The number of organs in your abdomen and the complex signals they send can make it tough to pinpoint the cause of abdominal pain.  However, each type of pain and its location in the abdomen provides you with clues and can help you narrow down the diagnostic list. That's why it's important to "know your pain" as it can help a doctor diagnose the reason for the pain.

Consider the following questions about your abdominal pain.  Be prepared to describe the pain, including where it hurts, what it feels like and how long you've been experiencing symptoms.  Ask yourself:

Where exactly does it hurt?

• Do you experience pain in the upper or lower abdomen?
• Do you experience pain on the right or left side of the abdomen?
• Is there a particular localized area of pain? 
• Can you pinpoint the pain exactly?

What does the pain feel like?
Is abdominal pain worsening or getting better over time?  Is the pain:

• Mild
• Moderate
• Severe

How long have you been experiencing symptoms?

• Is the pain chronic or acute and sudden?
• How many hours, days or weeks have abdominal pain symptoms been present?

If you need to see your doctor about abdominal pain, you should request diagnostic tests in order to confirm or exclude possible disorders.  Diagnostic tests for abdominal pain include blood and urine tests, ultrasound images of the abdomen, endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal (GI) xray series and  CT scans.

• Blood test
• Urine test
• Ultrasound
• Endoscopy
• GI x-ray series
• CT scan

Please keep in mind that it's very difficult to know the cause of abdominal pain solely by its location, even for an experienced doctor.  So, help your doctor by writing down the things that make your pain worse or better, record how long it lasts, and list other problems that occur at the time as the abdominal pain (vomiting, diarrhea, etc).

Also, keep in mind that sudden and severe abdominal pain shouldn't be ignored. Acute pain often indicates a serious problem.  Seek emergency help if:

• Abdominal pain is accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, bleeding, vomiting or a high fever
• Your abdomen is swollen and tender
• Pain radiates to your chest, neck or shoulder
• You vomit blood
• You find blood in your stool or your stool turns black
• Or you find blood in your urine

If you suspect that your abdominal pain is serious, seek help immediately.  Otherwise, schedule a visit with your doctor to learn more about the  cause of your discomfort.  To learn more about basic treatments for mild abdominal pain that you can try at home, check out more information on treating abdominal pain.