mint

Peppermint doesnât just freshen your breath. According to one study, peppermint oil capsules helped with stomach pain and other symptoms in people with IBS. Itâs OK to drink peppermint tea, but only the capsules have been shown to work. But skip it if you have heartburn, as peppermint can make that worse. Talk to your doctor before you start any supplements.

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When To Make An Appointment To See Your Doctor

Schedule an appointment to see your doctor if:

• Your stomach pain doesnt go away within a couple of days.
• The pain comes back after going away.
• Symptoms like diarrhea dont go away within a couple of days.
• Youre urinating more or less often, and/or its painful.
• You have unintended weight loss.

Know your body, Dr. Kingsley says. If you start having pain that you have not had before and does not go away, you should contact your doctor to be evaluated further.

Bottom line: Trust your gut! Contact your doctor if youre concerned about lingering or unusual stomach pain.

Editor’s Note: This infographic was originally published on June 24, 2014.

When It’s Not An Emergency

If your stomach pain is not severe or long-lasting, and if you’re not having symptoms like those discussed above, the pain may go away on its own.

This kind of pain is often caused by minor problems such as constipation, gas, or something you ate. Waiting a few hours, having a bowel movement, or passing gas may help.

Try taking these steps:

• Limit yourself to clear liquids for a few hours.
• If you have vomiting or diarrhea, stick with the BRAT diet. Eat mild foods until you feel better.
• Avoid foods that are hard to digest. Fatty, fried, or spicy foods can cause stomach pain. So can drinks containing alcohol or caffeine.
• Try an over-the-counter antacid or a product to relieve gas.
• Try to have a bowel movement. Eating raw fruit, vegetables, beans, or high-fiber cereal can help.
• Use a hot water bottle or heating pad. Place the pad on your abdomen for a half hour at a time, and be sure to place a towel under the pad to protect your skin.

Your symptoms may improve within a day or two. If they do not, call your healthcare provider.

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Related Conditions Of Abdominal Pain

Some of the most common conditions associated with abdominal pain include the following:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome This condition is characterized by symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, and bloating.

Constipation If you arent having regular bowel movements, you may feel bloated and full and experience sharp gas pains in your abdomen.

Peptic Ulcer When a sore develops in the lining of your stomach or upper small intestine, you may experience a burning sensation similar to hunger pangs, along with nausea, vomiting, or heartburn.

Pancreatitis Inflammation of your pancreas may cause sharp, severe pain in the upper middle area of your abdomen, along with nausea, vomiting, or fever. This condition can be either acute or chronic.

Diverticulitis

Causes Of Acute Stomach Pain

• Eating Too Much. Eating too much can cause an upset stomach and mild stomach pain.
• Hunger Pains. Younger children may complain of stomach pain when they are hungry.
• GI Virus . A GI virus can cause stomach cramps as well as vomiting and/or diarrhea.
• Food Poisoning. This causes sudden vomiting and/or diarrhea within hours after eating the bad food. It is caused by toxins from germs growing in foods left out too long. Most often, symptoms go away in less than 24 hours. It often can be treated at home without the need for medical care.
• Constipation. The need to pass a stool may cause cramps in the lower abdomen.
• Strep Throat. A strep throat infection causes 10% of new onset stomach pain with fever.
• Bladder Infection. Bladder infections usually present with painful urination, urgency and bad smelling urine. Sometimes the only symptom is pain in the lower abdomen.
• Appendicitis . Suspect appendicitis if pain is low on the right side and walks bent over. Other signs are the child won’t hop and wants to lie still.
• Intussusception . Sudden attacks of severe pain that switch back and forth with periods of calm. Caused by one segment of bowel telescoping into a lower piece of bowel. Peak age is 6 months to 2 years.

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You Might Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease

IBD is an umbrella term for two conditions that both cause chronic inflammation of various parts of the digestive tract: Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. People with either type of IBD often experience periods of remission followed by flare-ups, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that Crohns disease usually affects the part of the small intestine that meets the large intestine, but the characteristic patches of inflammation it causes can be anywhere from the mouth to the rectum and seep through multiple layers of the G.I. lining. Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, affects continuous portions of the large intestine and/or rectum, with the innermost lining becoming inflamed.

If you have Crohns disease, youre likely to deal with abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and weight loss, and might also have additional symptoms like fatigue, nausea, joint pain, and anemia, the NIDDK says. With ulcerative colitis, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain and diarrhea , the NIDDK notes, though you may also have issues such as fatigue, nausea, anemia, and an urgent need to use the bathroom.

Causes Of Abdominal Pain And Diarrhea In Pregnant People

Pregnant people are especially prone to abdominal pain and diarrhea. One common reason is that many people make changes to their diet when they find out theyre pregnant. This can cause digestive trouble.

If youre pregnant, you may also start having sensitivities to particular foods. This can include foods you eat on a regular basis, resulting in abdominal pain and diarrhea. On top of that, hormone changes in your reproductive system that occur during pregnancy may also cause these symptoms.

