Pain after eating

If you suddenly noticed that after the next meal you have pain, nausea, heaviness ˗ this is a clear sign that something in your body is "out of order". Usually, pain after eating is observed in the abdomen, which, first of all, indicates problems of the digestive system. But there are also cases when the pain occurs in completely atypical places, for example, in the chest, back, or headache.

To experience pain after eating is not normal. Though it is impossible to assert about the presence of any serious disease, if the pain has arisen once. If the pain occurs constantly in some part of the body after eating, then there is an excuse to go to the doctor and conduct a survey. Pain after eating often occurs in the abdominal part of the body, which is a signal of the disease of the gastrointestinal tract. But, surprisingly, pain can occur in completely untypical places, for example: in the throat, in the spine, in the liver, in the side and so on. Let's take a closer look at the types of pain after eating, their causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention.

[1], [2], [3]

Causes of pain after eating

The cause of pain after eating, in the first place, is a disease of some internal organ of a person. But pain can also occur in the following cases: 

• Eating spicy food.
• Eating greasy foods.
• Eating too hot or too cold food.
• Overeating.
• The use of products containing lactose (if it is poorly tolerated by the body).
• Eating foods high in gluten.

But this is only about products. Pain can occur not only because of the quality of food, but also because of problems caused by some internal organ. Let's take a look at the causes of pain in different parts of the body when a person's internal organ is ill.

[4], [5], [6], [7]

Pain in the abdomen after eating

Pain in the abdomen after eating can occur for some reasons: the emergence of acute gastritis or exacerbation of chronic, gastric or duodenal ulcer, inflammation of the pancreas.

Thus, with exacerbation of chronic gastritis or the appearance of acute gastritis, the patient feels pain in the abdomen. Each of these species has its own characteristics both in manifestation, and, accordingly, in treatment.

Acute gastritis arises from the ingress of a strong stimulus on the mucous membrane, resulting in an inflammatory process of the stomach. Chronic gastritis develops for a long time and makes itself felt during exacerbation, which arises from nervous tension, sudden changes in the atmosphere, the use of acute or fatty foods, as well as alcohol.

Symptoms of acute and chronic gastritis have certain characteristic differences. It happens that gastritis can not cause any pain for a while, but it will make itself felt sooner or later.

With acute gastritis observed:

• on an empty stomach or after some time after eating - increased pain;
• heartburn;
• changeable character of the pain syndrome: then paroxysmal, then prolonged painful;
• nausea after eating;
• repeated vomiting (often with acidic aftertaste, sometimes ˗ bitter ˗ due to bile);
• weakness in the body;
• increased sweating, headache, fever;
• heart palpitations, low blood pressure;
• constipation or diarrhea.

With an exacerbation of a chronic gastritis is characteristic:

• stupid pressing pain;
• the appearance of pain in the stomach immediately after eating;
• rumbling and swelling;
• heaviness in the abdomen;
• eructation with an unpleasant odor;
• lack of appetite.

Chronic gastritis with low acidity, or, as it is called in medicine - an anatomic gastritis - very often becomes the cause of abdominal pain, especially during periods of exacerbation. What is this pain? In this case, the pain after eating is aching, which manifests itself in the abdominal part of the abdomen. With an anacid gastritis, pain is accompanied by rumbling, heaviness in the stomach, nausea, swelling, eructations and other unpleasant sensations. These symptoms are manifested well when overeating. Of course, it is necessary to adhere to a certain diet, which includes the use of low-fat meat, juices, coffee, vegetables. Dishes should be cooked better.

Gastritis with high acidity (hyperacid gastritis) is also accompanied by pain, although not always. Pain occurs not only after eating, but sometimes on an empty stomach. A person feels heaviness and pressure in the epigastric region or moderate pain. With hyperacid gastritis, you must adhere to certain requirements: eat often in small portions (at least 4 times a day), eliminate fatty, smoked, fried foods, spices, foods that irritate the stomach mucosa. The food should be warm, but not hot or cold.

