The stomach is stuck: what to do, how to get it back?

Atony is a disturbance in the functioning of the digestive system, accompanied by heaviness, bloating, loss of appetite, and belching. Such symptoms indicate that the stomach is not working - the reasons for the development of pathology in adults and children may be different, but in any case, the problem should be solved immediately.

Atony – disruptions in the functioning of the digestive system

How does the stomach work?

The stomach is an important organ responsible for processing food that comes from the esophagus. Its capacity is a maximum of 3 liters. The main function is the breakdown of contents into fats, proteins and carbohydrates. All this happens thanks to hydrochloric acid produced during periods of hunger, as well as when a person eats food.

Foods are digested differently. Proteins for about 2 hours, fats for at least 4 hours. Acid, if it is normal, does not damage the stomach, since it is protected by a membrane. Stoppage of the stomach indicates that the muscle layer is weakened, food is slowly digested, or this process stops completely. Therefore, it accumulates, puts pressure on the walls, causing discomfort.

Symptoms of stomach dysfunction

The mechanism for the development of atony is simple - the muscle layer of the stomach stops contracting, the movement of food through the digestive tract stops, which leads to the development of fermentation processes, gases and toxins begin to be released, and poisoning of the body occurs.

With atony, the stomach hurts, the discomfort is dull or acute - this is one of the main signs of deterioration in peristalsis. Symptoms develop progressively, first there is slight discomfort in the solar plexus area, then heaviness and other unpleasant sensations.

The main causes of stagnation in the stomach

Gastric arrest is a condition that is becoming increasingly common these days and is occurring in both adults and children. There are many reasons for this:

stressful situations;
smoking;
improper diet;
fast weight loss;
overwork;
drinking large amounts of alcohol;
gastrointestinal diseases;
exhaustion;
abuse of fatty foods;
infectious diseases.

Congestion in the stomach can be caused not only by the above reasons, but also by diseases such as peritonitis, severe pneumonia, typhoid fever or dystrophy of internal organs.

Restoring gastric motility

Improving metabolism is facilitated by the use of combination medications, among which Pancreatin is particularly effective. Its role is reduced to splitting:

proteins and amino acids;
starch;
fat

The undoubted advantage of “Pancreatin” is the absence of contraindications, with the exception of individual intolerance and acute forms of gastrointestinal diseases.

Diagnosis of pathology

These are the symptoms that can indicate not only gastric failure, but also other diseases: ulcers, exacerbation of gastritis, organ prolapse. For this reason, a visit to a gastroenterologist for examination and diagnosis is mandatory.

To identify and establish a diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo x-ray therapy and fibrogatroscopy. In the first case, a contrast agent, a barium solution, is drunk, and in the second, the inner lining of the stomach is examined with a special apparatus with optics.

An ultrasound is prescribed. The doctor also palpates the organ by tapping it. Mandatory tests: blood, urine and feces. All tests and examinations will help determine the exact disease, which will allow you to correctly prescribe treatment.

What to do if pathology appears

At the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to first determine the cause. If the root cause is not addressed, any measures will only bring temporary relief. Pathology is usually provoked by factors such as:

poorly prepared food;
binge eating;
abuse of salty, spicy and smoked foods;
consequences of surgery on the stomach or intestines;
smoking;
stress, hassle;
recent infectious diseases.

What can you do at home?

How to provide first aid if food is in the stomach? If this happened to you due to overeating, then you need to lie on your back, unfasten the belt of your trousers or untie the belt of your robe so that they do not squeeze your stomach. Drink a cup of water, not carbonated. Do not eat for 2 hours to allow your stomach to rest. You can drink herbal tea to jump-start your digestive system.

For a child

A child may suffer from gastric atony due to drinking large amounts of carbonated drinks or overeating. Also the cause is strong feelings and stress.

How to help your child get rid of unpleasant sensations:

bend your knees;
lay on its side in this position;
let it lie for up to half an hour;
put a warm heating pad on your stomach;
give a small amount of warm water to drink, the main thing is not to provoke nausea;
make a light massage, stroking clockwise.

