Stomach and Digestive Problems Treated Online

Where does it hurt?

Choose the area or the symptom that fits best. Each page covers the usual causes, what helps, what a doctor can do, and the signs that need urgent care.

• Burning behind the breastboneHeartburn and acid reflux (GORD)→
• Acid or food coming back upReflux and hiatus hernia→
• Upper middle pain or burning after mealsIndigestion, gastritis or a stomach ulcer→
• Feeling sick or being sickNausea and vomiting→
• Severe pain under the right ribs for hoursGallstones→
• Sudden diarrhoea or vomitingStomach bugs and food poisoning→
• Pain moving from the belly button to the lower rightAppendicitis: get urgent help→
• Lower left pain with a high temperatureDiverticulitis→
• A bulge at the belly button or in the groinHernia→
• Cramps and bloating, with diarrhoea or constipationIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS)→
• A swollen tummy and trapped windBloating and trapped wind→
• Hard poo, straining or going less oftenConstipation→
• Pain, itching or a lump at the bottomPiles or an anal fissure→
• Blood in your poo or on the paperWhat it can mean, and when to get it checked→
• Not sure where it hurts?The stomach pain guide, area by area→

Diarrhoea with blood or mucus that keeps coming back can be inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Symptoms that follow particular foods can be lactose intolerance or coeliac disease.

Common stomach and digestive problems at a glance

The table lists every stomach and digestive condition on Mobi Doctor, from the gullet down to the bottom: what each usually feels like and how much of its care works online. 22 of the 34 are usually treated or managed online. Gallstones, appendicitis and hernias are assessed online, and any operation they need happens in person.

What each online-care label means is explained under online care for stomach problems.

Which stomach problems need urgent care?

Vomiting blood, black tar-like poo, sudden or severe tummy pain, a rigid tummy, being unable to poo or pass wind, and chest pain are emergencies: call 112. They can mean bleeding from an ulcer, appendicitis, a blocked bowel, pancreatitis or a heart attack. Tummy pain that is slowly getting worse needs urgent medical advice.

Do not drive yourself to an emergency department with severe tummy pain or bleeding: ask someone to drive you, or call 112. Take the medicines you use with you.

Bowel changes that need checking

Blood in your poo or a change in your poo that lasts 3 weeks, a pain or lump in your tummy, losing weight for no reason and feeling more tired than usual are the warning signs of bowel cancer. They are very common and can have other causes, such as piles, but they need checking by a doctor.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, about 10% of all cancers, and it mainly affects people aged 50 and over, although it can occur at a younger age. Early bowel cancer often causes no symptoms or only mild ones, which is why screening matters: the EU’s cancer screening recommendation names a stool test, quantitative FIT, as the preferred bowel cancer screening test for people aged 50 to 74, with a colonoscopy to follow up an abnormal result. Screening lowers both the number of people who get bowel cancer and the number who die from it.

IBS is usually lifelong, but it does not cause every bowel symptom. If you have IBS, losing a lot of weight for no reason, bleeding from the bottom or a hard lump in your tummy need urgent checks. More on bleeding is in blood in poo.

Upper digestive symptoms that need tests

If indigestion or heartburn comes with any of these, see a doctor rather than treating it yourself:

• difficulty swallowing, or food getting stuck in your throat
• being sick again and again
• losing weight without trying, or losing your appetite
• a feeling of a lump in your stomach
• iron deficiency anaemia
• indigestion or tummy pain for longer than a week, or heartburn most days

The doctor can assess these by video and tell you which tests you need and how soon, such as blood tests, a test for H. pylori or a camera test of the stomach (gastroscopy).

What kind of stomach pain is it?

Tummy pain is often described in four ways: generalised pain across more than half of the tummy, localised pain in one area, cramp-like pain, and colicky pain that comes in waves. Pain in one area is more likely to come from one organ, such as the appendix, gallbladder or stomach.

When the pain comes and what changes it are clues too. IBS cramps are usually worse after eating and better after a poo. Gallstone pain can be constant and last from 30 minutes to several hours. Appendicitis pain feels worse when you move, cough or press on the area. Heartburn is often worse after eating, lying down or bending over.

Digestive problems by age and life stage

Appendicitis and Crohn’s disease most often start in young people, IBS before 50, and gallstones become more likely after 40. Pregnancy brings sickness and heartburn, bowel cancer mainly affects people over 50, and most people develop small pouches in the bowel wall (diverticula) as they get older.

Diet, lifestyle and gut health: what helps

More fibre, smaller meals eaten slowly, less alcohol, no smoking and less stress help keep digestion healthy. UK guidance advises 30g of fibre a day, but most adults eat only about 20g.

• Eat more fibre, gradually Wholegrains, potatoes with their skins, beans, lentils and chickpeas, porridge, nuts and seeds all add fibre. Increase it slowly and drink plenty: fibre helps digestion and prevents constipation.
• Eat smaller meals, slowly Try 4 or 5 small meals instead of 3 large ones, chew each mouthful well, do not skip meals, and eat your last meal at least 3 to 4 hours before lying down.
• Drink less alcohol and stop smoking Drinking too much alcohol regularly increases stomach acid, so keep to 14 units a week or less, spread over 3 or more days. Smoking can weaken the muscle at the lower end of the food pipe and cause reflux.
• Look after your weight and stress Tummy fat presses on the stomach and can cause heartburn. In some people stress slows digestion, causing bloating, pain and constipation, and it can make IBS and stomach ulcers worse.