Seek medical help if youre having abdominal pain and diarrhea that last for 3 days, if the pain grows increasingly worse over a 24-hour period, or if its accompanied by any of these symptoms:

• frequent nausea or vomiting
• a sustained fever of 101°F for adults or 100.4°F for children
• stool that contains blood or dried blood, which looks like wet coffee grounds
• an inability to keep food down
• extreme thirst or dry mouth
• an inability to speak or see
• mental confusion or loss of consciousness
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• swelling of the genitals
• external bleeding

Diarrhea can be more dangerous for infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. In these cases, discuss symptoms with a doctor.

If you dont have a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

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Prognosis Of Abdominal Pain

How long your abdominal pain lasts, and whether it gets better or worse, will depend on the cause of your pain and how the pain responds to any treatments.

Many forms of abdominal pain tend to respond to self-care measures or simply get better on their own, including pain caused by constipation, food allergies or intolerances, or stomach viruses.

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How Common Are Stomachaches

Just about everybody will experience abdominal pain at one point or another. Most causes of abdominal pain are not serious and resolve spontaneously. A healthcare provider can usually readily diagnose and treat these conditions. However, abdominal pain can also be a sign of a serious illness, or even an emergency. Abdominal pain is responsible for some 5% of emergency room visits.

What Causes The Bad Stomach Cramps

The causes of bad cramps in the stomach are many but, not all are that serious. Bad cramps in the stomach can be managed through various ways. There are some rational causes for bad cramps in adults. The rational causes are irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. The lifestyle is one of the great reasons behind the bad cramps in stomach. Sometimes the pain gets relieved when gone to the toilet.

Bad feeding is also a big reason behind these bad cramps in stomach. Acid reflux is also another important reason behind such bad cramps in stomach. Appendix and kidneys can also form major reasons behind certain bad cramps in stomach. Some kind of infection in the digestive organs can also form one of the significant reasons behind bad cramps. Trapped wind inside stomach causes the discomfort and even causes bad cramps in the lower abdomen.

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When To See A Doctor

Most stomach spasms are harmless and go away without further treatment. If your stomach spasms are painful or happen often, they could be a sign of a more serious medical issue. See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms in addition to stomach spasms:

• vomiting
• blood in your bowel movements
• severe pain, especially chest pain
• long-lasting or recurring stomach spasms
• fever
• shortness of breath

You should also see your doctor if your stomach spasms are interfering with your daily life or causing you distress.

When Stomach Pain Is And Is Not An Emergency

Stomach pain can have many causes. Most of them aren’t serious, but some are, and you need to be able to recognize their warning signs.

If you rest, avoid certain foods, take medication, or use a heating pad, you may get relief from some kinds of pain. For others, you may need urgent medical care.

This article explains which symptoms mean you should head to the ER. It also lists symptoms that mean you should visit your healthcare provider. Finally, it provides some at-home solutions to try.

Verywell / JR Bee

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Food That Hurts: High

A high-fiber diet is usually a good thing. It can help prevent weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. But a sudden uptick can set off stomach cramps or make them worse. Your body needs time to get used to digesting the rough stuff. Add 3-5 grams of fiber a week to your diet until you reach the recommended 25-35 grams a day.

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.

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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 .

Visit The Sydney Gut Clinic

If stomach cramps are persistent and if you experience them very often, it is necessary to treat the underlying cause behind them. Schedule an appointment with us to get an accurate diagnosis of your condition.

At Sydney Gut Clinic, we have a team of gastrointestinal specialists trained to identify the causes behind symptoms you experience and direct you to the best treatment options.

• Vomiting

Which conditions can cause stomach cramps?

Stomach cramps are often a result of your body reacting to medical complications in the digestive tract. Most of the time they are triggered as a result of certain types of food.

If cramps occur outside your dietary habits, it may mean a different gastrointestinal condition like inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal obstruction, or even food poisoning and intestinal infections. Visit a gastrointestinal specialist to get an accurate diagnosis of the stomach cramps you experience.

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What To Avoid If You Have Stomach Cramps

There are some foods that should be avoided if you have stomach cramps as they will exasperate the problem. Similarly to what we mentioned earlier, we are looking to avoid food that is complex or has been modified in any way, as these kind of foods will be harder for our stomach to process than other simple and natural food. Examples of foods to be avoided include:

• Stimulating beverages like coffee, tea or alcohol.
• Carbonated drinks such as soft drinks, as they increase gas.
• High-fat foods like chips, sausages or butter, as they will worsen the problem.
• High-fat meats.
• Heavy legumes such as chickpeas, beans or beans.
• Full-fat dairy products, or dairy entirely if you are intolerant to lactose.

As you can see, all this food, has either being processed or is high in fat, which is why try to avoid it, as our stomach will find it much harder to digest. We can see however that some of these foods we would also try to avoid on a day to day basis anyway, if we were trying to keep the heart healthy and fit.