Abdomen pain or abdominal pain is usually experienced in the area between the chest and the stomach. This kind of pain usually comes as a dull cramp that also produces shooting stabs of pains intermittently, or it may be a localised pain in one side of the stomach. This may also be accompanied by inflammation and other diseases related to organs like intestines, kidneys, pancreas, liver, spleen and stomach. So what are the causes of stomach or abdomen pain? Read on to find out:

Food Poisoning: Food poisoning can be caused due to dirty water or contaminated food. This can give rise to various infections as well as conditions like traveler's diarrhea or loose motions.

Gastro-Intestinal Conditions: GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroenteritis, among various others, can also lead to abdomen pain as a symptom along with severe acidity and nausea. Irritable bowel syndrome is another major ailment which can leave you with persistent abdominal pain. 

Generalized Pain: This kind of pain occurs in the overall area all around the stomach and may point at the presence of conditions like Crohn's Disease, a traumatic injury, appendicitis, flu, or even a urinary tract infection. Further, when the gas settles and tightens the stomach due to the inability to pass a motion on a normal, regular basis, this may be termed as constipation. This also leads to abdomen pain. 

Localised Lower Abdomen Pain: Pain that is found specifically in the lower area of the abdomen can be caused due to appendicitis, obstruction or blockage in the intestine or colon, and other ailments. This pain can also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. 

Localised Upper Abdomen Pain: This kind of pain may emanate due to the presence of gallstones, liver inflammation or hepatitis, pneumonia, or even in the middle of a heart attack.

Localised Centre Abdomen Pain: Pain in the centre part of the stomach or abdomen may be caused due to gastroenteritis, an injury or even the accumulation of waste products in the body, otherwise known as uremia.

Abdomen Pain and Women: For women, such localised pain may be caused due to pelvic inflammatory disease, urinary tract infection, endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, menstrual cramps which are also called dysmenorrhoea, and fibroids. Miscarriages can also cause pain in this part of the abdomen, for women.

Renal Stones: Renal stones or stone in kidney is one of the most common causes of abdomen pain. The pain caused by kidney stone is such that it can make a patient roll in bed and this pain may radiate to toward the groin as well. Persistent pain and nausea that come with vomiting and finally give rise to blood in the vomit or stool should be checked by the doctor immediately, so as to rule out any serious ailment. Imaging tests, ultrasound and an X-Ray can help in diagnosis.

Abdomen Pain - Knowing The Common Causes Of It!

Burning your skin is a very traumatic experience and can leave behind scars that remind one of the traumatic incident. Scarring caused by burns may fade a little with time but are usually permanent. Apart from affecting your appearance severe burns can also affect the functioning of the body. Burns can make a person withdraw socially by making him or her afraid of how people will accept them with their scars as well as make them depressed about their appearance.

Burn repair surgery can be categorised under two headings: Acute and Reconstructive

Acute repair surgery happens immediately after the burn and deals with large burns and burns that affect critical areas. The focus here is to close the skin in case of open burns and help the skin heal.
Reconstructive burn surgery addresses the skin after the initial burn wounds have healed. The goal here is to improve the appearance of the scars and ensure no lasting loss of functioning. Reconstructive burn surgery has a high success rate.
There are many types of reconstructive surgeries for burns and the type of surgery best suited to a patient is based on the location of the scar, the extent of scarring and the patient s personal goals.

Skin grafts: This involves the removal of healthy skin tissues from one part of the body and transplanting it to the burn site. This skin graft may include only a few outer layers of skin or may involve the entire dermis. This is used in cases of severe burns where a large section of the dermis is affected.
Microsurgery: This is a procedure where the surgeon reattaches or reconstructs severed fingers, toes, ears etc by sewing together blood vessels and nerves. This is often used alongside other surgical procedures.
Free flap procedure: In this procedure, muscle, bone or skin is transferred from one part of the body to another to reconstruct the area. This type of surgery is often accompanied by microsurgery.
Tissue expansion: This involves the insertion of a balloon expander under the skin near the burn site. As the balloon is filled with saline, the skin stretches and grows. Once the skin has stretched enough, the expander is removed and the skin can then be used to repair burn scars.
This procedure has many advantages as the skin colour and texture are a near perfect match thus reducing scarring to a large extent. However, it is a very slow procedure and can take a few months.

