View Full Version : Stomach Ache for 6 Days
Hi everyone,
I've had an extremely irritating dull stomach ache (mild-to-moderate) for the past 5-6 days that just won't seem to go away, always seeming to persist no matter what I eat. I've tried eating healthier. Nothing changes. All I've had today is a sandwich, tomato soup, a smoothie, Greek yoghurt, water, and yet it literally seems worse than before. I could probably eat a load of junk and it would still feel the same.
I don't even have looser bowel movements either, nor am I constipated, but it just feels like nothing I do can relieve it or get rid of it.
I'm not worried that it's cancer or anything like that because this has happened to me a few times before. It comes for less than a week and then suddenly goes. But this time it feels like it's dragging on for longer (although it hasn't been a week yet) and I'm just desperate for it to go. That - combined with a cold that I currently have - has ruined my Christmas and forced me have to cancel the few plans I had.
My diet is typically very poor and I tend to overeat a lot. That is what most people who I've asked chalk this down to but I've been eating healthy enough for the past few days and it still persists, so it feels like I can never win no matter what I eat. But whatever I typically eat doesn't usually result in a stomach ache so it doesn't make sense.
Could it be psychosomatic? Anxiety? Am I making it worse by thinking so much about it?
Or IBS? But this isn't relieved by going to the toilet so I don't know.
I don't have this as bad as some others with serious conditions so I shouldn't really be complaining but the persistent nature of it is really getting to me. I'm trying to be patient but it just won't go.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
It could easily be psychosomatic, Toby. Not sure about you, but I
always worry a lot over Christmas. In your position, I'd eat as close to my normal as possible and wait it out.
Hope you have a wonderful festive season.
It could easily be psychosomatic, Toby. Not sure about you, but I
always worry a lot over Christmas. In your position, I'd eat as close to my normal as possible and wait it out.
Hope you have a wonderful festive season.
Thank you. You too!
ankietyjoe
24-12-22, 09:55
You say you generally have a poor diet and overeat a lot.
A couple of days of healthier eating won't counteract that.
If you have diet related stomach issues, recovery could take months. You could even have developed something like gluten intolerance. Again, recovery can be lengthy.
A few days later and I still have no appetite. Whenever I do eat, it results in discomfort followed by a pretty explosive bowel movement. TMI but it is what it is.
The lingering stomach ache is less noticeable now at times (I suppose? Hard to say) but just in general, things don't feel right.
It's as though something has shifted in my body and I have no idea what...
IBS? Psychosomatic? Because obviously the mind and the gut are intrinsically linked. When I first experienced health anxiety back in 2014, I remember not passing a normal bowel movement for the entire Christmas period because I was so worried about having bowel cancer for some reason or another, and that was most definitely all psychosomatic. I remember having a headache for like 2 weeks also that only disappeared when I stopped thinking so much about it.
I did have what I think was a hemhorroid flare up maybe 5 days ago. Quite a bit of bright red blood on the paper (not a fissure as the BM wasn't solid), definitely separate from the stools which were very loose and not even tinged with blood... it was as though I was bleeding directly onto the paper, like a nosebleed. So I assume that must've been hemhorroids. If it was a tumor in the rectum causing said bleeding, I don't see how it would affect my stomach or appetite or how it would even cause diarrhoea since it's not causing any blockages and I'm not cramping.
These symptoms began on Sunday 18th December and then a few days later I developed symptoms of a cold (sore throat, chills, night sweats) which is wearing off now. Could they be linked? Maybe not, because the IBS-like symptoms kicked in 3-4 days before the typical cold symptoms. I did eat a lot of junk on December 18th but my diet is always bad. And now it doesn't matter if I eat healthily or not, symptoms arise.
Also, thank you for the reply ankietyjoe. I don't know about gluten intolerance but I just want it over with already.
Right this second I feel fine but I still have no appetite or a desire to eat. I'm scared that this is the new normal, but I'm also grateful/able to recgonise that I don't have it as bad as some others with IBD or Chron's, for instance, as that sounds TRULY awful. As I said before, in this case, it's just the persistent nature of it that is sending me over the edge.
And by the way, I haven't mentioned it in this thread, but I'm 22 and male. So not someone who doctors would say is likely to develop bowel cancer but I have worried about it A LOT in the past, and there are known cases of bowel cancer in my age group.
ankietyjoe
27-12-22, 09:36
A few days later and I still have no appetite. Whenever I do eat, it results in discomfort followed by a pretty explosive bowel movement. TMI but it is what it is.
The lingering stomach ache is less noticeable now at times (I suppose? Hard to say) but just in general, things don't feel right.
It's as though something has shifted in my body and I have no idea what...
IBS? Psychosomatic? Because obviously the mind and the gut are intrinsically linked. When I first experienced health anxiety back in 2014, I remember not passing a normal bowel movement for the entire Christmas period because I was so worried about having bowel cancer for some reason or another, and that was most definitely all psychosomatic. I remember having a headache for like 2 weeks also that only disappeared when I stopped thinking so much about it.
