ABDOMINAL PAIN

It is a colic or griping pain in the abdomen. It may come from overeating or from foods that are irritating or from sensitivity to foods. Occasionally a pain in the abdomen is reflected from elsewhere in the body, as from the lungs. Pain may also be associated with excess acid in the stomach and with ulcers or with tumors. A pain on the right side of the abdomen in the lower third is most often due to appendicitis but may be associated with a blocking of the tube from the kidney to the bladder. Swelling of the gall bladder or a blocking of its tubes by stones produces severe pain. A sudden blocking of the bowel either by something inside the bowel or by the drawing of one part of the bowel into another can cause excruciating and agonizing pain. Excessive gas or air in the bowel brings a feeling of fullness which may be painful. Occasionally inflammation of the spine is a cause of pain. Most common is ordinary stomach-ache -"bellyache."

Do not try to get rid of pain by taking large doses of cathartics or laxatives. This is dangerous and may cause a pus-filled appendix to break and thus produce peritonitis. Get a doctor and find the cause of the abdominal pain as soon as possible.