Morning cramps and back aches

[sezchick]

Hello. I'm 27 years old. For about a year now I have been waking up with really bad stomach ache, cramps, morning rush. Alongside this I get bad back pain that radiates from between my shoulder blade around my sides. Usually after going to the toilet and a hot shower I am feeling much better and the aching has gone. Throughout the day I am absolutely fine. I do suffer the usual IBS symptoms of needing to open my bowels after eating and quite often and some bloating and wind. It's the mornings and aching all over that gets to me though. Does anyone else experience this? And has anythin mg worked to ekimate the aches? Thanks

[Huston]

Hi .

You are describing my symptoms exactly apart from the fact that I suffer from IBSC and you seem to be IBSD .Also you are 27 and I am 67 and have suffered IBS symptoms on and off for more years than I can remember .however it is only in the last 9 months that the being woken up everyday in the early hours with these severe morning stomach cramps have become the dominant symptom relieved by a bowel movement that requires a daily laxative regime to happen ! I also have the between the shoulder blades pain problem as well ,not related to exercise which seems to come on for no reason usually in the late afternoon and not everyday . Like you once I get up move around ,hopefully have a bowel movement ,I am usually fine for the rest of the day ,perhaps with a bit of stomach pain occasionally and by the evening absolutely fine !

So what am I attempting to do about this ? Well I have a restricted diet as the result of doing the FODMAPS elimination diet that identified onions as a possible trigger . I do not drink alcohol . I limit my bread intake to 1slice a day with breakfast . I use lacto free milk and cheese .i am now reducing fibre as having increased fibre a lot in my diet over a long period am now thinking that my gut gets overloaded with fibre .i do not eat later than 7 in the evening , I walk briskly for at least 30 minutes a day most days as well as being pretty active as well . Does any of this help ? I think it helps to alleviate the intensity of the cramps but certainly does not eliminate them neither has it affected my IBSC very much .however I can manage the constipation thing but the early morning stomach cramps is the thing that is really causing me the most grief and that I am at a loss with . I put the between the shoulder blade aches down to acid reflux and the fact I have an hiatus hernia so heartburn and chest pain that radiates through to my back happens on occasions .endoscopy and colonoscopy (twice) plus numerous blood tests have produced nothing apart from hiatus hernia and diverticulosis .diverticulosis comes with IBSC and is common in someone of my age .am I anywhere near understanding this thing ? No ! I am seeing yet another gastroenterologist soon who has a research interest in IBS ,in my quest for a SIBO test to add to the lactose and gluten intolerance tests I have had which both proved negative . I am also reading and following the advice in professor hunters book Irritable bowel solutions , which I wish I had found years ago , This is a great book and suggest you read it if you have not already done so . Sorry I have no answers and can only offer pointers and my sympathy . I have been on this site for a while and yours was the first post whose symptoms so closely fitted mine. So many slightly differing symptoms of essentially the same thing are reported here daily so finding someone reporting something so closely resembling mine has been a relief in it self ! So anything I discover that can deal with this early morning pain / cramps thing I will post and hopefully any one who suffers the same thing in this so helpful community will post as well cheers for now and you have all my support .

[Hidden in reply to Huston]

Have you tried a completely diary free diet - I found that lacto free still affected me

[flirtygert]

amen Sister!!! For the past 4 years I have been suffering DAILY from morning diahorrea, nausea and sometimes cramps (like period pains) on lower left side. I have had the usual barrage of blood tests, barium enema, endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy which thankfully all came back clear.... but that doesnt solve my problem. I am 42 with 3 kids who I feel have been restricted due to mummy not feeling well.... specialists have diagnosed me with a functional bowel disorder (similar to IBS) and I have tried all the usual medications with no quick fix, I am now wondering about Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity - having not yet cut gluten from my diet due to my GP telling me that if the endoscope proved negative then there was no point,. I would give anything to have more energy, less headaches, nausea, pain.... the list goes on. Is this what life is going to be like??? some days I think just get on with it but its not easy!!!!!!

[Bermuda1 in reply to flirtygert]

Having a severe celiac in the family and being aware of the symptoms and tests. To get a real result from the tests whether blood test or biopsy you need to eat quite a quantity of wheat daily. The blood test if you haven't eaten wheat in a few hours will give a false negative anyway. Worth trying just eliminating any wheat for a month as a test. It is tough going though as wheat is in just about everything.

[PatV]

you might want to be evaluated for PD. What you're describing are early signs. I have it. Not the worst thing -- the IBS is the worst part.

[flirtygert in reply to PatV]

sorry what is PD??? totally fed up feeling sick and exhausted every day...

[PatV in reply to flirtygert]

Parkinson's. YEs, hoping you find some help soon.

[Queeny54]

Hi

I do sympathise. I have recently had a prolonged flare up of ibs c which mercifully I now have under control. For the first time I was experiencing stomach cramps both before and after a bowel movement and almost a persistent stomach ache. What finally helped me was a very strong probiotic which alleviated all cramps and aches within a few hours. After much research I tried VSL #3. This is prescribed for people with serious bowel conditions such as ulcerative colitis or chrohns disease. Sadly cannot be prescribed for those of us with ibs. A little expensive but it has worked for me. I found 1/2 a sachet a day worked. I now take bio cult which is cheaper and not so potent but seems to work for me. I would also endorse Prof Hunters book on Ibs which is excellent and is written by someone who understands ibs. The book contains son every valuable information and is an easy read.

