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Acute Sporadic Episodes of Severe Abdominal Pain
Following is my case, please see if anyone can help or relate:
I randomly get "periodic episodes" of severe stomach pains that occur roughly about 2-3 months apart, almost always a few hours (anywhere from 1-4) hours of having a dinner (that is, almost all episodes occur at night time right before or at about bed time); each generally lasting 7-9 hours on the average. There have been a few shorter episodes and a few much longer, with differing intensities but generally a typical episode on the pain scale level of 1-10, 10 being worst, starts at about level 1-4 with peaking at about pain level 7-9 for the most part of an episode and then suddenly diminshing after about 6-7 hours of severe duration.
Note, the pattern of each episode is almost always about the same from start to finish - a sensation (kinda "feel like") of some heaviness in the stomach, then gradual increase in pain in abdominal area (about half an hour to an hour after that "heavy feeling"), which then quickly shots up to a severe pain scale level 7-9 that would last most through the night and then eventually resolving on its own after about 5-8 hours of peaking.
During a typical episode what I experience, almost always in the same order of occurrence: (1) A feeling that an episode is about to happen, a few minutes to about half an hour right before it actually starts - (this is important to mention because this is an onset of an episode where my body alerts me to stop intaking any food/drinks of any sort; howeveer, this initial stage is also full of anxiety and mental pressure with an unpleasant "sixth sensation" of a sort, if you will, that I am about to start facing yet another night of restlessness; (2) A mild to severe pressure in stomach and general abdominal area, lasting for a few minutes to about half an hour, that would signal positive that the episode has now begun; (3) a wave of cyclical/sinusoidal pain wave that suddenly increases in intensity from severe to extreme; typical time duration for each sinusoidal pain-wave lasts about a 1-2 minutes duration each, a low-peak-low acute cycle of sharp stabbing/burning sensation and intense pressure in the general mid-abdominal area, lasting about 5-7 hours; (4) during the peak pain hours my stomach muscles/wall may harden several times for 5-10 minutes for each time; I may lay down, get up, kneel, crouch, fold in fetal position, walk, pace, rub/massage my tummy, and try to use toilet to allow me pass gas/stool or throw up to help lower the pain and to get some relief from constant churning going on in my belly; (5) a feeling of chill/cold occurs during the early hours of an episode, followed by mild to severe dryness in mouth, that eventually is followed by a bit of nausea and/or mild-to-severe burbs upon which I "make" myself to vomit that often yields positive in throwing up of whatever may had been leftover inside the stomach by then; (6) the pain generally peaks out after 5-6 hours of acute/sharpness in severity, eventually subdueing itself almost suddenly; (7) I finally able to go to sleep after about 6-8 hours of intense pain.
I am generally so tired and full of fatigue towards the end of each episode that I fall asleep in no time and wake up in the morning all fine as if nothing ever happened - with no pain or any signs of it! Apart from being tired the morning after and having to cope with general fatigue throughout the next day due to the restlessness night, I am able to resume all functions just as normal like no problem - that is, normal eating and normal bowel movements!
I must state, during these episode, I do not have any fever (despite feeling chills/cold), headache, backache, diarrhea, blood in stool/vomit or anything else of that sort. I make myself to go to the bathroom several times during an episode to see if that would help and I am able to go with normal bowel movement (while the pain in the belly is still going on) and pass normal stool - with no extraordinary smell, blood or any abnormal discoloration - suggesting that the issue is not with my large intestine (colon). I strongly suspect that this whole thing occurs and is confined to my small intestine. However, no doctor, gastrointestinal specialist, and even expert surgeons have been able to diagnose or detect any problem with any of my organs or digestive tract.
I have had all sorts of blood and stool tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, colonoscopies, endoscopies, barium swallows, tests at the best-of-the-best hospitals and by the best-of-the-best specialists in my area but, alas, yet all to none avail. I do have insurance despite of which it has still cost me several thousand dollars in deductables.
