Complaints of stomach pain and poor digestion are the second most common after headaches. Which doctor should I see if my stomach hurts? Depending on the nature of the discomfort and their localization, different specialists should be visited. Pain can be caused by injuries and bumps, and can be triggered by chronic diseases of the internal organs.
What is the pain in the abdominal region?
By the nature of the manifestation, pain in the stomach is acute and chronic:
- acute is paroxysmal in nature, can appear several times a day or a week, but always suddenly, forcing the patient to literally "curl up" from sharp and unpleasant sensations;
- chronic pain in the stomach, as a rule, is less pronounced, it is aching, dull.
When contacting any doctor, it is important to correctly and accurately articulate your feelings. Many patients point to their stomach with the words "it hurts here." Such a frivolous approach to one’s own health makes it difficult for any specialist to diagnose. It is very important to accurately describe the nature of the pain, its duration, time of occurrence (on an empty stomach or after eating), to the left or right of the solar plexus. All these seemingly insignificant nuances will help the doctor to draw up the correct clinical picture for further diagnosis.
Which doctor should I see if my stomach hurts?
There are two options for the development of events: the patient goes to a budget clinic (where you do not need to pay money for the services provided) or to a private diagnostic center (services are provided there at the price indicated in the price list).
A gastroenterologist is a doctor who treats diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is to him that you need to contact if your stomach hurts.
When contacting a budget clinic, the algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Contact the reception with the question: "My stomach hurts, which doctor should I go to?" In some government agencies, they can write a ticket immediately to a gastroenterologist, but more often they are sent first to a local therapist.
- The therapist conducts an objective examination. The patient talks in detail about his problems. Be sure to clarify the purpose of your visit (stomach ache - which doctor is needed). Feel free to ask your questions.
- After the examination, the therapist will write out a direction for mandatory tests (this is blood biochemistry, a general analysis of urine and feces).
- Based on the results of tests and complaints of the patient, he will write out coupons for visits to narrow specialists. This is a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, endocrinologist, immunologist.
- The patient goes to see a specialist, there he lays out his complaints about pain in the stomach. A gastroenterologist (or hepatologist) conducts an examination, if necessary, gives a referral for additional studies. Prescribes treatment.
- If necessary, once every few months you must come for an additional examination to track the progression of the disease.
In private diagnostic centers, everything is simpler: there you can immediately get to the gastroenterologist, bypassing the examination stage at the therapist. If the patient is unsure what kind of specialist he needs, you can ask the question in the registry: "Which doctor should I sign up for if my stomach hurts?" The patient will be given a ticket either to a hepatologist or to a gastroenterologist. Then you need to come for examination on the appointed day and time.
The most common causes of abdominal pain
Most often, pain in the stomach is provoked by the following problems:
- gastritis of various etiologies;
- peptic ulcer;
- the release of bile into the stomach (accompanied by bitterness in the mouth);
- parasitic infestations;
- chronic pancreatitis;
- chronic cholecystitis;
- some chronic liver diseases;
- neoplasms;
- polyps and erosion;
- malnutrition - strict diets and hunger strikes.
Whatever the cause of the pain, treatment should be prescribed by a gastroenterologist. If the examination reveals that the cause of the discomfort in chronic liver diseases, then an additional consultation with a hepatologist is required.
In which case should you make an appointment with a doctor?
There are a number of symptoms in which urgent consultation of a specialist is necessary. The diseases treated by the gastroenterologist are quite diverse and most often have a chronic course (which means that the therapy lasts for years).
But there are a number of symptoms that indicate stomach diseases that can be life threatening:
- pain in the stomach is accompanied by profuse vomiting mixed with dark scarlet blood;
- pain in the stomach is accompanied by fever, fever, and fever;
- unpleasant sensations do not go away and torment the patient constantly (this can also be a symptom of internal bleeding).
Which doctor should I see if it hurts in the right side of the abdomen?
Localization of pain in the right hypochondrium is typical for diseases of the liver and gall bladder. But in some cases, such pain can talk about erosion and the course of peptic ulcer in the right lobe of the stomach. It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis on your own.
