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What Causes Severe Stomach Pain, Recurring Headaches, Abdominal Cramps And Gas?
Question: Dr. Prof. XXXXXXX Saha
I am sorry for the delay in responding. Unfortunately, I am the same and just don't feel well. To refresh your memory, my stomach hurts all the time and feels like I need to have a B.M., but doesn't feel any better after I do have one. I also have a moderate, recurring headache. In addition, I have cramping and get gassy when I lie down at night. I wake up with these symptoms. The abdominal pain does start to taper off as the day gets later, but never actually dissipates. There is nothing that makes the pain worse nor anything that makes the pain better. I have had 2 endoscopies, a laparoscopy, a colonoscopy, and every test known to man. Everything comes back normal. I have been dealing with this for 2 years now and I am running out of ideas. I know that if you do not do the right test, then you don't get the right answer. I don't know what to do next. I could really use your opinion and any suggestions that you might have. Thank you so much for your help.
I am sorry for the delay in responding. Unfortunately, I am the same and just don't feel well. To refresh your memory, my stomach hurts all the time and feels like I need to have a B.M., but doesn't feel any better after I do have one. I also have a moderate, recurring headache. In addition, I have cramping and get gassy when I lie down at night. I wake up with these symptoms. The abdominal pain does start to taper off as the day gets later, but never actually dissipates. There is nothing that makes the pain worse nor anything that makes the pain better. I have had 2 endoscopies, a laparoscopy, a colonoscopy, and every test known to man. Everything comes back normal. I have been dealing with this for 2 years now and I am running out of ideas. I know that if you do not do the right test, then you don't get the right answer. I don't know what to do next. I could really use your opinion and any suggestions that you might have. Thank you so much for your help.
Brief Answer:
Steps of treatment mentioned
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking once again on HealthcareMagic.
Thanks for refreshing my memory but as I can see the previous query relates to contracted pelvic floor. Anyway, based on the description it seems that you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Anticholinergic and antispasmodic medications such as hyoscyamine (Levsin) and dicyclomine (Bentyl), can help relieve painful bowel spasms like the ones you are describing. Laxatives (not purgatives) on the other hand would help in reducing constipation while antimotility medicines can help relieving diarrhoea. Since these are prescription medicines you might need to visit a doctor to get them written down.
Let me tell you that the body and mind are inter-related. Physical complaintscan yield an unrest of the mind and vice versa. Dealing with such problems needs training of the mind and not merely treating for the physical ailment. You might know that the pain threshold of army men are much higher than that of a common man and this is achieved through training the mind. You too would need to train your mind to ignore the pain that you experience. Therefore in addition to the treatment for IBS, it would be a good idea to visit a psychologist. He would be able to administer psychotherapy which could ease you of your problems.
Hopefully that should help.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
Steps of treatment mentioned
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking once again on HealthcareMagic.
Thanks for refreshing my memory but as I can see the previous query relates to contracted pelvic floor. Anyway, based on the description it seems that you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Anticholinergic and antispasmodic medications such as hyoscyamine (Levsin) and dicyclomine (Bentyl), can help relieve painful bowel spasms like the ones you are describing. Laxatives (not purgatives) on the other hand would help in reducing constipation while antimotility medicines can help relieving diarrhoea. Since these are prescription medicines you might need to visit a doctor to get them written down.
Let me tell you that the body and mind are inter-related. Physical complaintscan yield an unrest of the mind and vice versa. Dealing with such problems needs training of the mind and not merely treating for the physical ailment. You might know that the pain threshold of army men are much higher than that of a common man and this is achieved through training the mind. You too would need to train your mind to ignore the pain that you experience. Therefore in addition to the treatment for IBS, it would be a good idea to visit a psychologist. He would be able to administer psychotherapy which could ease you of your problems.
Hopefully that should help.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hello and thank you for your reply. My condition is very similar to .B.S.., However, I have been told by all 3 gastroenterologist that it is not because I do not have spasms, I have an accompanying headache, and the abdominal pain is constant. I have also been on Linzess for I.B.S. with constipation, but that did not help the pain either. I was initially told that the pain was from the pelvic floor being contracted. However, after investigating, I found that this would cause pain in the rectum, not the abdomen. I now believe that this finding was incidental, but not the root cause of my pain. I really do not want to learn how to live with the pain, instead, I want to identify it and solve it. I don't just want to cover it up. I know that if you don't do the right test, then you don't get the right answer. I just need to know where to go from here. It was suggested that I have a pill cam done to explore the small bowel and that that could be a possible option. What do you think? I welcome your feedback, thank you.
