You’re going about your daily routine when suddenly you feel an agonizing, stabbing pain in your lower abdomen that’s sensitive to touch. Before you know it, you’re keeled over possibly running a fever and vomiting. Now, you’re headed to your local hospital for emergency room care.
It’s a scary and stressful moment anytime you feel enough pain that you’re brought to the emergency room. Typically, physicians are able to diagnose lower abdominal and groin pain relatively quickly. Here’s what you can expect if this type of pain sends you to your local hospital, and here are a few questions you should ask the doctor.
The Big Three
Hernia, Diverticulitis, and Appendicitis are three common conditions that are usually accompanied by severe, sharp pains in the lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting. More than likely your E.R. doctor will start by ruling out any one of these three diagnoses first before exploring any other potential causes for your pain.
Emergency Room Testing
You can anticipate the emergency room doctor running one or more of the following tests to provide you the most accurate diagnosis:
- CT Scan
- Ultrasound
- Routine physical examination
- Blood draw
- Urinalysis
- Stool sample
Questions for the Doctor
If you’re diagnosed with any of the three health concerns listed above (Hernia, Diverticulitis, or Appendicitis), you’ll likely have some questions for your doctor. Depending on the diagnosis, you could be talking about having immediate surgery. Appendicitis and Diverticulitis are both very serious conditions and can require emergency room surgery.
Be sure to ask what type of surgery you need, if it has to be done immediately, how invasive the surgery will be, the health risks involved, what your recovery plan will look like, and make sure to share all details of your health history with the doctor prior to surgery.
If you are diagnosed with a hernia, surgical repair is required, but emergency room surgery may not be required depending on the severity and pain level associated with the hernia. Currently, open and laparoscopic methods are used. Mesh is often used. The method of repair is based on hernia location, size of hernia defect, body type, and other factors.
Our F.A.Q page has a great deal of common questions patients should ask with regards to their hernia treatment.
Other Groin & Pelvic Pain Institute blogs:
–CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, AND TREATMENT OF INGUINAL HERNIA IN FORT LEE NJ
–WHEN OVARIAN CYSTS REQUIRE MEDICAL TREATMENT
