You are being treated for heartburn or hiatal hernia, and you feel sudden chest or stomach pain, have difficulty swallowing, are vomiting, or are unable to have a bowel movement or pass gas; you may have a hernia that has become obstructed or strangulated, which are emergencies.
One strong possibility for your symptom is gall bladder stones and cholesterol deposits within the gall bladder which can cause sharp pain. Getting an ultrasound of the upper abdomen done in a walk in clinic or the ER will confirm the diagnosis.
Pain in the upper central abdomen is often caused by conditions that do not pose an immediate threat to life. 1  However, it is important to exclude life threatening conditions which can cause pain in this region first. These conditions include: 2  Heart attack. 3  Dissecting thoracic aneurysm. 4  Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.