Upper abdominal pain, flatulence and feeling of fullness
First of all, it is completely normal to feel full after a large meal. This has no direct medical value. Some foods can increase the feeling of fullness.
These include flatulent foods such as beans or cabbage, very fatty foods and highly sweetened foods. Psychological factors such as tension, stress, anxiety and depression can promote a bloated feeling. However, if the bloated feeling occurs more frequently and not in connection with food intake, this may indicate a disturbed digestion.
In addition to the main symptom “bloatedness”, bloating, belching, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea can also occur. The spectrum of causes is very broad, but roughly speaking, inflammatory bowel diseases (such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease), inflammation of the stomach lining and diseases of the pancreas can play a role. In Crohn’s disease in particular, flatulence is also a symptom, although the pain is then often most strongly localized in the right lower abdomen. It is good to have a precise clarification with the doctor when further diagnostic measures are carried out, such as the xylose stress test with which the digestion in the upper small intestine can be assessed.
Upper abdominal pain and flatulence during pregnancy
During pregnancy there are indeed increased flatulence symptoms. There are various causes for this, depending on the time of pregnancy. At the beginning of pregnancy a lot of progesterone is produced, which has a relaxing effect and thus also slows down digestion, which promotes flatulence, a feeling of fullness and belching after a meal. At a later stage of pregnancy, the baby starts pressing on the stomach, which also slows down digestion.
Pain in the right upper abdomen with flatulence
Upper abdominal pain on the right side is typical of gallbladder problems, especially when the pain is sudden and of a sharp quality. In most cases, gallbladder pain occurs after a high-fat meal when the gallbladder releases its digestive secretions. Symptoms that generally occur in addition to the right-sided pain in the upper abdomen in cases of inflammation of the gallbladder are Nausea, bloating, vomiting and flatulence .