Navel Gazing: Pinpoint Your Upper Abdominal Pain

The upper abdomen includes everything north of your belly button up to about your ribs. Some ailments associated with the upper abdomen include:

• Hiatal hernia: A hiatal hernia occurs when a pouch forms where the esophagus and stomach meet in the upper middle abdomen; upper abdominal pain is often a symptom. A large hiatal hernia can cause acid reflux, although a small one may cause no symptoms at all.
• Gallbladder inflammation: Sometimes a gallbladder inflammation feels like indigestion, but it may also be characterized by sudden, steady upper right abdominal pain that may last from half an hour to several hours. Sometimes the pain occurs shortly after eating, but it can occur at night too.
• Peptic ulcer: A peptic ulcer is a sore that develops on the lining of the stomach, esophagus, or upper part of the small intestine. Contrary to what you might have heard, stress and spicy food don’t cause most ulcers—bacterial infections are to blame. Upper abdominal pain is the most common sign of a peptic ulcer. Fortunately, most ulcers are easy to treat.