Every person experienced a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. Eating on the go, fast food, and large feasts do not spare our health and lead to its impairment. Sometimes heaviness in the stomach, which seems so simple and understandable, can be evidence of a serious illness.
This is often evidence of problems in the pancreas. But you shouldn’t try to diagnose yourself without a doctor. Only a gastroenterologist, having compared all deviations from the norm, can say what the problem is and how to deal with it.
Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology
The pancreas is an organ belonging to the digestive system of the human body. Anatomical localization - behind the stomach, along the posterior wall. The organ consists of three main elements: the body, the head and the tail.
Average weight is about 90 grams. The length of the gland reaches 21–23 centimeters. The organ is distinguished by its tubal-alveolar structure. The lobules are grayish in color with a pink tint and separated by ducts.
The lobular structure is based on a system of specific cells that are capable of generating pancreatic juice. This biological substance contains a huge number of enzymes, without which food could not be digested normally. Juice should always be produced in the right quantity.
Between the lobules there are special formations of glandular structures - the Islets of Langerhans. They do not have their own ducts. The accumulations produce insulin and glucagon, which immediately enter the bloodstream.
Functionality of the organ
To understand why the pancreas hurts, how to treat an inflamed organ, and what is associated with such a specific pain syndrome, it is important to study the basic aspects regarding the functional characteristics of the gland. This organ is capable of performing endocrine and exocrine tasks simultaneously.
Exocrine function
The exocrine function is to actively participate in all digestive algorithms. The organ produces pancreatic juice, removing the necessary portions through the duodenum.
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Every day, iron generates up to 600 ml of juice, saturated with active enzyme elements. We are talking about amylase (starch breakdown), trypsin (protein breakdown), lipase (transformation of fat structures).
It is not surprising that the slightest malfunction will lead to disruption of the entire process of breaking down food. Nutrition in its original form will become impossible.
Endocrine function
The exocrine missions of the gland are based on the correct production of glucagon and insulin. These hormonal substances are involved in the process of carbohydrate metabolism.
If the imbalance is exocrine in nature, then only the digestive tract suffers, and the body experiences dyspeptic inconveniences. If the pancreas hurts or bothers you from time to time due to endocrine problems, the entire body suffers.
Causes of pain syndrome
Many people know firsthand how the pancreas hurts. Intense pain is localized in the upper abdomen. The source of pain is inflammatory processes, progressive dystrophy, degenerative changes in the organ.
A diseased organ greatly harms the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes it seems to a person that not only the area where the gland is located hurts, heaviness is felt in the area of the stomach and intestines, and colitis in the area of the liver and gall bladder. Other organs may also ache. Often problems with the gland cause malfunctions in other organs.
The main provoking factors causing pain in the pancreas:
- Poor nutrition;
- Frequent overeating with potentially “harmful” foods (too many enzyme substances are formed in the juice, which have a destructive effect on glandular cells);
- Eating food at night (humoral as well as nervous regulation fails);
- Smoking and alcohol abuse (unwanted stimulation of pancreatic juice production occurs against the background of deteriorating blood supply to tissues and oxygen starvation, which causes sudden pain in the pancreas);
- Problems with the metabolic status (the organ may hurt after eating, and during examination the phenomena of total dystrophy are observed);
- The presence of pathologies related to the pancreas (diseases of the biliary tract, signs of gallbladder dystrophy);
- Long-term use of various pharmacological products (initially the organ may simply ache, but minor discomfort may be replaced by severe girdling pain).
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How to understand what exactly hurts
Pain in the pancreas of the abdomen is one reason to see a doctor. When voicing their symptoms, many do not understand that they have become carriers of a serious disease - pancreatitis.
This pathology has strong symptoms and timely assistance to the patient depends on establishing the correct diagnosis. Pain in the stomach and pancreas is not always this type of disease. These are already the consequences of side effects of other equally dangerous diseases:
- liver diseases;
- kidney disease;
- blockage of the choleretic channels and many others that affected the human pancreas.
To understand how to properly relieve pancreatic pain at home, the correct diagnosis and causes of the disease are established. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with some examples of pain syndrome symptoms:
- Pain in the right hypochondrium – problems with the liver.
- Girdle pain, acute attacks radiate to the back or shoulder blade - choleretic problems (inflammation of the gallbladder).
- The initial impulse of pain from the solar plexus goes to the back, cutting pain under the right and left hypochondrium is a sign of pancreatic inflammation. It increases with the body position, lying down; in a sitting position, the syndrome subsides - confirmation of this conclusion.
- Bluishness around the navel, cutting pain in the upper left side of the abdomen and solar plexus - damage to the spleen.
- Periodic stabbing - cutting pain throughout the abdomen, diarrhea or constipation, blood drops in the stool - a disturbance in the functioning of the intestines.
