Funny Feeling in Pit of Stomach Feels Like a Rush

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En español |Everyone has stomach issues from time to time, and occasional digestive discomfort is non usually something to worry nigh. That said, doctors note that at that place are a few gastrointestinal symptoms that you lot shouldn't write off, because they could signal something serious.

"I've seen many cases where patients have waited way too long before seeking medical attention," says Christine Lee, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

With studies showing that the coronavirus can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, patients take even more reason to take nausea, vomiting and prolonged diarrhea seriously, doctors say.

Here are 10 symptoms you should never ignore and what they may mean.

1. Prolonged diarrhea (especially if paired with fever, cough or loss of taste and smell)

Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms can be among the first signs of COVID-19 infection, actualization before more well-known symptoms such equally cough or fever, says Brennan Spiegel, M.D., managing director of health services research for Cedars-Sinai Medical Eye in Los Angeles.

"Don't look for a cough or shortness of breath to get tested for COVID" if you take diarrhea, nausea/vomiting or abdominal pain that lasts more than a 24-hour interval, Spiegel says.

Studies testify that as many every bit half of COVID-nineteen patients accept gastrointestinal symptoms, and about 15 to 20 percent have only gastrointestinal symptoms. Diarrhea is the about frequently reported GI symptom, followed by nausea/airsickness and abdominal pain. People who test positive for the omicron variant as well report diarrhea as a symptom, co-ordinate to the ZOE COVID Study app.

Spiegel'due south research establish that COVID-19 patients with diarrhea typically accept iv to five bouts a 24-hour interval.

"One tour of diarrhea may non mean annihilation," Spiegel says. "But if you're having 3 or 4 per twenty-four hours and it is going on ii days and y'all have no history of diarrhea, it'southward a expert idea to talk to your doctor, whether we're in a pandemic or not."

If it's not COVID-nineteen, prolonged diarrhea could signal some other type of infection or an underlying condition like ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome.

2. Claret in your stool

Whether information technology'southward vivid red, maroon or black, seeing blood in the toilet can be frightening. Fortunately, it's commonly not life-threatening, says Nicholas E. Anthony, G.D., a gastroenterologist at Atrium Health in Charlotte, Northward Carolina. The most common causes are hemorrhoids and anal fissures (tears in the lining of the anus). But blood in your stool tin also exist one of the kickoff symptoms of colon cancer, specially if it's accompanied by a change in your bowel habits or the shape of your stool. Since colon cancer is more than common among those over age 50, it's especially important for older adults to see a doc without delay. Other possible causes of bleeding are colon polyps, inflammatory bowel illness, colitis and diverticulosis.

3. Severe cramps after eating

Severe cramping is a warning sign of a bowel obstruction — a serious condition that requires immediate medical treatment. Information technology'due south as well a classic symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic digestion disorder that has been on the rise since the commencement of the COVID-nineteen pandemic. Experts aren't sure how COVID-19 is linked to IBS, Spiegel says. Information technology could be that the virus changes the gut microbiome or the lining of the abdominal arrangement, triggering IBS. Or the boost in cases could be caused past pandemic-related stress and anxiety. Other IBS symptoms include abdominal pain (oftentimes related to bowel movements), bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation.

four. Difficulty swallowing

If you experience like your food is getting stuck in your throat or information technology hurts as it's going down, that tin exist a sign of something serious. "The big thing we worry nearly is esophageal cancer," Anthony says. Esophageal cancer is more mutual in adults over 55 and three or four times more likely to occur in men than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other things that can cause discomfort when you eat include an infection, an ulcer, a sore or scar tissue (which tin can develop if you have chronic acid reflux). In addition, a growing number of people are being diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), a chronic allergic inflammatory illness that is a major cause of swallowing bug. To pinpoint the cause of your problem, your gastroenterologist will probably insert a tube with a photographic camera attached to it downward your throat in a procedure chosen an endoscopy.

