View Full Version : Abdominal pain for Christmas
Hi folks,
I have travelled (thousands of miles) to see family and doing my very best to put on a tough face. Christmas is a important time of year for my family who are going through a tough time in various ways.
4 days ago I started getting a pinching pain to the top left of my belly button (an inch to the left). The pain is intermittent, I can go a few hours just fine - and when it does hurt it’s just pinches for a few seconds on and off for a little while. I don’t feel bloated but I am belching more than normal. BMs seems normal (for me!).
I would normally be close to going to the doctor, but being away from home and in the holiday season it’s not really an option. I’m nowhere near a&e levels of pain.
Does this sound like IBS? Ulcer? It seems fairly localised to this one area although I am getting some other pains randomly (probably just over sensitive). Just looking to hear other experiences. I was hoping this would pass in a day or so, but 4 days in now and no sign of letting up.
Thanks
Havefaithx
23-12-18, 19:20
Hi hun,
I’m not a dr but I’d have thought if it was anything serious it wouldn’t be going on 4 days later. You could have possibly pulled a muscle from being tense. It could also be your bowels or even trapped wind. There are a million none life threatening things it could be. If you are dealing with the pain without having to have any pain killers then I’m pretty sure you will be okay. Try and relax and have a nice Christmas x
Thanks for the reply. Agree, and definitely don’t feel like it needs to be dealt with right away. Just conscious the time it’s dragging on for and the fact it seems like it won’t go away on its own.
I'm have a very similar issue. Exact same type of pinching pain, but mine is slightly above and to the right, sometime directly above the belly button. I'm not at all sure what it is, but muscle tension makes sense since I've been a nervous wreck for the last three months and had various other abdominal pains that come and go.
I'm have a very similar issue. Exact same type of pinching pain, but mine is slightly above and to the right, sometime directly above the belly button. I'm not at all sure what it is, but muscle tension makes sense since I've been a nervous wreck for the last three months and had various other abdominal pains that come and go.
Mine also came on after a period of very intense stress. Can you link yours to any kind of food or drink? Mine is starting every morning about 10 minutes after I wake up up. Just enough time for me to get some hope that it’s gone! Also got lots of increased sounds coming from the area.
Mine also came on after a period of very intense stress. Can you link yours to any kind of food or drink? Mine is starting every morning about 10 minutes after I wake up up. Just enough time for me to get some hope that it’s gone! Also got lots of increased sounds coming from the area.
I don't think mine is linked to diet. I find some of my other abdominal pains are linked to gas/bowel movements but the pinching pain around my bellybutton almost seems to come and go at random.
Mine also comes on fairly soon after waking up, but I definitely seem to notice it after I start thinking about it. Like during the day i will forget about it for a few hours, start thinking about it again for some reason, and a little while later it's back. My guess is that its stress related
I really can’t tell. Sometimes I swear it’s linked to digestion and others I can’t tell at all. Tried some pain killers today just to get rid of it nagging me. Is ruining some quality family time we’ve all waited so long for.
Maybe I’ll try some buscopan tomorrow? Been going for a week now, about where my patience with these things starts to run real thin. :(
I really can’t tell. Sometimes I swear it’s linked to digestion and others I can’t tell at all. Tried some pain killers today just to get rid of it nagging me. Is ruining some quality family time we’ve all waited so long for.
Maybe I’ll try some buscopan tomorrow? Been going for a week now, about where my patience with these things starts to run real thin. :(
Did the painkillers work for you? I haven't bothered trying because mine isn't painful enough and only lasts for a minute at most before going away for a few hours.
Did the painkillers work for you? I haven't bothered trying because mine isn't painful enough and only lasts for a minute at most before going away for a few hours.
No they didn’t work at all. Mine last longer than a minute. It’s like a second at a time but can happen every minute for a little while. Then stop for hours.
I’m leaning towards ibs but I heard the flare ups only last a few days and I’m at a week. I think I’ll need to go through some investigation. I guess the good news is that this is the only symptom so far.
No they didn’t work at all. Mine last longer than a minute. It’s like a second at a time but can happen every minute for a little while. Then stop for hours.
I’m leaning towards ibs but I heard the flare ups only last a few days and I’m at a week. I think I’ll need to go through some investigation. I guess the good news is that this is the only symptom so far.
My understanding of IBS is that it can take a bunch of different forms and the flare ups can vary from person to person.
When I went in to my doc to talk about my abdominal pains she was pretty confident that it was bowel activity or plain old stress. The nature of it didnt seem to suggest anything sinister to her.
My understanding of IBS is that it can take a bunch of different forms and the flare ups can vary from person to person.
When I went in to my doc to talk about my abdominal pains she was pretty confident that it was bowel activity or plain old stress. The nature of it didnt seem to suggest anything sinister to her.
Thanks for the support, really appreciate it!
It disappeared for a good 36 hours, and has reappeared this evening but it various different places. It’s a relief it didn’t just fire back up in exactly the same place. I’m strongly feeling this is stress related. Flying home on Monday and will see how it plays out back there before going to see my primary care.
So nearly six months went by without an issue, but low and behold it’s back! The last two weeks I’ve been dealing with this pain again. It’s frustrating because it’s not that painful but enough to grab my attention.
Midnight-mouse
10-06-19, 19:29
So nearly six months went by without an issue, but low and behold it’s back! The last two weeks I’ve been dealing with this pain again. It’s frustrating because it’s not that painful but enough to grab my attention.
Does this time correlate with anything you are worries about or looking forward to that you're worried it could ruin? I get the same pain that you're describing quite often and haven't ever had it go away for as long as you have. The way that it's just been gone for so long and now has decided that it's coming back would definitely indicate to me that it's something external causing the issue. Have you changed your diet in any way in the last month or so? It can take a while to have an effect.
Positive Vibes,
Mouse
Does this time correlate with anything you are worries about or looking forward to that you're worried it could ruin? I get the same pain that you're describing quite often and haven't ever had it go away for as long as you have. The way that it's just been gone for so long and now has decided that it's coming back would definitely indicate to me that it's something external causing the issue. Have you changed your diet in any way in the last month or so? It can take a while to have an effect.
Positive Vibes,
Mouse
Not to my knowledge. Perhaps work is a Bit more stressful than before. No step changes though, or major changes in diet. I do think there’s some correlation to my bowel habits.
Funnily enough it disappeared over the weekend again but is back this morning! I think I’ll go see the primary care, and take it from there.
Updating here: went to my primary care doctor who recommended a probiotic and a food log. After no luck there I was referred to a gastroenterologist, and am currently awaiting blood test results. They have prescribed an anti-spasmodic. If no improvement from here we'll be looking at colonoscopy and CT, which is not ideal. I particularly don't like the CT part with the radiation.
The pain has changed somewhat since I first posted here, although it remains in the exact same spot - just left of the belly button. It is pretty regular these days, I wake up and it starts within 20 mins. It almost always goes away after a bowel movement. The rest of the day is then variable, there may be nothing or it may come on again later in the day. Sometimes it will go away for 4 or 5 days but it always comes back. Of course I'm struggling to believe this is just IBS, but doing my best to work through the doctors steps.
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