Stomach Issues - Joliet, IL

Hi C.,

I've had the same exact issue every month for the last 15 years. I have had every GI and OB test under the sun performed on me and everything came back negative. My OB attributes it to ovulating. So I took my OB's word and stopped probing. The only advice I was given was to take ibuprofen for the pain whenever it becomes unbearable. This seems to help with some of the pain. Hope this helps...

B-

I go through the same thing every 2 months. Oddly it is not every month since it is always about a week or 2 before my period. I go through excruciating pain where I can't sit or stand, I just grab my stomach and wait for it to subside. Until I found probiotic pills at the Vitamin Shoppe. Actually they sell them everywhere. At the first sign of pain, I take the tiny pill and it goes away. Crazy but true. Hope this helps, it's worth a try. I try to drink them everyday (I forget sometimes) to prevent the pain from coming back.

My sister and I both experience excruciating pain that is associated with ovulation (it is called "mittelschmertz", you can find info on it on-line), which is usually about two weeks before your period. It definitely can be confused with gastro issues, that's what I thought it was for months and tried everything from Tums to Gas-X. I can barely stand up when it happens. Now that I know what it feels like and I can calculate the date as being two weeks prior to my period, I take an Advil (ibuprophen) as soon as I start to feel the pain and it subsides within minutes. Advil is an anti-inflammatory, so Tylenol won't work as well, it must be ibuprophen or another anti-inflammatory. Good Luck & I hope you feel better!

Based on personal experience, it sounds like it could possibly be painful ovulation (technically referred to as middleschmerz). Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any great options for relief. I've found that pressing down on the ovary area, although painful, seems to bring some relief.

I had this a number of years ago, and still have it to a milder extent. It turned out to be endometriosis that was attached to my bowel. I had a laparoscopy done to diagnose it, and while in there they removed as much as they could - but a little still remains.

Check with your OB/Gyn.

The pain you describe sounds like a pain I get when I have gas. I also know that I have a very acidic stomach. So, I take acidophillus everyday after every meal. It's a pro-biotic that is in your system, but sometimes is not present due to gas or stomach issues. It's over the counter and you'll find it in the herbal section of an grocery store or pharmacy. It really makes a difference with me.

C.-
I had something very similar. I felt like I was coming down with the flu every month about a week before I got my period. I had a stomach ache and I was bloated. I do have pain when I ovulate, but his was different (and after ovulation). I finally found a chiropractor who was able to help. I starting taking Betaine HCl (he gave me Zypan by Standard Process. It's works with digestion. I felt better very quickly and have not had the same problem since. I don't take it all the time any more, just when I feel I need to.
Good luck.
J.

C.-Did this Dr. test for parasites?? Around the same time of menstruation, parasites are also very active and this is what you could be experiencing. Everyone has them-some worse than others depending on your eating regimen and what kind of prescriptions you have been exposed to.

T.
Detox Coach

Are you sure you don't have a hernia? If they concluded that it is OB related why hasn't your OB continued to pursue this issue? Are you being proactive on your own behalf or letting the doctors tell you that it is nothing, when month after month you continue to suffer. You have a lot on your plate with 4 active children that need a healthy mom, pursue this further so you can end the suffering. Good luck!

Hi C., the same thing happens to me every month right before and during my period. Have you ever had a c-section? I think that my issues may be due to the fact that I had a c-section when I had my daughter 2 1/2 years ago.

But I know what you mean about feeling like something is traveling through there - I am in so much pain when this occurs that I double over, can't walk, and have to hold my breath until the pain goes away. I take some advil to try to reduce the inflammation, but it works minimally. I just have to wait until my period is gone, and then everything if fine.

I was thinking about talking to my OBGYN about this as well, because it only occurs while I am having my period. If you find anything else out, please let me know. Good luck!

Hi, this sounds like something i have delt with in the past. Ibs irritable bowel sindrome. This is no fun and there is nothing that can be done for this. I have found a website called heathers ibs.com and ordered things from her. Stay away from red mest as this is a trigger food for ibs and talk to your dr about phenl it is for gas pains and blotting and does work. I have had this (ibs) for years and is very painful. Good luck to you

L.

Did the OB send you to an reproductive endocrinologist? It is possible that you are experiencing pain from ovulation and it is something that could be checked out. I would ask abou thtis. I went through infertility and learned alot. Twice I had horrible pain and we thought maybe it was something else. It turned out to be ovulation.

This sounds similar to what I used to experience whenever I ovulated. Pain & gas symptoms subsided when I realized deep massage around the area of ovaries shortened the length of discomfort from days to hours.

I don't mean to be personal, but I know you said you had a ton of tests, but did they do a colonoscopy and endoscopy? Your pain sounds so similair to mine, and i really thought it was IBS, so did the doctors, then I had stomach bleeding...don't mean to scare you, just wished I had pushed sooner on with all my GI issues in hindsight...well they checked everything out, and it turned out I have severe acid reflux disease that did a ton of damage. I will need to be on medication for the rest of my life to hopefully prevent esophageal cancer. Now mind you, I NEVER EVER HAD HEARTBURN. Only during the end of my pregnancies. Funny thing is that now that I am on my meds I hardly have any tummy troubles, except when I don't correctly for more than a couple of days. Beleive me, the doctor was as surprised as I was to find that I never get heartburn, and that I had no pain, let alone that I was even able to swallow food. My esophagus was terribly eroded and it caused some permanent cellular changes to it, which are benign now, and hopefully will remain that way. I am glad I know now, I am glad I feel better, my only regret is that I was not more proactive in this, when I could clearly feel something was wrong even though it was dismissed. Had I been I may have prevented some of this damage. Hope this helps you out. Feel better.

Hi C.,

Many of the responses point out ovulation, which when you have endometrosis this time of month is the worst. Very sore and painful which nothing seems to help. There are two things which relieve the pain and they are, becoming pregnant or total hysterectomy which will be permenent. If this is what you have there are surgeries that can be performed which burn away the "cysts" but they do tend to come back. My sister-in-law had 4 operations, then 4 children, then a total hysterectomy and is finally pain free. She said the pain was worse after each child, and after the last she could barely walk during that time. She has four beautiful children that she can enjoy and not miss out on a week of their lives each month. Try to talk with your OB and see if she/he can check of endometriosis. Good Luck!!!

I have the SAME EXACT PROBLEM, Huge painful belly, gas etc. I went to the doc (not gyne) and he gave me basically a stomach med. for acid reflux but after taking this med. which I don't think even helped, I was able to finally pin it down to Ovulation. Now I just take Advil and gas-x. I'm happy to read the other postings about mittelschmertz - I never heard of that.

I'm not sure what this is, but I can tell you that a quality probiotic supplement can do wonders for the GI track among many other things. I would think this would help you out a lot especially since all this testing is revealing that nothing is "wrong." That happens all the time! Just because testing doesn't lead you to an illness or disease, it doesn't mean nothing is wrong. Clearly something is, and your body is trying to tell you something. I could also recommend fiber and a product called Herb-lax. I am a Shaklee distributor and would love to help you out if you'd like more information. Jsut let me know!

K.

could it be endometriosis? only way to determine is by laparoscopy
good luck hope this got resolved
J.