- Aching pain in the left side of the abdomen with attacks of vomiting - gastric syndrome.
- Lower right part of the abdomen, acute pain radiating to the navel - appendicitis.
What is the pancreas and its structure? The gland is the digestive organ of the body. Its location in the human body is behind the stomach, the weight of the organ is no more than 80 g. The structure of the pancreas has a “head”, “body”, “tail”. The most common and susceptible to pancreatitis is the tail of the gland. What to do when the tail of the pancreas hurts, what are the symptoms of inflammation?
During the inflammatory process in the pancreas, it does not always increase evenly. The most common is an enlargement of the “tail” of the gland. The enlargement obstructs the duct of the splenic vein and subrenal hypertension. What causes the pain syndrome of pancreatitis. What causes this pathology:
- the appearance of stones blocking the duct;
- appearance of a cyst (adenoma);
- inflammatory abscess of the head of the gland;
- pseudocyst;
- duodenitis of the duodenum;
- growths on the intestinal papilla;
- oncological pathologies.
"Classic" pain syndrome
The gland can become ill quite suddenly. As soon as the pathological process occurring in the tissues reaches its peak, patients begin to suffer from characteristic painful sensations. As a rule, with pain in the pancreas, strong, sudden spasms of a girdling nature occur.
They can bring incredible suffering to a person. Attacks last from several hours to a whole week, and sometimes even longer. Any movement, the slightest movement brings new suffering. Such a specific pain syndrome allows us to say with confidence that if a person has ever encountered this, he will always accurately determine when the pancreas hurts, and not another organ.
It is generally accepted that at the initial stages of the development of a particular pathological process, the nature of pancreatic pain is more cutting or “burning”; symptoms may intensify if the patient begins to actively move. Also, pain is provoked by any food or heavy drink.
How does the pancreas hurt: symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory process, during which improvements and stabilization are replaced by acute attacks. Pain is one of the first signs of pancreatic dysfunction. In the chronic course of the disease, it can be localized in any part of the organ: head, body or tail, depending on where exactly the focus is located.
If the pancreas is bothering you, the symptoms are as follows:
Inflammation of the head of the gland radiates to the right hypochondrium.
The body of the pancreas sends a pain signal to the epigastric region;
When the inflammatory process is concentrated in the tail of the organ, the left hypochondrium hurts first.
If the inflammation has spread to the entire organ, the pain can be girdling in nature, and shootings in the back, chest, and under the left shoulder blade occur.
Often the pain can manifest as shooting sensations in the groin, tailbone, thigh or perineum.
Diagnosis is also complicated by the fact that in addition to localization options, the nature of the pain also varies: from mild aching to severe cutting. They can stay constant or come in waves.
As a rule, after eating, a diseased pancreas shows symptoms. Usually after 15 minutes, although in some cases after half an hour, spasms begin. Physical activity also causes discomfort due to stretching of the pancreatic capsule. To drown out the pain, you need to sit slightly leaning forward.
Symptoms when the pancreas hurts are not limited to painful attacks. This also includes flatulence, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, constipation, diarrhea, and diarrhea. Signs of an endocrine disease may also appear: constant dry mouth, sugar intolerance, thirst.
Localization of pain
If the pancreas hurts and radiates to the epigastrium, there is reason to talk about the inflammatory genesis of the disease. The aching nature of the pain may be diffuse, but all sensations are concentrated in the upper segment.
For pain in the pancreas, which is accompanied by cramping spasms radiating to the umbilical zone, doctors suspect exocrine insufficiency. This is typical “behavior” of biliary or alcoholic pancreatitis. Secondary enteritis often occurs, causing the intestinal microflora to be replenished with a huge number of pathogenic microorganisms.
When the pancreas hurts, a sudden exacerbation of enteritis or colitis begins. Thus, the patient suffers from total pain, which completely covers the epigastric area, radiating to the navel, left or right hypochondrium.
Symptoms of a diseased pancreas: how to understand what exactly hurts?
Stomach pain – a patient often goes to the doctor with this kind of ailment, not understanding what exactly is bothering him. Identifying the source of pain means taking the first step towards pain relief and subsequent recovery. We recommend that you definitely go to a doctor for a reliable diagnosis and diagnosis.
At home, you can find out exactly where the failure occurred by the nature and location of the pain. Symptoms of a diseased pancreas, liver, intestines, etc.:
Problems in the functioning of the liver appear aching, the pain radiates to the right upper abdomen.
In case of gallbladder disorders, the pain is acute, which can spread from the top to the back and even under the shoulder blade.
A distinctive feature of pancreatic pain is a sharp cutting nature in the back, left, right and middle of the abdomen. If the pancreas is bothering you, the sure symptoms are that it becomes especially bad while lying down, but it gets easier when sitting, leaning forward.
A ruptured spleen is characterized by sensitivity and pain in the left upper abdomen, as well as cyanosis around the navel.