I did have what I think was a hemhorroid flare up maybe 5 days ago. Quite a bit of bright red blood on the paper (not a fissure as the BM wasn't solid), definitely separate from the stools which were very loose and not even tinged with blood... it was as though I was bleeding directly onto the paper, like a nosebleed. So I assume that must've been hemhorroids. If it was a tumor in the rectum causing said bleeding, I don't see how it would affect my stomach or appetite or how it would even cause diarrhoea since it's not causing any blockages and I'm not cramping.
These symptoms began on Sunday 18th December and then a few days later I developed symptoms of a cold (sore throat, chills, night sweats) which is wearing off now. Could they be linked? Maybe not, because the IBS-like symptoms kicked in 3-4 days before the typical cold symptoms. I did eat a lot of junk on December 18th but my diet is always bad. And now it doesn't matter if I eat healthily or not, symptoms arise.
Also, thank you for the reply ankietyjoe. I don't know about gluten intolerance but I just want it over with already.
Right this second I feel fine but I still have no appetite or a desire to eat. I'm scared that this is the new normal, but I'm also grateful/able to recgonise that I don't have it as bad as some others with IBD or Chron's, for instance, as that sounds TRULY awful. As I said before, in this case, it's just the persistent nature of it that is sending me over the edge.
And by the way, I haven't mentioned it in this thread, but I'm 22 and male. So not someone who doctors would say is likely to develop bowel cancer but I have worried about it A LOT in the past, and there are known cases of bowel cancer in my age group.
Ok so these parts I've highlighted.
1) If you've always eaten poorly and your current issues are a result of that, it could take months and months to recover. If you have a gluten issue, that does not repair overnight. If you gave up gluten completely (and I mean not even a molecule of gluten in your diet) it's possible for you to be symptomatic for months afterwards, assuming gluten is an issue (which is very likely these days).
2) If you know there are cases of bowel cancer in your age group, it's because you've googled it, or researched it. This is breaking anxiety rule number one. Never google. Never self diagnose.
3) Your stomach and digestion are THE weakest link in the anxiety cycle. If you worry, if you stress, you will have digestion issues. The longer you worry, the worse it will get. A shitty diet compounding this is unlikely to help things either.
4) You're hyper focusing on multiple symptoms (all related) instead of looking at the big picture. You're a stressed out dude with a bad diet, trying to figure out why your ass isn't working properly?
5) Good diet.....the key to mental and physical health. What does a good diet look like to you? This is an important one.
Hmm... I'm starting to think that it's not a gluten issue or anything to do with diet or IBS, I suspect that it's some sort of virus or mild stomach bug because the gnawing ache that was the initial problem has (I think, for the most part) gone. Yet I still have diarrhoea, no matter what I eat. And I have no appetite either. My appetite is usually huge but lately, over the past few days, I've just been eating plain chicken and rice. I tried to eat a few chocolatey bits but I just didn't enjoy them.
Could it be related to the cold that I have? The cold, or at least the sore throat, is definitely fading away now but maybe it did something to my stomach. Perhaps it's even COVID. I read that causes diarrhoea in some cases...
Yup, you're right there ankietyjoe. As I said above I don't think it's anything gluten or bad diet related anymore, I think it must be something to do with the cold that I've had. I've never really eaten healthily but a good diet for me would be less of the fatty foods and more proper meals, which I tend to skip in favor of snacks sometimes. I think towards Christmas I was getting better at eating proper meals but then this whole situation happened.
Should I seek medical attention?
When I had gnawing pain it was gerd / indigestion.
If you’ve had diarrhoea for that long then it wouldn’t hurt to see a gp.
When I had gnawing pain it was gerd / indigestion.
If you’ve had diarrhoea for that long then it wouldn’t hurt to see a gp.
The dull, gnawing pain was below my ribs. I notice that I get it once a year and then it goes magically in less than a week. Same situation this year.
And I've had diarrhoea for about 4-5 days now, which came after the dull achey pain and at the same time as the cold.
I will book to see a GP if this hasn't resolved itself by Sunday maybe? Do you think it could be something serious?
The diarrhoea still hasn't stopped. I think I've had it 7-8 days now. And I also still have a small appetite.
TMI but the diarrhoea is very explosive and accompanied by a sense of urgency.
I'm gonna book an appointment Monday morning if it hasn't resolved by then.
Any ideas what it could be? My gut's reaction to the cold I had?
I don’t think it’s serious, but it’s worth getting seem x
It’s still persisting…
What if I had COVID and this is one of those symptoms that never seem to disappear?
Me and my dad have had similar stomach/bowel issues ourselves for the past few days, so there's every chance it could be connected to the multitude of bugs/viruses doing the rounds of late.
While anything could be possible as far as Covid is concerned (like most other major viruses/bugs), it in itself can affect different people in different ways.
Me and my dad have had similar stomach/bowel issues ourselves for the past few days, so there's every chance it could be connected to the multitude of bugs/viruses doing the rounds of late.
While anything could be possible as far as Covid is concerned (like most other major viruses/bugs), it in itself can affect different people in different ways.
Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. But don't most cases clear themselves up quickly? Mine is just going on and on
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