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five. Unexplained weight loss (specially if accompanied by abdominal pain)

Weight loss when you haven't inverse your nutrition or practise habits is a common symptom of many serious illnesses, including cancer, Lee says. "Most people proceeds weight every bit they get older because their metabolism slows downwards," she says. "If you're losing weight without much effort, that's a ruby-red flag." See a doc if you've dropped 5 percent or more than of your trunk weight within six to 12 months. Although it is a symptom of some types of cancer, a 2014 study published in the journal American Family Dr. institute that in patients over 65, such weight loss is oft due to other causes, like peptic ulcers, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or an overactive thyroid.

six. Chronic or prolonged constipation (specially if you're having pain)

Near everyone experiences occasional bouts of constipation, and studies show that it'south peculiarly prevalent amidst older adults. Constipation is typically divers as three or fewer bowel movements per week. It may not seem like a big deal, only if your constipation isn't treated, over fourth dimension the stools in your colon can become so big and solid that your body can't remove them — and that tin be painful or even deadly, Anthony warns. "If information technology goes longer than seven days, I want to see you," he says. Constipation can be caused by a wide diversity of issues, including certain medicines, a diet low in fiber, and medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid issues, diabetes or, in rare cases, colorectal cancer.

vii. Sudden, intense abdominal pain

A abrupt pain that doesn't allow up can signal astute appendicitis (if it's on your lower right side), diverticulitis or a serious infection. The context is of import, Lee says, because muscle cramps and other problems can likewise manifest as sharp pain. "If you're an athlete rock climbing and yous get a abrupt pain in your abdomen that only lasts a 2d, you probably but pulled a muscle," she says. If information technology's something serious, she explains, usually the pain keeps escalating and doesn't let up.

8. Frequent, severe or worsening heartburn

Occasional heartburn — a burning, uncomfortable sensation in your chest — is mutual among older adults and can usually be treated with over-the-counter medications. But if your heartburn is frequent and worsening, or if it'south not responding to medication, y'all may accept gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a disorder in which the valve between your stomach and esophogus doesn't close properly. Left untreated, GERD can pb to complications including erosion or narrowing of the esophagus, or a precancerous condition called Barrett'southward esophogus. In rare cases, severe heartburn can likewise indicate a more serious condition such as esophageal cancer or a hiatal hernia.

9. Swollen belly

Information technology's not unusual to feel bloated afterwards yous consume a big meal. Simply in that location's a difference betwixt bloating and distension, an bodily increase in measured abdominal size. "Do you literally see your belly puffing out? Is it bigger in circumference?" Spiegel asks. If the answer is aye — and the symptom persists after you've had enough of time to digest a meal — it can exist a sign that excess fluid or gas is forming in small intestines as the event of an obstacle, inflammation, bacterial overgrowth or a gastrointestinal disease.

10. Feeling full afterward eating very lilliputian

If you lot feel stuffed fifty-fifty though y'all didn't eat much, the most mutual cause is gastroparesis, a condition in which food stays in the stomach longer than it should. It can happen when a severe illness "stunts the electric organization of the tummy," Anthony says, then gastroparesis can be a long-term side effect of COVID-19. Flu, stomach surgery and diabetes can also trigger the condition. Although it can resolve on its own, your doctor can prescribe medications that will stimulate your tum to contract and help speed digestion. If it's non gastroparesis, other more serious causes of early on satiety include an ulcer, an obstruction or a tumor.

If you don't have one of the above symptoms, don't permit that keep you lot from seeing a gastroenterologist if you suspect that something's wrong, Lee says. The earlier you observe a problem, the more options y'all have and the better your chances of success at managing it.

"The longer I do this, the more I realize that it doesn't thing what the textbook says — patients know their bodies," Lee says. "If something is not normal for you, then information technology is a red flag, even if it's not on the list of top five. If something bothers you, you lot should go it checked out."

Editor's notation: This story, published February 11, 2020, was updated to include additional symptoms as well as long-term side furnishings related to COVID-xix.

Michelle Hunker is a contributing writer who has covered wellness and personal finance for some of the nation's top consumer publications. Her work has appeared inReader'due south Digest, Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington Post andThe New York Times.

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Source: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/stomach-symptoms.html

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