Abdominal Pain

I am a 29 y.o. male and for the past month I have been having a lot of abdominal discomfort, bloating and pain. I am not sure if this is related, but for the past 3 months I have had an inability to always take a deep breath, which started after having a short episode of atrial fibrilation and for about the past year my stool has developed a very strong acidic type odor.

I had a colonoscopy done 3 weeks ago because of some bleeding.  It came back clean and the doctor seems to think it was just hemorrhoids combined with being on coumadin.  The discomfort and bloating had passed for about a week after the colonoscopy, but have now returned.  In addition to the general discomfort I had before, I am now having an occasional pain that starts below my sternum and radiates to either side of my abdomen and sometimes up the chest.  Sometimes it seems to be set off by eating, but has occured several hours after eating.  Also the area along my ribs and sternum are very tender to the touch.  I could not get back into the doctor for 2 weeks and was wondering if I should be worried enough to go to the hospital?  If I can wait to go back to the doctor, is there anything specific I should talk to him about?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I cannot comment on whether you should go to the hospital or not without evaluation.  If in doubt, I would always suggest a physician evaluation.

I would consider various causes of upper GI discomfort - such as GERD, an ulcer, inflammation of the upper digestive tract, or liver/gallbladder disease.

Workup can include an upper GI series, upper endoscopy, or ultrasound.  Blood tests looking for H Pylori can be considered as well.  This is a bacteria associated with ulcers or inflammation.

These options can be discussed with your personal physician, or in conjunction with a GI physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
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