Treatment of gastritis

The treatment of gastritis is directed, first of all, to the elimination of the factor of its development or exacerbation - it can be both an incorrect food and an infection. Methods of treatment of gastritis, regardless of its type, are as follows: the use of medications prescribed by a doctor, compliance with diet and eating rules. It should be remembered that with any kind of gastritis you can not eat fried, smoked, sharp, fatty meals, and it is absolutely necessary to eliminate the use of alcohol and preferably stop smoking. With hyperacid (with high acidity) gastritis, the pain passes after eating, if the patient drank milk or another dairy product. Diet with gastritis should include: puree soups, jelly, kissels, crushed foods, etc. Refuse is based on foods that are heavy for digestion (fat, sour cream, cream) and cause fermentation (fresh baked goods, grapes).

Gastric and duodenal ulcers

With a stomach ulcer, the pain is often localized on the left side or in the upper abdomen. It is important to note, both with ulcers and with gastritis, a patient can feel pain and on an empty stomach. If the pain appears on the right side of the median line, ˗ is a sure sign of a duodenal ulcer. Often with peptic ulcer, the pain radiates into the dorsal region or is felt in the sternum after eating. The nature of pain in peptic ulcer is very different, but often people complain of aching, dull pain or cramping and stitching. To reduce pain, it is recommended to take special wrapping preparations before meals, which can be replaced with oatmeal or jelly.

A sharp sharp pain under the ribs after eating, which can be described as a "dagger blow" in the abdomen, is a distinctive feature of the perforated ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. In this case, urgent hospitalization is needed, since the disease is very dangerous and the patient can die.

Treatment of an ulcer is appointed after the cause of the illness is determined: 

• when an infection (Helicobacter pylori) is detected, a course of antibiotics is prescribed to eliminate this bacterium;
• with increased secretion the patient undergoes a course of drugs that reduce the amount of acid released;

We want to highlight several alternative treatments for peptic ulcer disease: 

• An effective method of treating peptic ulcer is the use of sea buckthorn oil. It is taken one hour before a meal for three weeks or a month.
• Herbal decoction of mint leaves, chamomile flowers, flowering linden and yarrow - helps tighten the ulcers.
• A pleasant treatment for ulcers is the use of walnuts with honey.

Prevention of pain after eating with ulcers or gastritis is the observance of a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary to be as nervous as possible, not to load yourself with intense physical loads, and also not to carry weights. There is a need often in small portions, the foods must be fresh and not heavy for the stomach.

Pain in epigastrium after eating

If the pain in the epigastrium after eating is characterized by severe attacks, reaching the loss of consciousness, this may be a clear sign of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Sometimes a person has to completely refuse to eat food for several days, which would bring the inflamed pancreas back to normal.

With pancreatitis, the pain usually appears on the left side, in the left hypochondrium. This pain often gives to the dorsal region and has a shingling character. The patient suffers from frequent gas formations and a feeling of heaviness in the abdominal part.

For effective treatment of pancreatitis, the patient is strictly prohibited from consuming meat broths and alcoholic beverages until complete recovery. It is necessary to exclude from the diet pickles, fried, smoked, fatty dishes.

We want to share some alternative means that favorably influence the treatment of this unpleasant disease:

• juice of sauerkraut very favorably affects the treatment of pancreatitis;
• Juice from carrots and potatoes is often recommended for inflammation of the pancreas. To make this drink, you need a couple of potatoes and a couple of carrots to pass through the juicer, after washing well the vegetables. A peel of a potato it is possible to not remove, cutting only eyes;
• decoction of birch buds, herbs spores, oregano, centenarians and St. John's wort, flowers of the immortelle and calendula, the root of elecampane and burdock, nettle leaves, coriander fruits - has healing properties in the treatment of the pancreas.

Pain in epigastrium and in the chest after eating can manifest itself in such a disease as esophagospasm. This disease can be described as a neuromuscular disease of the esophagus. The main symptom of esophagus is pain, which can occur after strong emotions, as well as immediately after eating. Pain can also appear during sleep, while giving to the neck, shoulder blade or back. With this disease, often there is a dyspeptic disorder characterized by heartburn and eructation.

