Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

Severe stomach pain after eating

February 9, 2020 | 25,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,
My mother, for unreasonable reasons, refuses to go to a doctor (due to various fears) so I am asking for advice here:
For about 2 weeks now, she has been experiencing stomach problems; it starts about 30 minutes to 1 hour after eating. She describes it as severe abdominal pain like trembling in the lower abdominal area. In the chest area, it manifests as a feeling of tightness in the lungs (she even had to use an asthma inhaler) and her left arm hurts (similar to a heart attack; except for sweating and pain in the chest area). After about 1 to 1.5 hours, she feels "okay" again. She doesn't eat anything in the morning, but she has no problems with lunch.
Yesterday evening, we could see it for ourselves, as she had nausea and stomach problems after eating at the Chinese restaurant. Her skin was not cold and the color of her face changed slightly to paler. After sitting on the couch for a while, she felt better. 2 hours before eating, she had fennel tea with sweetener. And so she thinks it's not that serious.
Some additional information: it started 2 weeks ago when she had a currywurst with cola. Since then, it happens almost every evening. She has already changed her diet to try to figure out what's causing it and sometimes doesn't eat anything. She is 60 years old. She has been smoking since her youth with breaks. She moves very little and consequently is very thin. She has no known allergies or has never been tested for them. However, she is very thin, weighing around 50 kg at 170 cm tall, and eats very little ("because nothing else fits in her stomach"). She has had diarrhea for years with multiple bowel movements per day and regularly drinks alcohol (I don't know exactly how much beer per evening; I estimate 2-5). She prefers sweetener over sugar and puts 6 pieces in a cup of tea. It is clear that this is a very unhealthy lifestyle. However, she does not perceive it that way and is more concerned about my father.
Her older sister has (age-related) diabetes. Mother and father died of heart attacks.
What could be the cause and should she go to the hospital immediately?

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good day,

It could be a case of abdominal angina, a circulatory disorder of the abdominal arteries. When more blood is needed here for digestion, apparently it is not enough.

Your mother urgently needs to see a cardiologist, as her heart may be under-supplied, and an angiologist to examine the abdominal vessels.

Sometimes we get such patients to see a doctor by making them understand that they also have to fear a stroke. The family doctor will be the first point of contact and will arrange for further tests.

I wish your mother all the best!

Yours sincerely, Dr. Gehring