I have had tried maintaining a food diary to isolate if there may be an issue with my diet, an unknown food borne allergy or malabsorptions, but, that too had not been helpful except to suggestively (but not conclusively) suspecting some ingredients such as certain fruits and veggies, etc, that perhaps may be the culprits. However, none of those suspected food items can be positively identified to be the actual culprits because some episodes had occurred even in absence of the suspected ingredients!
As a subject for a case-study: I am (otherwise) a healthy adult male with healthy lifestyle and normal dietary habits. I don't smoke, don't drink, nor eat/abuse junk/fast food nor go on eating binges. My preferred choice of drink is simply plain cold water. I avoid all sorts of sodas, sugary/salty drinks/snacks, and coffees etc. as much as possible. I do take a cup of hot black tea every morning and occasionally a glass of plain low-fat milk at bed time. I, in fact, have what known to be a balanced/healthy dietary lifestyle. It has been ruled out that I do not have intolerance to dairy, eggs, cheese, wheat/breads, cereals, etc. I prefer chicken and fish over red meat, however, I have not shown any signs of indigestion after eating a meal containg beef or lamb meat. I do get some stress on times but generally it's no more than any guy next to me and probably just what an average healthy normal adult would get during a working week. I do get to relax and excersize time to time (but not as regularly as I used to some years ago) since I pack quite a busy daily routine that does not allow me to even think or feel about having any extraordinary level of stress.
My stomach problom started about two and a half years ago (October 2009) and has been so typical in its recurring patterns that, by now, I have become accustomed to handling each occurrence as to just endure the pain through the whole night rather than rushing to an ER or going to see a doctor about it. That said, it is still quite troubling (and annoying!) when it occurs and I have not (yet) lost all hope in finding a cure for it. If anyone else out there suffering with similar issue(s), please kindly share. Thank you so very much.
I randomly get "periodic episodes" of severe stomach pains that occur roughly about 2-3 months apart, almost always a few hours (anywhere from 1-4) hours of having a dinner (that is, almost all episodes occur at night time right before or at about bed time); each generally lasting 7-9 hours on the average. There have been a few shorter episodes and a few much longer, with differing intensities but generally a typical episode on the pain scale level of 1-10, 10 being worst, starts at about level 1-4 with peaking at about pain level 7-9 for the most part of an episode and then suddenly diminshing after about 6-7 hours of severe duration.
Note, the pattern of each episode is almost always about the same from start to finish - a sensation (kinda "feel like") of some heaviness in the stomach, then gradual increase in pain in abdominal area (about half an hour to an hour after that "heavy feeling"), which then quickly shots up to a severe pain scale level 7-9 that would last most through the night and then eventually resolving on its own after about 5-8 hours of peaking.
During a typical episode what I experience, almost always in the same order of occurrence: (1) A feeling that an episode is about to happen, a few minutes to about half an hour right before it actually starts - (this is important to mention because this is an onset of an episode where my body alerts me to stop intaking any food/drinks of any sort; howeveer, this initial stage is also full of anxiety and mental pressure with an unpleasant "sixth sensation" of a sort, if you will, that I am about to start facing yet another night of restlessness; (2) A mild to severe pressure in stomach and general abdominal area, lasting for a few minutes to about half an hour, that would signal positive that the episode has now begun; (3) a wave of cyclical/sinusoidal pain wave that suddenly increases in intensity from severe to extreme; typical time duration for each sinusoidal pain-wave lasts about a 1-2 minutes duration each, a low-peak-low acute cycle of sharp stabbing/burning sensation and intense pressure in the general mid-abdominal area, lasting about 5-7 hours; (4) during the peak pain hours my stomach muscles/wall may harden several times for 5-10 minutes for each time; I may lay down, get up, kneel, crouch, fold in fetal position, walk, pace, rub/massage my tummy, and try to use toilet to allow me pass gas/stool or throw up to help lower the pain and to get some relief from constant churning going on in my belly; (5) a feeling of chill/cold occurs during the early hours of an episode, followed by mild to severe dryness in mouth, that eventually is followed by a bit of nausea and/or mild-to-severe burbs upon which I "make" myself to vomit that often yields positive in throwing up of whatever may had been leftover inside the stomach by then; (6) the pain generally peaks out after 5-6 hours of acute/sharpness in severity, eventually subdueing itself almost suddenly; (7) I finally able to go to sleep after about 6-8 hours of intense pain.