If nausea persists, it is recommended to induce vomiting. To do this, you need to drink a lot of water from 300 to 500 ml, depending on the age of the child. After the painful symptoms have passed, you should drink warm, not strong tea. Then serve a light diet meal. Even if there is no relief in this case, call an ambulance.

In an adult

If the symptoms are accompanied by heaviness, a feeling of coma, a slight aching pain, especially after eating, then you need to try to start peristalsis, increase the number of enzymes, and relieve spasms. To do this, you need to take appropriate medications or use herbs.

increase the number of enzymes with the help of drugs: Mezim, Pancreatin, Festal, Enzistal. Dry red wine also promotes digestion; for this you can drink 20-30 grams of wine.

relieve stomach and smooth muscle spasms: No-Shpa, Drotaverine. In addition, you can use mint tea, apply a heating pad, or a warm bottle of water to your stomach.

improve gastric motility : Domrid, Motilium, Motilak, Gonaton, Itomed.

If food is lumpy in the stomach of an adult, you can drink a decoction of marshmallow, fennel and buckthorn bark every time before eating. Mix all ingredients in equal parts, take a spoonful of the mixture and add 400 ml of water. Place in a water bath, bring to a boil, cool, strain through cheesecloth. Use the decoction for at least one month. You need to drink 200 ml at one time.

Another effective method is to use cinnamon. Spicy foods activate blood circulation in the body. Take 1 dessert spoon of powder, mix with a cup of boiling water and boil for about 5 minutes. Drink 1 tbsp for two weeks. l. half an hour before meals, three times a day.

If your stomach stops, you should not drink carbonated water! This is not mineral healing water from a spring. Gases in water from the supermarket will only worsen the situation, adding flatulence to the symptoms.

In all this, you should adhere to the recommendations of specialists:

Avoid food for a while (4-6 hours after unpleasant symptoms);
eat at a certain time;
do not eat enough food 2 hours before bedtime;
replace coffee with herbal tea from chamomile, St. John's wort;
Prepare a paste of dried fruits, take 1 spoon on an empty stomach.

If your stomach is often upset and nausea is periodic, you need to think about going on a diet. The main food will be dominated by easily digestible products.

For reference! A good result comes from fasting days, which help not only cope with atony, but also lose extra pounds.

In pregnant women

During pregnancy, it is advised to avoid taking medications. You especially should not do this without the recommendation of your attending physician - this risk is not worth it. Therefore, if you feel heaviness in the stomach, dizziness and nausea, you must take the following measures:

drink mineral water (pharmacy water);
use low-fat kefir;
take a few tablets of activated carbon, it does not harm even expectant mothers;
drink mint and chamomile tea.

How to restart your stomach after poisoning?

If there is no belching, and the stomach does not want to work after poisoning, you should include porridge cooked in water with a small amount of sweeteners and salt in your diet. Chicken broth with the addition of rye bread crackers, black tea with sugar, and mineral water are suitable products during this period.

In case of poisoning, the structure of the stomach becomes intoxicated, so you should drink as much water as possible at room temperature. This will restore lost fluid. To keep it in the body, you need to take medications that restore water balance. These are such as Hydrovit or Regidron. It is also useful to drink green tea, fruit compotes, rosehip decoction, and jelly. Dairy products allowed include yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, and kefir in small quantities. Carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee should be avoided.

Chicory tincture normalizes the digestive system and gastrointestinal functions. You need to pour 200 ml of boiling water into 2 spoons and leave for 12 hours. Divide the drink into two doses, take before meals. Prepared food should be fresh and not too hot.

If the stomach should be stimulated, it is recommended to use pharmaceutical drugs that help restore the intestinal microflora and start its work. Often used:

Bifiform;
Hilak;
Linux.

Toxins that cannot be removed by gastric lavage can be removed from the body using adsorbent agents: Atoxil or Sorbex.