When diagnosing esophagus, X-ray examination of the esophagus is performed. Treatment of this disease is complex: the doctor prescribes a diet and prescribes special medications (antispasmodics). The diet provides frequent meals, in which food should not be hot or cold. Products should be steamed, or welded. It is good to eat dairy products, as well as vegetables and fruits in the form of mashed potatoes. But it is necessary to abandon the acidic plant products. It is forbidden to eat fatty meat, as well as various sauces and mayonnaise. Alcohol and coffee are also contraindicated.

Pain after eating on the left side

The pain after eating on the left shows not only the disease of the pancreas, which we considered above, but also about problems with the large intestine. It should be noted that painful sensations on the left do not always indicate any disease. Excessive accumulation of gases in the intestine from this side can cause unpleasant pain symptoms that go away after the release of gases.

If the pain on the left is accompanied by diarrhea or constipation, blood in the feces is observed, as well as there is a small temperature, then there is a high probability of an inflammatory disease of the large intestine.

Pain in the esophagus after eating

Pain in the esophagus after eating can occur due to trauma or defeat of the esophagus. It happens that an injury to the esophagus can be caused by a foreign body, such as a probe or tracheostomy tube.

Pain in the esophagus also occurs because of severe damage to the walls of the esophagus, which can result from a chemical burn, peptic ulcer or tumor.

For the pain of the esophagus, a characteristic sharp pain behind the sternum after eating, which often increases with coughing, deep sighing or swallowing.

When the disease of the esophagus should be monitored for their food: the food should be fractional, soft; You can not eat solid foods, as well as coffee, fried, citrus, fatty foods.

When the disease of the esophagus is well to brew such a collection of herbs, which includes: flowers of chamomile and calendula, herbs celandine, St. John's Wort, centipedes and cucumber, leaves of plantain, hips and oat seeds.

Sore throat after eating

Pain and any unpleasant sensations in the throat after eating can occur with a hernia of the diaphragm's food. If the patient also suffers from frequent attacks of heartburn and sensation of a lump in the throat, there is a possibility of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Symptoms of a coma in the throat, which are accompanied by apathy, severe pain in the esophagus, weight loss, irritability, and swelling in the larynx ˗ should cause anxiety. In this case, you need to immediately call a doctor, who should conduct a thorough examination for the precise definition of the disease. Once the diagnosis is made, you can proceed to the prescribed treatment.

Lower abdominal pain after eating

The pain in the lower abdomen after eating can indicate irritable bowel syndrome. This disease includes functional disorders of the intestine. And so, in a person suffering from intestinal disease, there are:

• unpleasant feeling and pain in the lower abdomen, which decrease after emptying;
• rumbling and meteorisms;
• constipation or diarrhea, as well as their alternation;
• feeling of incomplete emptying after visiting the restroom or a sharp urge to excrement.

It should be noted that people with an unstable nervous system, overly emotional ones, as well as those who often fall into stressful situations are predisposed to this disease. But this is not the only group of people who can suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. This also includes those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, abuse low-quality food and fast food, do not eat rich foods on fiber, is obese, and women who have gynecological diseases experience premenstrual syndrome or menopause.

Symptoms of pain after eating with irritable bowel syndrome

Symptoms of pain include spasms in the intestines, excessive gassing, which provokes a strong stretching of the intestinal wall.

The characteristic signs of irritable bowel syndrome are: 

• a painful sensation around the navel after eating, which passes after a bowel movement;
• constipation and meteorisms;
• diarrhea (often in the morning);
• belching, heaviness in the stomach;
• nausea.

Such symptoms usually appear after prolonged nervous tension, stress, and also after physical exertion. Frequent intestinal disorders are accompanied by noise in the ears, dry mouth, headache, weakness in the muscles of the body and insomnia.

Diagnosis of pain after eating in the lower abdomen

In order to pinpoint the cause of pain after eating in the lower abdomen, the doctor prescribes the following types of examinations: 

• coprogram (stool analysis);
• blood chemistry;
• sigmoidoscopy - examination with rectoscope rectum and sigmoid colon;
• Irrigoscopy - examination of the intestine by means of an X-ray. In this study, the intestine is filled with a special contrast agent during the analysis;
• Colonoscopy - examination of the bowel area up to one meter in length.