Foods and drinks that commonly trigger symptoms

How to find out which food is the problem

Keep a diary of what you eat and drink and any symptoms. Food intolerance symptoms usually start a few hours after the food and can last for hours or days. A doctor or dietitian may suggest cutting out one suspected food for a few weeks and then bringing it back to see whether the symptoms return. Home intolerance test kits are not recommended: there is little evidence that they give accurate results, and they can lead you to cut out foods you need. If coeliac disease is possible, keep eating gluten until you have had the blood test, because avoiding it can give a false result.

Lactose intolerance is the most common food intolerance. Worldwide, an estimated 68% of adults absorb lactose poorly, but only about 28% in western, southern and northern Europe.

Do probiotics help?

Possibly, for some symptoms. For IBS, the NHS suggests trying probiotics for a month, as they may help symptoms caused by changes in gut bacteria.

Stomach bugs, food poisoning and travel in Europe

Campylobacter, which people catch from contaminated food or water or from animals, is the most commonly reported infection passed from animals to people in the EU: 168,396 cases in 2024, against 79,703 for Salmonella. Most food poisoning gets better on its own, usually within a week.

• Travellers’ diarrhoea: up to 7% of travellers to western Europe and an estimated 8 to 20% of travellers to southern Europe get it, and it usually lasts 3 to 4 days. Bacteria cause most of it. See travellers’ diarrhoea.
• Norovirus: it is sometimes called the winter vomiting bug, but you can catch it at any time of year. Alcohol hand gels do not kill it, so wash your hands with soap and water after the toilet and before preparing or eating food. See norovirus.
• Timing: food poisoning usually starts within a few hours or a few days of eating the food that caused it, but sometimes not for a few weeks, so the last meal is not always the culprit.
• Back to work: stay away from work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for 2 days.

Before a trip, the European Travel Health Index shows whether the tap water at your destination is safe to drink. Illness abroad more widely is covered in travel illnesses, and stomach bugs at home in gastroenteritis and food poisoning.

How to settle an upset stomach

Sip water or other clear fluids, rest, and avoid solid food for the first few hours, then try small amounts of plain food. A pharmacist can help with medicines for indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea and wind.

• Sip fluids Take small, regular sips of water or squash. With diarrhoea or vomiting, oral rehydration solution replaces lost fluid; fruit juice and fizzy drinks, including cola, can make diarrhoea worse.
• Go easy on food Avoid solid food for the first few hours. After vomiting, wait about 6 hours, then try small amounts of plain food such as rice or crackers, and avoid fatty or spicy food.
• Ease the nausea Fresh air, regular sips of a cold drink, ginger or peppermint tea, and smaller, more frequent meals help. Avoid strong-smelling, fried or greasy food.
• Ask a pharmacist Antacids or alginates ease heartburn and indigestion, simeticone eases bloating, a laxative helps constipation, and loperamide eases diarrhoea in adults.

Which painkillers are best avoided?

Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, and aspirin, can irritate the stomach lining and cause gastritis and stomach ulcers, so they are a poor choice for indigestion-type pain. Do not take ibuprofen if piles are bleeding. If you take painkillers regularly and have stomach pain, talk to a doctor or pharmacist about them.

When should I see a doctor about a stomach problem?

Book a consultation if:

• you have indigestion or tummy pain for longer than a week, or heartburn most days
• pharmacy medicines and changes to your eating habits are not helping
• you feel bloated regularly, or have bloating with weight loss or blood in your poo
• constipation is not getting better with treatment
• piles are not improving with home treatment, or keep coming back
• an anal fissure has not improved after 7 days of treating it yourself
• you think you may have a food intolerance or coeliac disease
• you want to know which medicines are safe with your other treatments

Can an online doctor treat stomach problems?

What the doctor can do online

The doctor listens, looks at any photos you share and decides with you what helps. If a medicine is the right answer, the doctor prescribes it. If you need an examination, a test or urgent care, the doctor tells you where to go.

• Warning signs checked first Bleeding, severe pain, dehydration and the signs of appendicitis or a blocked bowel are checked first, and you are sent to the right care if any is likely.
• The cause, not just the symptom The doctor asks where it hurts, what changes it and how your bowel habits have changed, to tell reflux, IBS, an infection or an ulcer apart.
• Treatment that suits you Before suggesting any medicine, the doctor asks about pregnancy, your other medicines and conditions, and the painkillers you take.
• Tests when you need them The doctor tells you when you need a blood, stool or breath test, a scan or a camera test, and how soon.

What still needs in-person care

• an examination of a tender or swollen tummy, or of the bottom
• blood, stool and breath tests, such as the H. pylori breath test and the coeliac blood test
• scans, and camera tests such as a gastroscopy or a colonoscopy
• operations, such as removing the gallbladder or repairing a hernia
• emergency care for bleeding, severe pain or dehydration

Controlled painkillers, such as codeine and other opioids, are never prescribed through online consultations.

What the online-care labels mean

Digestive health tools

Free tools on Mobi Doctor:

• Symptom Navigator→Pick a body area, including the tummy, or type a symptom to find the right page
• Am I still contagious?→How long a stomach bug such as norovirus stays catching, from the day your symptoms started
• European Travel Health Index→Destinations rated on summer heat, mosquitoes, tap water and access to doctors
• Medicine Shortage Tracker→Live shortage reports for medicines across Europe, from official registers

All stomach and digestive problems

Most of these can be assessed and treated online. Each page covers the symptoms, causes and treatment, and the signs that need in-person care.

How Mobi Doctor works

1. Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
2. Speak to a licensed doctor about your symptoms: say where it hurts, when it started and what makes it better or worse, and mention any change in your bowel habits, bleeding or weight loss.
3. Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.

Frequently asked questions about stomach and digestive problems

Related conditions

Digestive problems in pregnancy Dehydration Anal itching Stress Obesity Travel illnesses All conditions

From the Mobi Doctor blog