Burn Repair Surgery - How Effective It Is?

Burn surgery is very common these days. Burn surgery is usually done on people who suffer from major burns. Reconstructive burn surgery is usually required in the last stages when the initial burns have healed to a certain extent. Usually reconstructive burn surgeries are done on patients who have suffered from huge accidents and have burnt their face, neck and hands to a great extent. Patients requiring this surgery usually become unrecognizable after an accident.

When is reconstructive burn surgery recommended?

If you have been involved in a household accident and the scars have not healed completely. Surgery might not totally heal the face, but it can improve your basic functions like breathing, smelling, seeing or tasting (if most of your senses are burnt and disfigured).
Reconstructive burn surgery is also very useful for acid attack victims. Sometimes, burns are not only caused by fire, but it is also caused by chemicals and acidic substances which are worse and can completely burn and disfigure your face. When hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulfuric acid come in contact with your skin it seeps into the skin and burns off your nose, cartilage and sometimes even causes blindness. It disfigures your face completely, reconstructive burn surgery can do miracles, though it cannot bring back your previous features and skin texture, but it does make you look more recognizable.
After a burn, facial scarring occurs which leads to the loss of eyelids, hair, nose and lips. In this case burn surgery is required.
How to take care of yourself after a burn surgery?

Regular stretching should be done, especially if the areas of your burn include your hands, legs, joints, etc. Do as much as activities as possible like getting dressed and grooming yourself. It will also make you more self-reliant and give you confidence.
Depression is very common after a burn surgery. A reconstructive burn surgery will not magically make you look the way you used to. A lot of sittings is required and remember, appearance and looks do not matter much. The wounds will fade away with time.
Itching is also very common after a burn surgery. If this problem persists, you should consult your doctor for a moisturizer.
Avoid sun exposure. Don t go out in the sun, because the U.V rays are extremely harmful and can singe your already sensitive skin; you can also get skin cancer.
Custom pressure garments should be worn to protect your skin.

Reconstructive Burn Surgery - How Can You Take Care Of It?

Wounds and bruises are both injuries. However, they differ widely in terms of the causing factors, the nature of the injury, the pain they cause and the kind of treatment they require. The following are a few of the myriad ways in which the two injuries differ from each other:

1. A wound causes quick damage - the skin tissue is cut or punctured while a bruise (also called a closed wound) is where the skin is not torn. 

2. A wound is usually caused by a sharp object but bruises are the results of blunt force or trauma.

3. A wound almost certainly bleeds due to ruptured tissue and blood vessels. Blunt injury also damages the blood capillaries of the skin and causes blood to accumulate under the skin tissue, creating a dark patch of skin. Blood vessels can also break due to lifting of heavy objects or overexertion of muscles.

4. A wound carries the risk of infection because the skin is open but a bruise does not get infected.

5. A wound has a burning or stinging sensation but a bruise is characterized by swelling and a blunt throbbing pain.

6. A wound can be healed by antiseptic and antibiotic medication. Large wounds need to be closed by stitching them up to avoid severe infection. On the other hand, a bruise usually heals by itself. A cold compress and pain killers may be used to ease discomfort. Heat can be applied to the injured spot to normalize the blood flow and dissolve the blood clot.

7. A wound can lead to complications like bacterial infections or the healing might be delayed by chronic diseases like diabetes. In case of a bruise, it usually does not cause complications but if there's a blunt injury to sensitive areas like the head, the tailbone or the eyes, medical attention is advised.

