Notes From a Nurse:Tummy Troubles

So have you ever had a stomach pain and been unsure of what you might have?

And be honest...you went on Web MD
And then thought you were going to die.......


May I help with this problem??
First let me start with this picture....which may do more harm than good



Now for many of these there are no easy home determinants or remedies and can only be taken care of by trained medical professionals

Now I ask you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE save yourself some trouble and money and don't go rushing into the ER un-necessarily (ER nurses send me patients...and I don't want them mad at me!).

At the same time though...use your best judgement.  If you think that the pain you are experiencing requires medical attention....GET TO A HOSPITAL!!!!!!!!!!!

But if it is just a little uncomfortable.....may I make a few suggestions??


Upper abdominal pain is often caused by heartburn.  Heartburn SUCKS....TRUST me!
There are MANY anti-acids out there on the market.  Tums...Pepcid....Zantac....
Want to know what we use most often in the hospital?  GI cocktail.  Basically its Mylanta with a little lidocane to numb you up a bit.  So my best suggestion for an acute attack is liquid anti-acid.  They tend to work more quickly than others.
If you are doing this frequently however, you may want to discuss options for controlling the problem with your primary care doctor

Lower abdominal pain is sometime gas.  But more frequently, its constipation.  Now at the risk of being gross....nurses deal with this almost constantly!  Narcotics and bedrest are master stopper-uppers.
So when I have patients feeling a fullness in their lower abdomen I suggest the following...in any combination.
1. Caffeine (gets things all hyped up!)
2. Apple juice (ever seen a baby who drank too much of this??)
3. Prune juice (nature's laxative!)
4. Warm drinks (warm stimulates)
5. Walk around  (your instinct is to curl up in a ball and whine...don't!)


AND FINALLY my secret trick...taught to me by a former nursing mentor.........
WARM PRUNE/APPLE JUICE

Gets you three in one!  And the apple juice makes the hard working prune juice a little easier to swallow