I am generally so tired and full of fatigue towards the end of each episode that I fall asleep in no time and wake up in the morning all fine as if nothing ever happened - with no pain or any signs of it! Apart from being tired the morning after and having to cope with general fatigue throughout the next day due to the restlessness night, I am able to resume all functions just as normal like no problem - that is, normal eating and normal bowel movements!
I must state, during these episode, I do not have any fever (despite feeling chills/cold), headache, backache, diarrhea, blood in stool/vomit or anything else of that sort. I make myself to go to the bathroom several times during an episode to see if that would help and I am able to go with normal bowel movement (while the pain in the belly is still going on) and pass normal stool - with no extraordinary smell, blood or any abnormal discoloration - suggesting that the issue is not with my large intestine (colon). I strongly suspect that this whole thing occurs and is confined to my small intestine. However, no doctor, gastrointestinal specialist, and even expert surgeons have been able to diagnose or detect any problem with any of my organs or digestive tract.
I have had all sorts of blood and stool tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, colonoscopies, endoscopies, barium swallows, tests at the best-of-the-best hospitals and by the best-of-the-best specialists in my area but, alas, yet all to none avail. I do have insurance despite of which it has still cost me several thousand dollars in deductables.
I have had tried maintaining a food diary to isolate if there may be an issue with my diet, an unknown food borne allergy or malabsorptions, but, that too had not been helpful except to suggestively (but not conclusively) suspecting some ingredients such as certain fruits and veggies, etc, that perhaps may be the culprits. However, none of those suspected food items can be positively identified to be the actual culprits because some episodes had occurred even in absence of the suspected ingredients!
As a subject for a case-study: I am (otherwise) a healthy adult male with healthy lifestyle and normal dietary habits. I don't smoke, don't drink, nor eat/abuse junk/fast food nor go on eating binges. My preferred choice of drink is simply plain cold water. I avoid all sorts of sodas, sugary/salty drinks/snacks, and coffees etc. as much as possible. I do take a cup of hot black tea every morning and occasionally a glass of plain low-fat milk at bed time. I, in fact, have what known to be a balanced/healthy dietary lifestyle. It has been ruled out that I do not have intolerance to dairy, eggs, cheese, wheat/breads, cereals, etc. I prefer chicken and fish over red meat, however, I have not shown any signs of indigestion after eating a meal containg beef or lamb meat. I do get some stress on times but generally it's no more than any guy next to me and probably just what an average healthy normal adult would get during a working week. I do get to relax and excersize time to time (but not as regularly as I used to some years ago) since I pack quite a busy daily routine that does not allow me to even think or feel about having any extraordinary level of stress.
My stomach problom started about two and a half years ago (October 2009) and has been so typical in its recurring patterns that, by now, I have become accustomed to handling each occurrence as to just endure the pain through the whole night rather than rushing to an ER or going to see a doctor about it. That said, it is still quite troubling (and annoying!) when it occurs and I have not (yet) lost all hope in finding a cure for it. If anyone else out there suffering with similar issue(s), please kindly share. Thank you so very much.
I have had the EXACT problem !!!! I've been to the ER 7x last year for it . Hosp says pancreatitis, my dr says gastritis or SOD , another told me endometriosis which is just pulling things out of a hat . In 2 months I've hat 5 attacks and the pain is hideous . I do have 3 meds and pain killers to take to get through it . But it is affecting my life and I'm becoming depressed because no one can figure it out . We have mirror symptoms ... something that dr's are missing .
1 Comments
celiac compression syndrome? MALS?