8. Wounds and bruises can also be differentiated on the basis of their subtypes. The different types of wounds are:

a. Incision (sharp objects cutting the dermis layer of skin)
b. Abrasion (the epithelial tissue is scraped off)
c. Avulsion (a body structure is torn off)
d. Penetration (a sharp object causes an entry and an exit wound)
e. Puncture (only an entry wound caused by a sharp object)

The different types of bruises are:
a. Hematoma (blood pools under the skin)
b. Purpura (tiny spots of blood on the inside of the mouth)
c. Contusion (similar to hematoma and caused by external trauma)
d. Crush injury (caused due to a large amount of force on the body part for a long time)

Wounds VS Bruises

Contaminated food is one of the most common sources of infections in the human body and so the stomach is one of the most commonly affected organs. Whether it is eating raw food or unhygienically prepared foods, the stomach has very high chance of getting infected than other body parts.

One of the most common causes of stomach infection is the norovirus also called as cruise ship virus. Spread through vomitus and faecal material, it is quite contagious and can affect large amounts of people in confined areas like a cruise ship. The common symptoms would include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, bloated feeling, abdominal pain (generalised or localised), fatigue, and tiredness.

On the brighter side, there are well-proven measures listed below which are simple and easy to follow that can help avoid stomach infection.

Restore bacterial balance: The good bacteria in the stomach are lost with the stomach flu and restoring it will help in managing the flu. A good amount of probiotics and fermented foods including yoghurt, sour curd, etc., will do wonders by restoring natural flora. Supplements can be taken if required, and these bacteria will restore the ability of the stomach to fight the virus.
Isolation and separation: If there is a close family member affected by the virus, ensure they are staying separately and all their clothing (bedding included) are maintained in an isolated manner. Children and elderly need extra protection, whether they are affected or are in the same household.
Cleaning methods

Since the virus spreads by contaminated faecal matter, vomitus and through surfaces, it is necessary to prevent the spread.

When in doubt, washing hands is very useful. Use soap and water instead of a hand wash. Staying away from picking nose and touching eyes are also useful.
The infected person s clothes should be washed separately in extra hot water and bleached to get rid of the virus.
Using the dishwasher or soaking the washed utensils in extra-hot water is a good way to get rid of the virus.
Surfaces like laptops need to be cleaned more regularly and rigorously
Steam cleaning of carpets is a good idea to get rid of the virus that may be locked there.
Avoid going out or being in close contact for about a week, as the virus needs that much time to clear out completely.
Food habits

Do not eat raw or uncooked foods
Drink loads of water, clear soups, sports drink and lime juice to replace lost fluid.
Eat whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables that are well-cooked to ensure you get the essential vitamins and minerals.
Following the above measures can help avoid the stomach flu and stay healthy.

Stomach Infection - 4 Ways to Avoid it!

A chemical burn can occur owing to a number of substances, for instance, if the skin comes in contact with strong acids, bases, irritants, gasoline, paint thinner and drain cleaners then it react with your skin. Chemical burns are also termed as caustic burns. The symptoms usually depend on the intensity of a burn, which include redness, irritation, numbness, pain, the skin turning black and dead or even vision loss, if the chemicals come in contact with the eyes.


What are the Do s and Don ts?
Do away with those chemicals, which have caused the burn or wipe off the dry chemicals. It is safe to use towels or put on gloves for this work.
Remove jewelry or any contaminated clothing to avoid further burning and inflammation of the skin.
Rinse off the affected area immediately with cold water. 
Loosely wrap the area with sterile gauze or a bandage.
If required, you can even opt for pain relievers such as naproxen sodium, ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Consider taking a tetanus injection, but at the same time, ensure that your booster is up-to-date.
Refrain from applying an antibiotic ointment over the burnt area or neutralizing it with an alkali or acid. This may aggravate the burn.


When should you seek an emergency care?
When the person exhibits sign of shock such as shallow breathing, pale complexion or is experiencing bouts of fainting.
When the chemical burn pierces through the upper layer of the skin, occupying an area of above 3 inches in diameter.
When the chemical burn has spread to the buttocks, groin, face, feet, hands, eyes or even the limb.


Chemical Burns - Do's and Don'ts You Must Follow

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