Which doctor should I see if my stomach hurts on the right side? A gastroenterologist can carry out an examination and make an accurate diagnosis. If the symptoms are caused by cholecystitis or other diseases of the gallbladder and liver, he will write a referral to a hepatologist. For an accurate diagnosis, it is mandatory to undergo the following studies:
- blood chemistry,
- FGDS,
- MRI
- radiography of the abdominal cavity.
What to do if the pain is not acute, but there is constant indigestion and bloating in the stomach
This condition does not cause the patient any particular inconvenience. Therefore, people often drag on for years with a visit to a gastroenterologist, preferring to self-medicate at home. When acute pain appears, it is already too late - over the years the disease has acquired a chronic course.
Most often, dull aching pains, accompanied by bloating after eating, occur due to gastritis. In the initial stages, this disease almost does not bring its owner any inconvenience. But over time, it progresses and may ultimately lead to resection (removal) of part of the stomach. Gastritis in the later stages causes severe pain and makes the patient's life unbearable.
If the stomach hurts, the gastroenterologist will first conduct an objective examination of the patient and listen to all his complaints. If, in addition to pain, there is also bloating, increased gas formation, then carminative drugs (for example, Espumisan) will be prescribed.
Which doctor should I see if it hurts in the left side of the abdomen?
The stomach is not located right in the center of the body, but shifted to the left, so the pain in the left hypochondrium can also have a gastric origin (gastritis, stomach ulcer). The pancreas is also located on the left side, so pain in this area can occur with chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). A gastroenterologist also treats this disease.
Does the stomach hurt to the left of the solar plexus, but at the same time there is no temperature, belching and pain intensifies after a heavy meal? With a high degree of probability, it can be argued that the cause is chronic pancreatitis. Depending on the stage of the disease, discomfort may decrease or intensify. Most often, they appear after drinking alcoholic beverages or eating foods high in fat. A gastroenterologist treats the stomach, all parts of the intestine, pancreas, spleen.
Which doctor should I go to if fever and stomach pain rise?
An increase in temperature to 38.5 degrees indicates the course of an infectious process. Most likely, the cause is a rotavirus infection or other inflammatory process of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
For pain in the stomach, accompanied by fever and fever, it is necessary to call an ambulance. They are obliged to deliver the patient to a hospital, where highly specialized doctors (gastroenterologist, infectious disease specialist, hepatologist) will prescribe the necessary tests and studies and find out the exact cause of the pathological condition.
Do not turn off the temperature by self-administration of antipyretic drugs in the presence of an infectious process, this can lead to complications and the development of chronic diseases.
Where to go if abdominal pain is accompanied by diarrhea?
Continuous diarrhea, which is accompanied by pain in the stomach, requires medical treatment. Often this condition indicates the occurrence of an infectious process in the body.
With such symptoms, the patient should be protected from communication with other family members, since rotavirus infections can be transmitted by airborne droplets.
Which doctor should I see if my stomach hurts and I have severe diarrhea? It is urgent to call an ambulance, as the patient needs a comprehensive examination and antibiotic therapy.
The procedure for making an appointment with a gastroenterologist if there are no coupons in the reception
Often the patient is confused when it becomes apparent that there is no way to get an appointment for free to a specialist with a narrow focus. You should not worry: everything is fixable!
First you need to take a coupon for an appointment with a local therapist, describe your condition to him. He is obliged to give a referral to a free consultation with a gastroenterologist. If he refuses - it is worth boldly right in the office to call the insurance company, which prescribed the patient medical lanes. They monitor the activities of the clinic. As practice shows, one verbal threat about a call to an insurance company is enough - all specialists with a narrow focus instantly find themselves in their places.
What to do if the clinic does not receive any gastroenterologist or hepatologist
In some clinics, getting an appointment with a gastroenterologist is impossible, because he simply is not there. This problem is also solved quite quickly: at the appointment with a therapist, it is worth describing the need for consultation of this specialist.
The patient is required to issue a ticket to the doctor for a free admission to the regional hospital or to the nearest clinic where such a specialist conducts an appointment. If the therapist refuses to give a referral, you can remind him that the patient can call the insurance company that has issued the compulsory medical insurance policy at any time, and the problem will be solved instantly.