It's good to know I'm not alone! I've been (what seems like) a medical anomaly to all of the stomach doctors I've gone to (there have been 3 plus a gastro surgeon). I've been experiencing this for the past 5 years, each relapse getting WORSE AND WORSE. I had my gall bladder removed June 2015 claiming it MAY help...Now it's Jan 2015 and I had my relapse again. It's getting to the point where I'm living in somewhat fear because I never know WHEN it's going to happen, HOW long and how severe it's going to be. After my episode (during work hours) yesterday, I ended up exhausted that I barely made it through the work day and when I got home, I napped for 2 hours. If anyone finds out what it is, please let us know! I'm going to be going BACK to a doctor sometime in the near future to see if there's anything else left that they can do for me.
(My coworker made mention that this seems like what Kurt Cobain had - he had horrifying stomach pain that doctors couldn't diagnose either...)
(My coworker made mention that this seems like what Kurt Cobain had - he had horrifying stomach pain that doctors couldn't diagnose either...)
2 Comments
I just came across this post. I also suffer from this same kind of attack. Have you found any help/diagnosis??
I just came across this post. I also suffer from this same kind of attack. Have you found any help/diagnosis??
My story is very similar to many posted here. After 4 years of various test and frustration, I finally went and got a CT scan during an episode and it turned out I had appendicitis. Not sure why "chronic appendicitis" is not more on Doctors radar, but it may be worth looking into. The surgeon who removed my appendix was a little stumped as to why I didn't display the usual symptoms (pain was just below sternum instead of lower right side) A clue may be that antibiotics will suppress attacks for a period of time. I should also note that I had a pedunculated fibroid (from pregnancy) that had adhered to my appendix and who knows how this may have been related. In any case, I have had no issues and have felt great in the past three months since the appendectomy and fibroid removal. Hope this can help or give some leads to someone else. Hang in there!
(Cont.)
from the alcohol itself. I've quit entirely.
5. Greasy foods. High fat meats and cheeses
6. Large meals. I've tried to avoid these entirely and generally try to eat soup whenever I can.
7. Sugar. I'm not sure on this at all. Sometimes, I believe that sugar may lead to the digestive shut down. It's almost like a pattern of eating too much sugary food at breakfast or the previous night(alcohol) leads to a digestive paralysis, followed that day by high fiber, hard to digest food that eventually leads to the attack that night. Probably stupid though.
from the alcohol itself. I've quit entirely.
5. Greasy foods. High fat meats and cheeses
6. Large meals. I've tried to avoid these entirely and generally try to eat soup whenever I can.
7. Sugar. I'm not sure on this at all. Sometimes, I believe that sugar may lead to the digestive shut down. It's almost like a pattern of eating too much sugary food at breakfast or the previous night(alcohol) leads to a digestive paralysis, followed that day by high fiber, hard to digest food that eventually leads to the attack that night. Probably stupid though.
1 Comments
Go to the doctors could be an ovarian cyst, those are all foods that affect the cyst and a lot of symptoms are in your stomach
I've followed this thread for the past 6 months. I've had the exact same attacks mentioned in the original post.
Over the past year, I've had 15 attacks. The last one coming a month and a half ago. All of them have been separated from each other by at least 2 weeks with the exception of the last one, which occurred on 3 consecutive nights. Worst 3 nights of my life.
My symptoms are the same as many others. Always start at night between 7-11 pm. Intense abdominal pain that I can feel coming at least 30 minutes before the real pain sets in. At that point the pain can be felt in my back as well. Because of my frequency, sometimes I feel it coming on well before that. Though many times I have that feeling and nothing comes of it.
Usually lasts 7-9 hours, with one only lasting 3 hours. No relief from any position or anything except extremely hot bath or heating pad, but both only help in the early stages and lately I've wondered if they may eventually make the pain worse.
Always comes with intense anxiety, burps, and slight nausea. All leading to an eventual loss of pain that dissolves in about 5 minutes. Left with little soreness or anything. Just extreme tiredness.
I've been to the ER 4 times and have had multiple X-rays, HIDA scan, endoscope, MRI, etc.. Never had any fever, except the second to last time. This one time involved something I've haven't seen on here and is the main reason I'm writing this.
The following day after one of my attacks that sent me to the ER, I had 103 fever and my Dr had me admitted to the hospital for 3 days for fear of something major. During the 3 day stay I either developed severe constipation or I had it before then and it led to the fever and possibly the attack. I didn't keep track of my bowels before I was admitted.