First aid if your stomach gets upset

How to make your stomach work at home? When the stomach stops, first aid should be aimed at restoring the functioning of the digestive system. It is important to quickly determine what caused the development of symptoms, since the patient’s management tactics depend on this. All activities should be aimed at achieving the following goals:

Cleansing the stomach of food and removing toxic metabolites. For this purpose, it needs to be washed. If necessary, a cleansing enema is performed.
Restoring water balance. It has long been a known fact that in the presence of vomiting, the patient can lose a large amount of fluid and salts. Therefore, it is important to provide adequate rehydration therapy (preferably oral).
Correction of leading symptoms - lowering body temperature, relieving nausea, enzyme therapy. Helps restore normal functioning of the digestive tract.

Tablets for stomach stagnation

When the stomach stops, you have to endure pain, sometimes very severe. In this case, you need to act without delay. If you take action right away, then the result will reach the goal and professional help may not be needed. Medications will help relieve pain; the following are considered effective:

Mezim, Festal, Creon;
Drotaverine, Pancreatin;
Somilaza.

The first series of drugs on the list are analogues of “Pancreatin”; they are interchangeable. When the stomach stops, an adult should take 2 or 3 capsules with meals, chew it, but wash it down with plenty of liquid. For children, one tablet is enough.

“Drotaverine” (an analogue of no-shpa) perfectly relieves spasms; over 12 years of age should be taken 1 or 2 tablets 3 times a day, regardless of meals. For children from 2 to 6 years old, half a capsule 2 times a day is enough. To enhance the effect, you can take Drotavena tablets together with activated carbon and Mezim.

"Somilaza" for adults is prescribed 2 tablets with a meal, washed down with water.

If your stomach has stopped due to poor nutrition, you can add the following pills to the list:

Gastrofarm;
Festal;
Panzinorm;
Gevikson;
Eubicor.

They are safe even for pregnant women. But when taking them, it is advisable to avoid smoked, spicy, fried and spicy foods.

We should not forget that medications require special attention. After all, any pills, even those based on herbs, can harm your health. Therefore, appointments should only be carried out by a specialist who will take into account the characteristics of your body, contraindications, and allergic reactions.

If you have tried homemade recipes and there is no positive result, you should consult a doctor, especially if it concerns a child.

The most effective medications

What to do at home if your stomach gets upset? First of all, in most cases, the use of sorbents is indicated. This is a group of drugs that are able to absorb particles of toxins and microorganisms. Some of them also envelop the gastric mucosa, thereby protecting it from additional damage. The most commonly used sorbents include activated carbon , Smecta , Polysorb , Enterosgel .

There are effective medications that suppress the gag reflex.
They are allowed to be used after gastric lavage. They affect the central nervous system or local nerve plexuses. These include Domperidone and Metoclopramide .
In case of increased gas formation, you can use medications that effectively suppress this process (Espumizan). In chronic pathologies of the digestive tract, enzymatic insufficiency of the pancreas often occurs, so it is corrected with replacement therapy (“ Creon ”, “ Mezim ”). Pain relief with analgesics is not necessary.

If your body temperature rises above 38°C, it can be brought down with drugs based on paracetamol or ibuprofen. The use of other NSAIDs for gastric arrest is unjustified.

Traditional methods

All existing folk remedies are herbal treatments. There are many recipes for restarting the stomach and removing the lump. Healing decoctions and tinctures are made from the following plants:

fennel fruit;
medicinal marshmallow root;
alder bark;
milk thistle (powder);
chamomile flowers;
caraway;
tricolor violet;
yarrow;
birch leaves;
common oregano;
elderberry (berries and flowers);
dandelion, ginseng (root);
mint, lemon balm;
coltsfoot.

