What Stomach Pain After Eating Could Mean and Why You Need a Pain Specialist

We know how depressing it can be to experience stomach pain after eating. Honestly, this situation drains the delight of a good meal.

Imagine spending the best part of the day determining something to cook then experience pain just after taking your delicious meal. It doesn't have to be like that.

Most abdominal pain doesn't spell anything serious; they usually disappear after some time. Others might be life-threatening, especially when you begin to feel like the stomach is tying itself into knots.

When that happens, you need a pain specialist to diagnose the pain's cause.

The Three Types of Abdominal Pain

Acute pain: This type starts over hours or even days. It might come with other symptoms but not always as severe as chronic pain.

Chronic pain: This may come and go but lasts longer. It can be a few weeks to several months. You need to seek an expert's help when in this condition.

Progressive pain: The third type is the worst. It often never goes away and could be a sign of severe health conditions.

But what causes the pain? It can't just happen, can it? Here are some common underlying causes of abdominal pain after eating:

Inflammatory Causes

Pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, can infect anyone's abdomen and cause a lot of stomach pain after eating.

Also, toxic substances like smoke, alcohol, and certain medications can lead to irritation –especially in the upper abdomen.

Stomach Ulcer

In some cases, stomach pain after eating could mean you have a peptic ulcer. These are sores that grow inside your stomach lining and upper parts of the duodenum.

The sores can lead to more severe health trouble with time. While skipping spicy foods can help alleviate the pain, you should always seek urgent medical care to mitigate health risks.

Food Allergies

Our bodies' immune system can detect harmful foreign invaders and release antibodies to fight them.

The immune response can cause stomach pain after eating. You can also notice the same signs and symptoms when your body mistakes certain foods as poisonous.

A pain specialist can help you tell the difference and take the appropriate action.

Food Intolerance

Food intolerance may occur when your digestive system rejects certain types of foods. In that case, there is no immune system response.

The food either irritates the stomach, or the digestive system can fail to digest it properly, causing stomach pain.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is often difficult to treat, especially when recurrent bowel movement issues accompany abdominal pain.

Even though this chronic disorder's signs and symptoms are often not severe, don't let the pain ruin your day and prevent you from achieving your dreams.

Seek a specialist's help as soon as possible to alleviate the recurring discomfort and start the treatment in time.

How a Pain Specialist Diagnoses and Treats Stomach Pain after Eating

Once you visit a pain specialist, he will diagnose the exact cause of the pain by first listening to your description of the signs and symptoms you are experiencing.

However, sometimes, they will need to conduct invasive tests if they don't know precisely the cause of the pain.

It can be one of the following tests:

CT scan
Endoscopy
MRI
X-ray
Fecal blood sampling
Colonoscopy
monitoring
Blood tests

With the tests, the pain specialist should understand the pain and administer the right kind of treatment.

He should treat any stomach hurt after eating, depending on the exact cause. For instance, if you have a food intolerance, he may advise you to avoid a specific diet type.

And if the pain means something serious like ulcers and other diseases, this pain specialist will prescribe the right medication. Moreover, he will handle all the related complications and prevent future stomach pain after eating.

Finding Hope to Eat without Stomach Pain

Have you been feeling pain in your stomach after eating lately? It's a challenging situation but doesn't worry. You can find help in getting relief!

At Excelsior Pain Management, we have different stomach pain treatment types ranging from nerve blocks, stimulators meant to prevent pain signals from reaching the brain, and radiofrequency ablations.

Let us start helping you today.