You will learn about disturbances in the functioning of the intestines from pain localized in any area of the abdominal cavity due to its structure, as well as diarrhea/constipation, blood discharge or mucus in the stool.
Pain in the stomach is concentrated in the upper left, has an aching character, accompanied by vomiting and nausea.
Inflamed appendicitis manifests itself as acute pain in the lower right part of the abdomen, as well as around the navel.
What are the symptoms when the pancreas hurts?
indicate acute inflammation, and which ones indicate chronic pancreatitis?
Neurological nature of combat syndrome
Any form of pancreatitis always has particularly striking symptoms and requires immediate treatment. The question is not even that the patient loses for some time the ability to eat fully and replenish his body with the necessary elements. First aid for severe pain in the pancreas is to stabilize the patient’s condition by stopping attacks.
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The reason why the organ hurts so unbearably lies in the neurological nature of the pain syndrome. A fibrotic, inflammatory, destructive or degenerative process causes irritation of the nerve endings of the gland. At the same time, in the zone where the inflammatory phenomena are most intense, there is a sharp increase in the number of sensory endings of nerve origin.
Traditional methods of treatment
Alternative medicine does not stand aside and offers its own methods of treating heartburn, which is caused by inflammation of the pancreas. Traditional recipes are as follows:
- Infusion of wormwood and chamomile. To prepare a herbal infusion, you should steam a tablespoon of herbs with a glass of boiling water in different containers and leave to infuse for two hours. Before eating, you should drink 100 ml of wormwood tincture, and after 10-15 minutes drink the same amount of chamomile liquid. It is important to take medicinal infusions on an empty stomach in the morning and throughout the day before meals. The duration of therapy is on average two weeks.
- Soda solution. To prepare this remedy for heartburn, dissolve a small spoon of soda in 1/3 glass of water, previously boiled and cooled. Despite the simplicity of this moment, not everyone can use it. Soda solution has contraindications, so before treating heartburn you should consult your doctor to avoid undesirable consequences.
- Apple vinegar. It is enough to drink half a glass of apple vinegar before meals every day and there will be no trace of heartburn. The duration of therapy is 21 days.
- Potato juice. You can relieve the burning sensation in the esophagus with the help of To treat heartburn, drink potato juice
potato juice. To do this, peel the tubers and squeeze a glass of juice out of them. The resulting liquid is diluted with one tablespoon of honey. You should take the heartburn remedy in the morning and evening, in the morning on an empty stomach, and in the evening just before bed. You need to drink half a glass at once. The duration of therapy reaches two weeks, however, if desired, you can continue to drink potato juice, this helps to improve the functioning of the stomach.
- Chopped nuts. You can neutralize the burning pain behind the sternum with the help of walnuts or almonds. They should be crushed to a powder consistency and the finished mass should be consumed in a large spoon per day. This remedy will not only remove heartburn, but also prevent its recurrence.
- Infusion of flax seeds. You can prevent burning pain behind the sternum with the help of flaxseed infusion. To prepare it, take two spoons of seeds and pour 100 ml of boiled water over them. The liquid is left to infuse for two to three hours, after which it is filtered through cheesecloth. It is necessary to use the remedy once a day before going to bed, 100 ml.
- Egg shells. To prepare this heartburn remedy, boil one egg, remove the shell and grind it to a powdery consistency. The finished composition is taken in the morning, at lunch and in the evening, half a small spoon.
- Celery. According to many people, celery is one of the best remedies that fight heartburn. To prepare a remedy for burning in the esophagus, you should take a fresh root, grind it and dry it. You need to take two small spoons of the crushed mass and pour a glass of boiling water. The liquid is left to infuse for two hours. The finished product should be drunk 100 ml several times a day. In addition to celery infusion, you can use fresh plant root to neutralize heartburn. It is finely chopped and consumed two large spoons in the morning, at lunch and in the evening half an hour before meals. The duration of therapy is 30 days.
- Viburnum jam. You can get rid of heartburn with viburnum jam. It can be purchased at the market or in a store, or you can make it yourself.
Key aspects of therapy
Knowing how the pancreas hurts, the attending physician will be able to quickly decide which medicine is most suitable. For example, enzymes will help eliminate heaviness, and antispasmodics and tablets to reduce secretory activity will help relieve spasms.
It is important to accurately identify the reason why the pancreas hurts. The reasons may not only be inflammatory or destructive. If there is a risk of developing cancer, then treatment will be based on specific principles. In any case, help for a painful pancreas should be provided extremely quickly and professionally.
At the time of exacerbation of all symptoms, the patient is recommended to take a comfortable position and move as little as possible. A special diet and treatment with pharmacological products will help relieve tension from the pancreas. Cold compresses applied to the most painful point can also help. Further tactics will be developed after the patient begins to feel better or the pain subsides a little.