Decoction recipes:

Prepare 30 g of fennel fruits, marshmallow root and buckwheat. Mix everything together and pour one spoon of the prepared mixture into 400 ml of hot water. Keep in a water bath for 15 – 20 minutes. Let the broth brew for up to 1 hour. Drink a cup after meals.
Combine chamomile, mint, lemon balm and pour like regular tea.
Combine ginseng, oregano, coltsfoot, and plantain in dry, crushed form. Take 1 tbsp. Pour boiling water over the mixture, let it brew for a while, strain after cooling. Take 1 glass after meals.
Take a teaspoon of milk thistle powder with plenty of water before meals.
Mint, cumin, tricolor violet, dill seeds, valerian, mix all ingredients in equal quantities. Then 2 tbsp. l. Pour 400 ml of boiling water over the prepared mixture and keep on fire for 10 minutes. Infuse the drink, cool, strain through cheesecloth. Drink a cup 2 times a day.
Pour finely chopped dandelion root with cold water (200 ml), let it brew for up to 8 hours. Take ¼ cup before meals 4 times a day.
Pour boiling water over the elderberries, let it brew for 12 hours, and strain. It is recommended to drink 1/3 cup of the infusion before bed.
Take equal parts of elderberry flowers, licorice root, buckthorn bark, birch leaves, tricolor violet, fennel fruits. Pour boiling water over the collection in the amount of 30 g and keep on fire for 10 minutes. Cool and strain thoroughly. Drink in large sips in several doses throughout the day.

Also, other folk recipes that alleviate the disease are no less effective. For example, cinnamon 1 tsp. A glass of boiling water will help when your stomach becomes lumpy. Stir the prepared drink and boil for no more than 5 minutes. Take on an empty stomach half an hour before meals. But, it is not recommended to use it no more than 4 times a day.

Products for pregnant women

All medications should be used with extreme caution during pregnancy. Be sure to read the instructions before using them to make sure they are safe for the fetus. Of the medications that are used to stop the stomach, it is not advisable to prescribe antiemetics (metoclopramide) to this category of patients. Sorbents, enzyme agents, and rehydration solutions are prescribed without restrictions.

It is important to note that gastric arrest can be a symptom of pregnancy gestosis, so a woman should seek advice from an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Exercises for feeling a lump in the stomach

In the fight against the feeling that the stomach is standing, physical exercises in the form of swimming, running, and exercise on exercise bikes will help. It is important to choose a suitable load so that there is no stagnation of blood in the pelvis and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is renewed. Regular exercise will help stimulate intestinal activity and strengthen the abdominal muscles. They may not be long (15 – 20 minutes), but constant. Each exercise should be done at least 10 times.

Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees, clasping them with your hands and pressing them tightly to your stomach.
Sitting on the floor, rest your back against the wall. Keep your feet together and bend your knees. Spread your knees to the sides and place your farts on the navel area to control your stomach. Inhale air, drawing in the stomach, and the chest should remain motionless. Repeat inhalation and exhalation for 3 minutes.
Take a “lying on your back” position. Do not lift your shoulders off the floor, but with your bent knee try to reach the floor surface from the reverse side. Do the same exercise with the other leg.
Get down on your knees, rest on your elbows or palms. Lower your head down and do squats. First, lower yourself onto the right buttock, rise, then onto the left.
Remain in the same position, only you need to stretch your legs back and bend your back at this time.
Lying on your back, place your arms along your body. Raise your legs and touch the floor near your head.

What remedies will help the gastrointestinal tract?

As a rule, they contain digestive enzymes and natural active ingredients:

pancreatin – contains pancreatic enzymes (amylase, lipase and protease) necessary for the digestion of various types of food;
papaya fruit powder – contains the plant enzyme papain, which is responsible for the absorption of food, improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and relieving spasms;
pineapple bromelain – promotes rapid breakdown of food, burns excess fat;
artichoke leaves – the powder of the leaves of this plant cleanses and restores the liver, protects it from toxins, and also normalizes the function of bile secretion;
turmeric root extract – reduces stomach acidity, eliminates symptoms of heartburn and heaviness after eating, normalizes microflora and relieves inflammation.

Massage

When the stomach stops, it is recommended to massage. It’s not difficult to do it yourself immediately when you wake up or throughout the day. After pressing on the biologically active points, you can resume digestion.

How it's done:

Massage the area between the thumb and index finger on each hand using your thumbs separately.
Place your hands at chest level, clasp your little fingers together. Stretch your arms in different directions, while your little fingers remain clasped.
Find the point located in the middle of the diagonal between the navel and the left groin. Using three fingers (ignore the thumb and little finger), actively massage clockwise in a circular motion.