[flirtygert]

thanks Queeny54 - must try to get some of those books. I visited a local health food shop and got probiotic but then someone said it could cause Diahorrea and I think I have had enuf of it!!! lol

[sezchick]

Hi everyone,

Firstly thank you all for responding to my query! I think that it has been getting worse for me since a really bad time in my life and I was experience an awful lot of stress at the time. This was 18 months ago really but I seem to have been left with these symptoms. I actually had a better morning today, didn't eat as late and slept on my side instead of my back or stomach. It is strange - if I do this then it can help a little with the back pain and stomach cramps but as soon as I roll over everything goes into motion again! How bizarre! I also believe that a lot of my aching comes from holding my bloated stomach in and just having the tightness in that area which inevitably makes you sit awkwardly and lie awkwardly.

Doctors make me very fed up. My mother has suffered from IBS her whole life and her condition has been improved drastically by eliminating bread from her diet. I haven't found this to make a whole world of difference to me.

One of the better times I have had recently ---was actually on a raw veg and fruit juice fast! It banished a lot of the pains but this is not a long term solution!!! Sometimes I just get so fed up because I love cooking and eating but can't enjoy it without thinking about everything.

I think that I can cope with most of the symptoms but waking up in the mornings feeling yuk and achey, with stomach ache and back ache is not a great way to start a day off. Often I just feel grouchy in the mornings.

For the women - I do find that also I get worse before my period. Just another great factor of IBS I guess. I know that everyone experiences different forms of IBS in some way or another,.

Huston -- you said you suffered from IBSC - what is the difference please? I wasn't sure what you meant.

I'm going to actually book a session of acupuncture this afternoon and see if it helps with the aches at all. Someone has recommended this to me.

[Huston in reply to sezchick]

IBS which is constipation predominant .

[Hidden]

Not sure about the aches but I used to get the morning stomach aches and urgency until I cut dairy out of my diet I now have been free of this side of IBS for over 4 years.

[manicmonday]

Hello, you have my extreme sympathy, I had been suffering for a long time with the back ache and stomach cramps that you describe. My sleep was almost constantly disturbed, a whole pain-free nights sleep was very rare indeed and I was always exhausted. The first GP I consulted told me that I had "mechanical backache" and that it was not at all related to the IBS that I had been diagnosed with some years earlier. She prescribed Fybogel, which had no effect and there was no improvement. Finally, I saw a Nurse Practitioner who was very helpful and referred me to a Gastroenteroligist. He diagnosed severe constipation, which he said was causing the backache. I now take Movical three times daily. After about two and a half weeks, the pain started to ease and now the backache hardly troubles me. I do still have digestive discomfort, but nothing on the scale of how it was previously and Buscopan usually helps to ease it. I will never be rid of the IBS-C, but at least the symptoms are now under control and I can sleep properly at last! I really hope that you will find some relief from your symptoms

[Linley]

I agree with Bermuda1-get a blood test done for coeliac disease. If the test comes back negative then you can move on and find solutions for current IBS symptoms. Mine came back negative so I am doing exactly that, my Dr has given me Mebeverine and I have been on them for nearly 3 weeks its early days but my pain that I experience on the lower right hand side when waking up in the morning has eased-good luck!

[Rumbletum]

Hello all, has anyone tried symprove? If so is it any good ? Thanks

[sezchick]

Hi again.

I'm writing because I am feeling better than I have done in a long time this week and thought I'd share it with you all. This week I joined the gym - not really for weight lose but just to keep toned. I also stopped social smoking when I drink and cut down alcohol. My diet has been healthy with no real grains or high carbs. I've been eating big meaty (turkey/salmon/prawns) salads with tons of roasted veg in between and I have been eating nuts for snacking and Activia yogurts and fruit. As much as this may sound tedious. My aches and pains have gone away. During the day I'm not experiencing the same bloated feelings and am not needing to go to the bathroom. I still get the diarrhoea symptoms before work in the mornings but I'm feeling a world better just after three days. I wanted to share this with you all just so it may help someone.

I'm not saying that this is a permanent fix but I'll slowly introduce a few more ingredients to my diet. I just feel like the exercise and healthy eating is doing something good for my insides!

The pain in my back and the stiffness in the mornings seems to have eased as does the pains in my stomach in the mornings.

Worth a try right?

Thanks,

Sara

[sezchick]

I should probably add that everything that I was eating before this week was perfectly fresh and healthy - but for some reason I think that the bulkier foods - grains, bread, wheat, chocolate (especially) are not doing me any favours. It is hard to make up a filling meal with what is left from those staples but I'm going to look into more and more recipes now.

[Ibsr]

Did you do the acupuncture?

[rachelel]

Hi, I know this original post was 2 years ago but just wondered if you found a cure for your morning pain sezchick? I have exactly the same problem and it's really getting me down

[Mommy_of_2 in reply to rachelel]

hi I have the same currently. how are you doing now?