Recurring Abdominal Pain

Good, you do not have any "red flags" that would suggest a complicated problem.

Your pain is in the upper abdomen and it does appear to be eased by eating.

In addition to blood and stool tests to check for blood loss, your doctor may recommend a test to view the lining of the stomach and small intestine as one of the first tests in your evaluation. Tests that can identify irritation or injury in the stomach and intestine lining include esophagogastroduodenoscopy ("EGD" or "endoscopy," in which you swallow a small camera on a flexible tube) or a series of x-rays after you swallow barium ("upper GI series").

Two conditions that could cause your pain include

• gastritis

• peptic ulcer disease.