When Stomach Pain is Serious All personal stories are told by Susan, a retired nurse. If you happen to be working triage, or just have a patient that complains of stomach pain, there comes a point that it's an emergency and the physician needs to be called ASAP. Evaluating Stomach Pains If a person comes into the emergency room complaining of pain in their abdomen, there are things you need to consider when evaluating the patient. How intense and severe is the pain? Ask the patient to describe the level of pain on a scale of 1-10. Anything 8 or higher needs to be evaluated further. Does the patient have a temperature? If so, that could mean appendix problems, kidney problems, pancreatitis, and a variety of other conditions. If the fever is less than 100, monitor every few minutes. If it’s more than 100, consult the physician. Has there been vomiting or diarrhea with the stomach pain? Have other family members or friends that have been ill? Have they eaten any meat that was undercooked? Quite often the stomach illness is associated with a virus or food contamination. The main issue in these cases is to get IV fluids starred, as dehydration can be an issue. Where in the stomach is the pain concentrated? This can give some clues as to what may be the problem Also, very important, is the patient male or female? Females can have a wide range of issues associated with the reproductive organs. Related: Healthcare for Uninsured and Underinsured One day working in the emergency room, a 44-year-old female came in with stomach pains that she described as a 9 on the scale. During the administration questions, I questioned when her last menstrual cycle was, a very routine question for female patients. The woman explained that she was going through menopause and it had been a while since her last cycle. That was a red flag, especially considering this patient was overweight, the first thing to do is to check for pregnancy. Sure enough, she was in labor, and she had no idea. This turned out great, she and her husband had tried for 18 years to have a baby unsuccessfully. They had given up 4 years earlier. She described her symptoms to her friends, and they assured her it was menopause, all assuming she could not get pregnant. She was in for the shock of her life that night, when she delivered a 7-pound baby girl.
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.