Understanding New and Severe Abdominal Pain

Your burning or gnawing pain is improved when you eat food. Although you generate a lot of acid during your meals, it is also a time that the stomach coats itself very generously with protective mucus. The stomach tends to feel less acid-associated pain right after eating, because of the large amount of soothing mucus that it creates. The mucus can also protect the first few inches of your small intestine, the duodenum. It is likely that your pain is coming from a problem in the stomach or duodenum, such as an ulcer (peptic ulcer) or inflammation (gastritis). These problems commonly cause delayed pain several hours after a meal (when the mucus thins), even though they feel better immediately after a meal.