Which Symptoms of Abdominal Pain Are Causes for Concern? (0:57)
Where your belly hurts -- left or right, up or down -- can tell you a lot about why it hurts. In this video, gastroenterologist Dr. Lisa Ganjhu explains when you should be concerned about abdominal pain.
Read Transcript
So we all get abdominal pain at some time or the other, now the promise we don't know when to really go to the doctor when we have abdominal pain. Some things you need to think about when you have abdominal pain are there any other symptoms that go along with it. So if you have pain like say in your right upper quadrant which is associated with nausea and vomiting or if you vomit up any blood you need to go to the emergency room to get evaluated cause you may have the gallstone disease or an ulcer.
Now if you have pain on the right lower quadrant of your abdomen, perhaps fever or just feel very sick then you really need to go to the emergency room to make sure you don't have appendicitis. The pain that I real worry about is that sharp curlic pain that goes up into your shoulder blades or into your shoulder itself, is really alarming.
And if you've got any fevers to go long with it you really need to go to the emergency room.
Chances are you’ll experience abdominal pain at some point. While most of the time abdominal pain is no cause for concern, it sometimes can signal a serious medical problem. Get expert advice on causes and treatment of abdominal pain.
