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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staff
Call 911 or emergency medical assistance
Seek help if your abdominal pain is severe and is associated with:
- Trauma, such as an accident or injury
- Pressure or pain in your chest
Seek immediate medical attention
Have someone drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if:
- Pain is so severe that you can't sit still or need to curl into a ball to find relief
- Pain is accompanied by bloody stools, persistent nausea and vomiting, skin that appears yellow, severe tenderness when you touch your abdomen or swelling of the abdomen
Schedule a doctor's visit
Make an appointment with your doctor if your abdominal pain worries you or lasts more than a few days.
In the meantime, find ways to ease your pain. For instance, eat smaller meals if your pain is accompanied by indigestion. Avoid taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) because these can cause stomach problems that may worsen abdominal pain.
- Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:1031-1033. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/109418463-2/0/1701/0.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.
- Schiller LR. Abdominal Pain. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/aps.asp. Accessed Nov. 8, 2008.
- Peterson DM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Nov. 26, 2008.