Brief Answer:
You can go ahead with capsule endoscopy
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back. Let me tell you that the headache is unrelated to IBS. The headache cannot be caused due to spasms in the abdomen. But the abdominal pain is more likely to be due to spasms and that is exactly the reason for which Linzess is being given.
I think you are being advised capsule endoscopy. It can be done. Feel free to go ahead with it.
Our gastrointestinal tract has a forward propulsive movement (peristalsis) that moves the food material forward as it is digested, absorbed and finally expelled as feces. If somehow this movement gets hampered, food along with the digestive juices would stagnate and on the bowel habits would not be proper (constipation).
In order to relieve yourself, you need to do the following:
* Avoid spicy food. Take small but frequent meals. Avoid long gaps between meals.
* Avoid alcohol intake (if it a part of your habit).
* Take Prilosec (omeprazole) once daily before breakfast.
* Take plenty of items that have soluble fiber (not insoluble fiber). Legumes, grains and legumes are good source. The following link can help: https://www.fatfreekitchen.com/soluble-fiber-foods-list.html
* Regular morning walk and exercise to keep the bowel movements proper.
* If I had a patient like you I would perhaps have suggested Prodep (fluoxetine) 20 mg tablet (long term anxiolytic and a prescription drug) once daily for at least 2 months (it may take time for the action to set in). Discuss about this with your treating physician.
* Take curd or yogurt on daily basis. It contains beneficial bacteria and should help.
* Stress reduction has a very important role to play. Yoga and meditation should help.
Hopefully that should help.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
You can go ahead with capsule endoscopy
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back. Let me tell you that the headache is unrelated to IBS. The headache cannot be caused due to spasms in the abdomen. But the abdominal pain is more likely to be due to spasms and that is exactly the reason for which Linzess is being given.
I think you are being advised capsule endoscopy. It can be done. Feel free to go ahead with it.
Our gastrointestinal tract has a forward propulsive movement (peristalsis) that moves the food material forward as it is digested, absorbed and finally expelled as feces. If somehow this movement gets hampered, food along with the digestive juices would stagnate and on the bowel habits would not be proper (constipation).
In order to relieve yourself, you need to do the following:
* Avoid spicy food. Take small but frequent meals. Avoid long gaps between meals.
* Avoid alcohol intake (if it a part of your habit).
* Take Prilosec (omeprazole) once daily before breakfast.
* Take plenty of items that have soluble fiber (not insoluble fiber). Legumes, grains and legumes are good source. The following link can help: https://www.fatfreekitchen.com/soluble-fiber-foods-list.html
* Regular morning walk and exercise to keep the bowel movements proper.
* If I had a patient like you I would perhaps have suggested Prodep (fluoxetine) 20 mg tablet (long term anxiolytic and a prescription drug) once daily for at least 2 months (it may take time for the action to set in). Discuss about this with your treating physician.
* Take curd or yogurt on daily basis. It contains beneficial bacteria and should help.
* Stress reduction has a very important role to play. Yoga and meditation should help.
Hopefully that should help.
Let me know if I could help further.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hello again. I am not sure if I have already responded to you, so I am writing back just in case. I apologize if it is a duplicate. I believe that the headache and the abdominal pain are related because the time frames correspond. I was already on an antidepressant forr 6 months for unidentified pain, with no success. As far as stress goes, my stress level has not spiked in the past 2 years, so that can be ruled out. I feel that it must be something simple, but just has not been identified as of yet. Like I've said, the pelvic floor dysfunction is not the root cause of my issue. I have learned that the contracted pelvic floor would cause pain in the rectum, not the abdomen. I believe that finding was incidental. Do you know of any other specialties that I should investigate? And I am really hoping that you have some other ideas. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Brief Answer:
A surgeon can evaluate you
Detailed Answer:
Thanks again for writing back. The abdominal pain, as well as the headache, could be related and there is an entity called abdominal migraine. I would insist you to discuss with your doctor about treatment with beta blockers like Metoprolol which help in preventing migraines from occurring.
Regarding your rectal pain, I am not certain that contracted pelvic floor is the cause. There could be a number of causes that could contribute. A thorough evaluation would be needed for the same. As such you need to see a general surgeon look deeper into the problem.
Feel free to write back.
Regards
A surgeon can evaluate you
Detailed Answer:
Thanks again for writing back. The abdominal pain, as well as the headache, could be related and there is an entity called abdominal migraine. I would insist you to discuss with your doctor about treatment with beta blockers like Metoprolol which help in preventing migraines from occurring.
Regarding your rectal pain, I am not certain that contracted pelvic floor is the cause. There could be a number of causes that could contribute. A thorough evaluation would be needed for the same. As such you need to see a general surgeon look deeper into the problem.
Feel free to write back.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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