What to do if your child's stomach stops

Almost all drugs that are used to stop the stomach in adults are also used in children. However, there are some peculiarities. Rehydration is even more important. The child's body is very sensitive to fluid loss. Against this background, metabolic acidosis (increased blood acidity) can quickly develop.

Another feature is a tendency to increase body temperature (especially with food poisoning and intestinal infection). In some situations, fever may be the main complaint. And then it is advisable not to self-medicate, but to seek adequate medical help as quickly as possible.

Diet after symptoms subside

Many people think about proper nutrition after health problems appear. The first signs are heaviness in the stomach, heartburn. It is not recommended to ignore even such minor symptoms. After all, diet plays almost the most important role for the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It is important to select foods for your diet so that they do not cause complications. Of course, when selecting dishes, it is important to take into account the condition of the mucous membrane, the level of acidity and other diseases of the digestive system.

Important! There should not be long intervals between meals. 3 hours is considered optimal. Portions should be small, and food should be liquid or mushy. It should be low-fat, not very hot and not cold, without spices and excess salt, so as not to irritate the mucous membranes.

What foods to exclude:

alcohol;
preservation, marinades;
wholemeal and rye bread;
raw vegetables containing coarse fibers (cauliflower, legumes, mushrooms, green beans, fruits with peel);
sour berries;
coffee;
fat meat;
whole milk.

Preference to give:

soups without roasting vegetables;
vegetable broth or cooked with lean meat;
liquid porridge;
ripe fruits: bananas, sweet apples without peel, pears;
steamed meat;
fish;
pasta;
jelly, jelly or dried fruit compote;
alkaline mineral water (not carbonated).

Changing your diet

The World Health Organization classifies one of the problems with the gastrointestinal tract as nutritional, i.e. caused by either a deficiency or excess of food intake.

We recommend: What can adults and children eat after food or alcohol poisoning?

In this case, it is recommended to review the menu and focus on:

products low in fat and fiber, but containing a sufficient amount of vitamins and amino acids necessary for the body;
exclude carbonated drinks, baked goods, and legumes from the menu - they contribute to the formation of gases;
refrain from foods that “fix” the stomach - rice, pears, boiled eggs.

It is extremely important to eat often, but in small portions. Give preference to boiled or liquid food.

What tests and studies need to be done to make a diagnosis?

To find out the cause of this symptom, it is necessary to carry out a number of diagnostic procedures. To determine the functional state of the patient’s digestive system, the doctor prescribes laboratory and instrumental studies.

In the first group, stool analysis is of greatest importance. Changes in its indicators may indicate a violation of the liver, insufficiency of digestive enzymes. If there is a suspicion of the infectious nature of the disease, a bacteriological study is carried out, which makes it possible to determine the causative agent.

Among the instrumental methods, ultrasound of the abdominal organs is most often used. It allows you to roughly assess the condition of the digestive system.

If gastritis and peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum are suspected, an FGDS is performed. A special tube is inserted into the patient's esophagus, at the end of which a camera with a light is attached. The doctor gradually carries it up to the duodenum and visually assesses the condition of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. This way you can determine the presence of inflammatory changes, loss of integrity and other signs of pathology. In some cases, during an FGDS, the doctor takes material for a biopsy - pinches off a microscopic piece of tissue, which is then examined under a microscope.

Esophageal stricture

If esophagitis continues for too long, the resulting scar tissue can narrow the esophagus. This stricture can lead to difficulty passing and swallowing food, which can become stuck at the level of scar tissue, causing pain.

Large pieces of food may become stuck and this situation may require endoscopic intervention to remove them. The stricture may cause frequent choking when eating. Because of this, patients often refuse to eat and lose a lot of weight.

Stricture is treated by widening or stretching the esophagus (bougienage or dilatation). These treatment procedures can have multiple effects on the stricture. But taking stomach acid blockers (proton pump inhibitors, PPIs, or H2 blockers) may prevent scarring in the esophagus from returning in the future.

Signs of poisoning

Doctors regard a sudden deterioration in the child’s health – vomiting and diarrhea – as possible poisoning of children.