For effective pain management in the lower abdomen after eating, you should follow a diet that includes eating vegetables, fruits and dairy products; It is useful to eat dishes from meat and fish products, cooked either steamed or boiled. It is necessary to exclude from the diet acute, smoked dishes, chocolate, coffee and alcohol, as well as cabbage and flour products, as they contribute to excessive gas generation.

To this diet, a doctor can prescribe drugs to relieve spasms, as well as to improve the digestion of food; laxative or, conversely, fixing medications. If necessary, treated dysbacteriosis in the intestine.

[8], [9], [10], [11], [12]

Pain in the side after eating

Pain in the side after eating, or rather in the right upper quadrant, may indicate that some organ: the liver or gallbladder (sometimes the stomach or duodenum) has a disease. It should be taken into account: if the pain does not stop throughout the day, and even worsens after eating fatty foods, then there is a possibility of such a gallbladder disease as chronic cholecystitis. Symptoms of this disease are a disorder of the stool, eructation, nausea, a feeling of bursting and heaviness after eating in the right hypochondrium, as well as pain giving in the back and right collarbone. Cholecystitis is both acute and chronic.

Acute cholecystitis develops, mainly, due to infection: the E. Coli, staphylococcus, lamblia. The pain in this case can be irradiated to the back or the spine after eating. Chronic cholecystitis often occurs due to the appearance of stones that irritate the walls of the gallbladder; changes in the composition of bile, as well as violations of its outflow.

When cholecystitis, the patient should adhere to a diet: fractional food, warm dishes and drink. Meals can include: stewed vegetables, pasta, dairy products, low-fat dishes, steamed, honey, vegetable soup, vegetable oil, coffee with milk and loose tea. It is forbidden to eat smoked products, fatty foods, broths, too hot or cold food, citrus, alcohol.

Treatment of cholecystitis is carried out in the following way: the doctor prescribes bed rest and detoxification therapy, which means the introduction of intravenous special detoxifying blood substitutes, as well as saline solutions. In the treatment of this disease requires complete abstinence from eating for a certain time. The doctor usually prescribes antispasmodics, antibiotics and pain medications to suppress gastric secretion. If the treatment complex does not lead to positive results, the patient is assigned surgical treatment.

Back pain after eating

Back pain after eating can occur for some reasons: gastric ulcer, acute gastritis, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis, inflammation of the kidneys. In this section, we will consider the causes of pain after eating with inflamed kidneys.

Inflammation of the kidneys is often accompanied by such symptoms: pain in the lower abdomen and in the side, back pain after eating, chills, fever, nausea, frequent urination. When pyelitis (inflammation of the kidneys), the patient should adhere to a strict diet. In this case, it is necessary to completely exclude from the diet salty and spicy food, spices and alcohol. It is necessary to refuse from fried and smoked dishes, as well as canned and marinated products.

To prevent pain, three times a year, use herbal infusion, which includes such herbs: cranberry leaf, horsetail and bearberry. In a daily diet, you must include one glass of water with the addition of two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

[13], [14], [15], [16], [17]

Pain in the right upper quadrant after eating

Dull, prolonged pain in the right upper quadrant can be indicative of liver disease, namely, liver steatosis. Steatosis develops when a large amount of fat accumulates in the liver. Fat is not excreted from the body, disrupting the functioning of the liver, which leads to pain. The main causes of this disease are alcohol abuse, malnutrition, metabolic disorders.

Symptoms of steatosis (fatty hepatosis) are: nausea, vomiting, heartburn, belching, bloating, alternating diarrhea and constipation, painful reaction to fatty and spicy dishes; patients also complain about the feeling of a full stomach in the epigastric part after eating.

Treatment of steatosis includes: adherence to a diet in which there is a rejection of fatty foods and alcohol. Food should be rich in protein and vitamins, cottage cheese is very useful. Among the medicines should pay attention to vitamins B1, B12, B6 and vitamin E, as well as folic acid, essenciale and lipoic acid.

