LOEVA 16 ABDOMEN

abdomen: the part under the chest (stomach; to lie on one's stomach)

Do you feel comfortable in your abdomen ?
do you fell uncomfortable after eating ?

SITE
Show me with your hand where it hurts; where does it hurt? Show me with your index finger where it hurts.
When does it happen? Does it happen after eating; just after eating, or later far from the meal? Or straight after meal, or an hour after, two hours after?
How does it start? Does it begin little by little or does it happen suddenly ?

SEVERITY
Does the pain prevent you from carrying out your activities?
Does it force you to go to bed?
Does it wake you up at night? Does it prevent you from sleeping?
Does it force you to lie still-on your back?  On your stomach? On your side?
or to scroll around seeking a comfortable position?
Does any medication ease the pain ?
or any action you tried: drinking water, eating something...

HOW LONG does it last?

When you get it? how long does it last?   
How long have you had this pain?

KIND of pain
-mild discomfort, unease
-a burning sensation
-a nagging pain
-a stabbing pain; a sharp pain "like a knife"
-a throbbing pain
-a constricting pain; like a tightness
or a colic-- a pain that comes and goes and migrates

THE END of the pain: spontaneously? or as the result of some action by yourself?
Gradually or suddenly?

DOES ANYTHING EASE THE PAIN?
-Lying still in bed
-Crouched, foetal position
-Rolling around
-medicines: aspirine (!); antiacid medication;  pain killers? Are you on any medication currently?
-food, bread, milk, water
-going to the toilets, defecation, passing gases; belching, vomiting ?

DOES ANYTHING increase or cause the pain?
-coffee, tea
-stress
-food
-what brings it on
what makes it worse?

RADIATION
Does the pain spread
...to the back
...to the shoulder
...to the jaws
...to the arms
...upwards
...lower down to the genitalia ?

CAUSES
stomach ulcer; gallstone; appendicitis; kydney stone; heart; aorta; backpain; hepatitis; reflux ( from the stomach to the oesophagus to the throat)

HABITS
Do you have diarrhea? Or are you constipated?
How ofte do your bowels move per day?
How often do your bowels move per week?
When did you hve your last bowel movements

STOOLS
What do your stools look like?
color:brown black pale white silver
Smell: is it offensive; is the smell offensive?
Its consistence: is it hard, soft, watery, frothy ?
Its size: bulky, moderate?

BLOOD in the stools
-Did you ever pass any blood in your stools?
What was it like? On the surface, mixed with the stools, or happening after passing the stools?
Is defecation painful? I the pain related to defecation, does it start during defecation or after defecation?
-Di you ever pass mucus or pus in your stools?