Associated symptoms
The accompanying symptoms can vary greatly with the underlying disease. They can provide important information for the diagnosis and the extent of the symptoms correlates in many cases with the severity of the underlying disease. Abdominal pain is often accompanied by:
- Fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting
- Cramp-like defensive tension of the abdominal wall, hardening of the abdomen
- Loud bowel sounds or completely muted bowel sounds
- Diarrhoea and constipation (also alternately possible) with flatulence
- Fresh or old blood in the stool, black tarry stool possible
- Radiating the pain into the groin, back or chest
Radiation of the abdominal pain to the back and spine is not unusual.
The close proximity can cause diseases of the abdominal organs to exert pressure on the spine and thus initially become noticeable as back pain. Especially diseases of the spleen, liver, pancreas but also of the large intestine and rectum can exert pressure on the spine from the front and cause apparent back pain. In the case of long-lasting back pain without correlation to the spinal column, diseases of the abdominal organs should therefore be excluded.
Treatment
The therapy following the diagnosis depends on the underlying disease. A pure therapy of fever reduction and analgesics does not always help to solve the underlying problems but usually leads to a pure improvement of the symptoms. Underlying diseases such as CED must be effectively treated with specific drugs and, if necessary, surgically (here e.g. with immunosuppressive drugs).
Nevertheless, the symptoms of abdominal pain and fever must be limited. The antipyretic and analgesic drug paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ASA) are used particularly frequently. In addition, antidiarrhoeal drugs (e.g. loperamide or racecadotril) can be used in cases of severe diarrhoea.
If the abdominal pain manifests itself as severe cramps, antispasmodic drugs can be used (e.g. butylscopolamine or metamizole). There are various approaches to self-therapy for existing fever if you cannot go directly to the doctor. Among them, a diet with light foods plays an important role.
As the body needs a lot of energy for the increased function of the immune system, it should be supplied in the form of food. Light foods include fruit, vegetables, salad and chicken or vegetable broth. In addition to an adequate diet, it is extremely important to drink enough fluids.
Tea drinks such as herbal tea or rose-hip tea are very suitable. But fruit juices containing vitamin C also have a positive influence on the fever. The need to drink a lot is significantly increased in a feverish state.
Therefore, especially newborns and infants should ensure a sufficient drinking supply. Warm drinks such as teas can additionally extract heat from the body through sweat production. Existing abdominal pain can also be treated with certain home remedies.
Apart from abstaining from potentially gastro-intestinal irritating substances (such as alcohol, fatty food etc. ), there are also proven household remedies. Caraway oil, for example, can be taken together with water in the form of 3-6 drops with food.
Some nuts and certain spices such as fennel and aniseed also counteract stomach ache. Warming teas with a combination of the spices fennel, aniseed and caraway can also be used against stomach ache. However, adding warmth (e.g. through teas or hot-water bottles) is not always useful for all types of stomach ache.
In addition, the gastrointestinal tract reacts very positively to the consumption of bitter substances (e.g. rocket, Chinese cabbage, radicchio). It is also possible to use a hay-flower sack as a warming sack. If abdominal pains occur in mild intensity or only temporarily, homeopathic remedies can be used.
In addition to this intake, a gentle diet, plenty of fluids and, if necessary, a heat treatment should be followed. Various substances are contained in the globules used for abdominal pain. For example, Colcynthis is used for colicky cramps.
Staphisagria can also be used for colicky abdominal and stomach pains and a feeling of empty stomach. Arsenicum Album, on the other hand, works well for burning stomach aches, watery diarrhea and barely stillable vomiting. Other substances used are Phosphorus, Bryonia alba and Lycopodium. In case of massive abdominal pain in combination with fever, however, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.