Headache after eating

Pain after eating can manifest itself not only in the organs of the digestive tract, but also in those organs that take active part in the process of digestion, but also in completely atypical parts of the body. For example, there are cases when there is a headache after eating. One of the main causes of this pain is high blood pressure. People with diabetes are also prone to headaches after eating food that contains sugar. Also, the headache may be an allergic reaction to a product. In this case, you should be very careful to determine which product causes a headache. Sometimes, after receiving poor-quality food, people get heartburn in the gastrointestinal tract, during which some people still suffer from a headache.

If you observe such a reaction of the body after another meal, you should immediately consult a doctor, to establish the causes of pain and find ways to eliminate it.

Pain in the heart after eating

If you notice that after eating you have pain in your heart, then you urgently need to review your diet and the quality of the foods that you eat. Although the likelihood of pain in the heart after eating is very small, since more often this organ makes itself felt under severe stress or after intense prolonged physical exertion. But still heart disease can develop and with frequent use of fatty foods and overeating. Prevention of heart pain after eating includes: exercise (moderate), eating fruits and vegetables, eliminating fatty foods and maintaining proper sleep and wakefulness.

People suffering from heart disease and hypertension, sometimes, after a dense dinner, feel a headache, pain under the scapula and in the left arm. This usually occurs during overeating, when a full stomach starts to press on the heart. For this reason, patients are experiencing an increase in blood pressure, and angina is not excluded.

Pain after a meal in a child

Worry about the occurrence of pain in a child after eating should not always be. Children often have stomach aches due to indigestion, rapid ingestion of food, overeating, constipation. But still the risk of a serious disease is possible. There is already need to rely on the symptoms of the appearance of pain.

Parents should be very attentive to such symptoms in the child as: 

• Vomiting and abdominal pain.
• Blood in the feces.
• Sharp weight loss.
• Pain during or immediately after a meal.
• The reaction of the child to pressing the stomach.
• Recent injury of the abdominal cavity.

In such cases, it is better to consult a doctor immediately. The doctor also needs to find out the type of pain in the child: it can be single or recurring (recurring). With one-time pains, those that are accompanied by vomiting with the release of bile, as well as those in which the touch to the stomach cause a painful reaction, are of great danger. The nature of pain after eating will help determine which treatment to prescribe: medication or surgical. For example, if vomiting occurs earlier than abdominal pain, it can be gastroenteritis, which is effectively treated with medications. Acute appendicitis is characterized by the onset of pain earlier than vomiting. In this case, treatment is possible only by surgical intervention.

The causes of pain after eating in a child are different, depending on the age of the children.

For example, in newborns, suffering from vomiting and swelling, there may be a blockage of the gastrointestinal tract.

Infants up to six months often suffer from colic in the abdomen. This is caused by the ingress of air into the stomach. After the release of gases, the pain stops.

Viral infection of the stomach and intestines often affects children from six months. In this case, the pain is accompanied by a disorder of the stomach, vomiting, fever and nervous excitement. The child can also lose appetite. But usually the infection passes independently in a few days.

With respiratory diseases, children also sometimes suffer from abdominal pain. At the same time, there is still fever, vomiting, headache, and runny nose.

There are cases of the formation of inguinal hernia in children. At its presence the child suffers not only a pain in the bottom of a stomach or belly, but as vomiting. Inguinal hernia is treated surgically.

Periodically recurring pain in children, or chronic pain, can also occur for various reasons. If a child has poor digestibility of lactose, it can be painful in the abdomen after eating dairy products. If a child often drinks carbonated drinks or coffee, it can also be painful. But sometimes the cause of recurring pain in a child can become stress. In this case, you need to pay special attention to the emotional health of your child.

Consultation with a doctor is necessary if symptoms such as frequent vomiting, diarrhea, fever, swelling are observed. If the pain is single and not accompanied by the listed symptoms, a visit to the doctor is not necessary.

In order to prevent the occurrence of pain in a child after eating, he should use liquid food, fresh natural juices, and foods rich in coarse fiber to avoid the appearance of constipation.

In any case, if you notice that the food is accompanied by pain or any unpleasant feelings, first of all you need to consult with an experienced doctor, as only he, having done all the necessary tests and diagnostics, can put you the right diagnosis and prescribe the proper treatment .