The next and last attack I had, the 3 day event one, I had severe constipation again. The first day I had actually eaten several prunes and other high fiber foods to relieve the constipation. Then, that night, I had an attack.
The next day I felt fine as always. I ate very little and took some stool softeners, but still had an attack that night. Then another the next night. I drank nothing but water and Miralax from that point on until I finally used the bathroom about 2 days later.
Here's one theory I have: something, whether Gastritis, Gastroparesis, or some other gut problem, is shutting down the digestive process for a certain time. I/we keep eating like normal and it causes a build up so to speak. The pain lasts until movement returns or until the food has moved from the place that causes the pain.
This likely is not it, but it may be connected in some way. Regardless, sorry so long and I'll give a few of what I believe may be triggers:
1. Dehydration or maybe just not enough water. I drink between 20-40 cups of water per day now.
2. Tight clothing. Pants or underwear in the lower abdomen region.
3. High fiber (veggies, corn especially, nuts)
4. Alcohol. Either from dehydration the next day or
Over the past year, I've had 15 attacks. The last one coming a month and a half ago. All of them have been separated from each other by at least 2 weeks with the exception of the last one, which occurred on 3 consecutive nights. Worst 3 nights of my life.
My symptoms are the same as many others. Always start at night between 7-11 pm. Intense abdominal pain that I can feel coming at least 30 minutes before the real pain sets in. At that point the pain can be felt in my back as well. Because of my frequency, sometimes I feel it coming on well before that. Though many times I have that feeling and nothing comes of it.
Usually lasts 7-9 hours, with one only lasting 3 hours. No relief from any position or anything except extremely hot bath or heating pad, but both only help in the early stages and lately I've wondered if they may eventually make the pain worse.
Always comes with intense anxiety, burps, and slight nausea. All leading to an eventual loss of pain that dissolves in about 5 minutes. Left with little soreness or anything. Just extreme tiredness.
I've been to the ER 4 times and have had multiple X-rays, HIDA scan, endoscope, MRI, etc.. Never had any fever, except the second to last time. This one time involved something I've haven't seen on here and is the main reason I'm writing this.
The following day after one of my attacks that sent me to the ER, I had 103 fever and my Dr had me admitted to the hospital for 3 days for fear of something major. During the 3 day stay I either developed severe constipation or I had it before then and it led to the fever and possibly the attack. I didn't keep track of my bowels before I was admitted.
The next and last attack I had, the 3 day event one, I had severe constipation again. The first day I had actually eaten several prunes and other high fiber foods to relieve the constipation. Then, that night, I had an attack.
The next day I felt fine as always. I ate very little and took some stool softeners, but still had an attack that night. Then another the next night. I drank nothing but water and Miralax from that point on until I finally used the bathroom about 2 days later.
Here's one theory I have: something, whether Gastritis, Gastroparesis, or some other gut problem, is shutting down the digestive process for a certain time. I/we keep eating like normal and it causes a build up so to speak. The pain lasts until movement returns or until the food has moved from the place that causes the pain.
This likely is not it, but it may be connected in some way. Regardless, sorry so long and I'll give a few of what I believe may be triggers:
1. Dehydration or maybe just not enough water. I drink between 20-40 cups of water per day now.
2. Tight clothing. Pants or underwear in the lower abdomen region.
3. High fiber (veggies, corn especially, nuts)
4. Alcohol. Either from dehydration the next day or
I have a lot of these similar symptoms and my doctor associates it to my diagnosis with pancreas divisum. It's something Im born with and started causing problems 3 years ago at 28. Its bad upper stomach aches that spread across my whole stomach.it lasts basically all day off and on, more off then on. It doesn't always cause me to have to use the bathroom and that doesn't always help. I take pancreatic enzymes,creon, but lately is acting up more even with more pills. My doctor also said it could also be ibs. I also have acid reflux. He didn't seem concerned since I have no other red flag symptoms thankfully, but its still painful and Im getting really tired of it! Anyone else on here have that??
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