However, the symptoms in a child depend not only on the body’s “desire” to remove the poison, but also on the toxic properties of the substance itself that is ingested:

vomiting without diarrhea may be a sign of nicotine poisoning;
dilation of the pupils occurs with alcohol poisoning;
nystagmus or strabismus - in case of fly agaric poisoning;
constricted pupils are a sign of opiate poisoning;
impaired color perception - carbon monoxide poisoning;
paralysis, double vision - symptoms of botulism;
blindness - methyl alcohol poisoning;
diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting accompany food poisoning. When food is contaminated with bacteria, the temperature rises. In case of poisoning, a child experiences headache, drowsiness, and poor appetite.

Hydrochloric acid: functions and role in digestion and stomach

Hydrochloric acid is a substance that is part of the gastric juice and provides it with an acidic environment. Low or high acidity can also cause the stomach to stop, because it is the presence of the required amount of hydrochloric acid that ensures normal digestion. When the acid balance is disturbed, a malfunction occurs in the digestive process, and food “stagnates” in the stomach and does not come out, as a result of which we get gastric arrest.

Hydrochloric acid performs the following functions:

restores normal environment in the stomach
activates the secretory activity of the gastric glands
curdles milk
promotes protein breakdown
responsible for the motor activity of the stomach

Next, let's move on to the treatment of this disease and consider the most effective medications.

Esophageal carcinoma

In very serious cases, untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease (and subsequent Barrett's esophagus) can lead to esophageal cancer. The main risk factors are alcohol consumption, smoking, poor nutrition, and chronic esophageal diseases with reflux.

Symptoms include weight loss, trouble swallowing, or gastrointestinal bleeding. This is something that happens over decades of untreated reflux (30-40 years), so those who are 30 and otherwise healthy have no reason to suspect cancer. But if you're over 50 and have had heartburn for years and suddenly lose weight, for example, this is definitely what your doctor will suspect first.

How to improve digestion: methods and tips

Unfortunately, very few of us take proper care of our nutrition. Some do not do this due to lack of time, some due to lack of desire, and some due to a lack of understanding of the importance of this issue.

Nevertheless, this continues, as a rule, until it affects us ourselves. And here the majority remembers proper nutrition, diets and even physical activity. This is all very good, but it’s even better when it’s done correctly and wisely.

Products that are good for the body

Don't forget that everything is good in moderation. Therefore, if after an illness you have an irresistible desire to change your diet and add physical activity to your life, we recommend that you do this gradually and correctly, and also adhere to the following tips:

Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits – people who regularly eat fresh vegetables are least likely to suffer from digestive problems.
Avoid foods that may increase stomach acid. The first sign of increased acidity is heartburn, so if you are suffering from this disease, you should seriously think about this point.
Take care of your intestinal microflora. The human intestine contains a huge number of beneficial bacteria that help digest food. Unfortunately, with our bad habits and lack of proper nutrition, we cause ourselves great harm.
You can restore the required amount of “good” bacteria by eating fermented milk products, as well as special preparations.
Don't starve, eat small portions.
Follow a daily routine and start doing moderate physical activity.
Make sure that your menu contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
A gentle therapeutic diet will also help restore the normal digestion process, but it should only be prescribed by a specialist - here you should do without amateur activities, otherwise you can only aggravate the situation.

Useful gymnastics
One of the means of preventing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the whole body as a whole is therapeutic exercises. Let's look at the basic exercises:

"Bike". Lie on your back, bend your knees and try to imitate riding a bicycle. To begin with, 3 sets of 10 times will be enough.
Starting position and number of approaches too. It is necessary to bring your knees in and out.
Another effective exercise is walking in place. During this exercise, try to raise your legs as high as possible. The duration of the walk to start is 1-3 minutes.

In our hectic times, we must never forget about the most important thing - our health. Despite the huge number of ways to treat atony: from folk remedies and gymnastics to taking medications, do not forget about the simple rule: “Prevention is easier than cure.” By following this rule, you will give yourself a long, healthy and happy life.