If you need to seek medical attention for abdominal pain the encounter should follow this line of questioning. If it does not follow this line of questioning make sure you answer these questions out loud to the health care provider anyway weather they ask them or not. Try to answer as many of these questions as you can.

If your having acute (new or sudden onset) abdominal pain it could be very serious or something as simple as gas that will pass.

* indigestion/gas pain

* constipation

* menstrual or cramps

* gallbladder pain

* bladder or kidney infection

* pelvic inflammatory disease

* endometriosis

* ectopic (tubal) pregnancy

* appendicitis

* ovarian cysts

* ulcers

* prostatitis

* other rare conditions presenting with abdominal pain: angina, heart attack, abdominal aneurysm, pericarditis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, certain tumors.

How you answer the questions that follow will help determine what the underlying cause might be. It may help to print this page and write down the answers to take with you when you see a health care provider. Some questions are specific to women.

___ When was the first day of your last period This is usually the first question asked. You will also be asked if this was a “normal” period: Was the flow heavy or light Was it on time, early or late If you might be pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, say so right away.

___ What are you using for contraception Be honest if you are not using regular contraception. Your Nurse Practitioner may also ask frank questions about your partner(s) and other high risk behaviors. These questions are not meant to embarrass or offend you, but they are intended to help make a proper diagnosis and select the appropriate medical tests.

___ Severity: On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is the pain If you’ve given birth, how does it compare to labor pain How does it compare to menstrual cramps Or is it similar to anything you’ve ever felt before, or if you’ve had this pain before

___ Location: Where is the pain now Where was it when it began Think of dividing your belly into 9 sections (like a tic-tac-toe board), or “regions”. Different conditions are usually characterized by the location of their pain. Some pain is “diffuse”, meaning it’s all over your belly, whereas other pains localize in the upper half of the abdomen or the lower half.

___ Referral: Does the pain go to another location For example, does it start somewhere specific and then radiate elsewhere

___ Quality: Is the pain sharp, dull (like a toothache), “boring” (e.g. like a bull’s horn going through you), burning, crampy, or just overwhelming If you’ve had this type of pain before, how is it different this time What did you do about it then Have you tried that already

___ Timing/Duration: How long have you had the pain Is this the first time you’ve had this particular type of pain or have you had it before When What were you doing when the pain started this time Does it wake you from sleep Does it seem to occur around the same set of circumstances (particular foods, time of the month, after certain activity etc.) Does it come/go or is it constant in nature If so, how much alcohol do you drink (regularly or sporadically) Describe your diet, especially spicy or fatty foods. Do you binge eat or make yourself vomit

___ What makes it better/what makes it worse This includes movement, positions, exercise, sex, foods, medicines (prescription, over the counter, and illicit), bowel movements or passing gas, vomiting, etc.

___ What other symptoms do you have in addition to the pain This includes everything that’s just not normal for you: Increased or decreased appetite, fever, chills, changes in your bowel or bladder habits (constipation, diarrhea, increased or decreased urination, burning with urination), blood coming from anywhere (stool, urine, vagina, nose), pain elsewhere in your body, dizziness, or fainting.

Give these questions some thought because the answers to these simple questions can actually lead you to or away from various tests (both invasive and non-invasive) and in the most serious cases surgery.

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