Summary Saturday: Abdominal Pain

This Symptom of the Week Blog Post focuses on Diarrhea with a summary of everything I talked about this week 📝 I thought it would be helpful to have all of that information in one place so it's easier to look for when you need it, I hope it helps! 🩵

Symptom Saturday: The POTS Symptom I highlighted this week was Abdominal Pain 😖💩

Abdominal pain is a common symptom of POTS and can happen for several reasons! It can happen from decreased blood flow to the digestive tract, from inflammation or dysfunction in nerves, from increased histamine, from food sensitivities and much more! Abdominal pain can be a miserable symptom, so I hope the posts this week are helpful 🩵

Monday's Myth: Ibuprofen helps with Abdominal Pain. FACT: Ibuprofen can make Abdominal Pain worse!

While Ibuprofen can help with most other kinds of pain, it can actually make abdominal pain worse! This is because it is an NSAID or a Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and those medications can actually damage the stomach and cause bleeding! 🩸 So it is normally recommended to take ibuprofen after a full meal or to take coated ibuprofen to help prevent these side effects!

Tuesday's Tip: Be as Descriptive as Possible When Describing Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain can happen for a lot of different reasons so it can be hard to understand and diagnosis😅 So, when you are describing it to your doctor try to be as descriptive as possible 👩‍⚕️ Where is it starting? Does it stay in the same spot? Is it a burning pain, a sharp shooting pain, a dull ache or more of a cramping sensation? It can be overwhelming, but being as descriptive as possible can help in your diagnosis! 🩺

Wednesday's Word: Abdominal Quadrants: Description used in healthcare to divide the Abdomen into 4 sections

Abdominal Quadrants are how we refer to different areas of the Abdomen in Healthcare 🩺 Your abdomen is between your chest and pelvis and holds many vital organs including organs in the digestive tract 💩 When referring to different parts of the abdomen, we divide it into 4 quadrants: The Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ) the Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ) the Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ) and the Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ) Here is a diagram showing the 4 different quadrants: 

Thursday's Thing: Electric Heating Pad

Abdominal pain can be really debilitating! 😕 It can also be difficult to manage since Ibuprofen and other NSAIDS can make abdominal pain worse 😬 I have personally found that heat can help a lot with my abdominal pain! It can help relax muscles and increase digestion 🔥 Sometimes I take a shower or hot bath to help with abdominal pain, but sometimes that makes my POTS worse! 😅 So, I really like using electric heating pads! ⚡️ Here's a link to one I like 🔗 I hope this is helpful 🩵

Feature Friday: Navigating POTS Appointments for Abdominal Pain

The Navigating POTS Product I am highlighting is my Abdominal Pain related Appointments 📆 The Consultation appointments are 30 minutes and the Coaching are 60 minutes and involve a write-up related to the Appointment 📝 You can email me if you have any concerns about pricing or scheduling and we can work something out that is better for your price range 📧 Here is the Calendly link so you can book an appointment 🔗 Below are some examples of questions we can discuss in these appointments:

Navigating POTS Appointment Topics Related to Abdominal Pain:

Consultation Appointments:  These are 30 minute appointments focused on individualized education or help with specific concerns. Here is a list of possible questions that we could discuss in a consultation appointment: 

-I feel like understanding why I am experiencing abdominal pain could help me, can you teach me more about digestive problems in POTS patients?

-What are some specific ways I can manage abdominal pain? Can we go over tips to help and things to avoid?

-What are some specific ways to help reduce the emotional or mental load of eating with abdominal pain? 

-What are some specific ways to help address the social implications of abdominal pain?

-We are going out to eat later this week at a specific restaurant and I am overwhelmed thinking about what to order that won't make my abdominal pain worse, can we go through the menu together and come up with a plan so I can be prepared? 

-I am going to a specific event that I am worried about. Can we talk about strategies to manage my abdominal pain  while I am there and how to best communicate with people about it?

-I need help coming up with a few ideas for meals or snacks while I am at work, school or not at home, can you help me? 

-I would like to talk to you about some of the emotions I have around abdominal pain, especially the stress that comes with uncertainty and random symptoms. Can we discuss this together?

-I feel so overwhelmed that I don't even know what to ask, but I want to talk to somebody who understands.

* Any other specific questions that you have! 

Coaching Appointments: These appointments are 60 minute appointments that involve specific hands-on help with various problems. These appointments are more in depth and often involve notes or a write up of some kind.  📆 Here is a list of possible things we could address, which type of appointment it would be and what I would create for you in those appointments: 

-Food Help or Symptom Tracking Appointment: Can you help me create a way to track my digestive symptoms so I can notice patterns and trends? This would involve going over the free "Symptom Tracker" chart together and creating a "Food Diary" form for you to use

-Appointment Prep Appointment: My abdominal pain is severe enough that I want to talk about them at my next doctor's appointment, can you help me put my thoughts together and prepare for that appointment? This would involve me typing up a history for these symptoms and filling out a template to use while you explain your symptoms.

-Food Help Appointment: Trying to plan meals is exhausting, can you help me create a plan for specific meals? This would involve me creating a menu with you and can also include a shopping list and other specific plans.

-Food Help Appointment: I have not been good at eating consistently and I want to get better, can we set some goals about how often to eat and come up with a good schedule for eating that would help my abdominal pain? This would involve me typing up your goals and the plan we discuss together. 

Emotional Discussion Appointment: I am experiencing a lot of emotions around food and my abdominal pain and am feeling overwhelmed. Can we talk about some of my emotions and then come up with a plan to move forward? This would involve me typing up a summary of what we discussed and a plan for moving forward

Other Appointment: This is an opportunity to discuss anything you want and then request what you would like to have typed up or created for you, hopefully it can be a helpful resource for you! 

*Just a reminder that appointments are still 1/2 off, so $25 for a consultation and $50 for a coaching appointment! If you have any specific concerns about scheduling or prices please email navigatingpots@gmail.com