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Severe stomach pain problems
Hello, I've had stomach pain over the past 8 years that is so severe that I can't hold a full time job. No test I have taken (colonoscopy, blood test, stool test, xray etcetera) comes up with anything. It's very inconsistent and the only noticeable difference in my pain is what I eat. I'm lactose and gluten intolerant yet even when I stick to this diet it still hurts alot. The diet only stops it from going from bad to worse. My bowel movements can range from constipated to soft and if I have something like gluten then runny. There are some medications that have a mild effect on my stomach like pepol Bismol and Imodium but they aren't that effective. The pain is mostly in the middle of my stomach right around the belly button. There are periods of time I call attacks where the pain goes to a level I cant really describe. I call them attacks. During these attacks my stool almost looks mashed but it doesn't turn into diarrhea. Im also glued to the toilet. At these times the only relief is a hospital visit in an ambulance and some morphine. These only really happen when I've either have eaten something I'm allergic to or I've just had a diet with alot of sugar and just bad diet food in general. There's never usually any hardness to my stomach when you push on it. The pain is kind of a mixture of dull and sharp but at the end of the day it's kinda hard to explain what it feels like so I just call it cramping. It feels like having to throw up but on the other end(only during attacks). You feel like you have to go then when you do it hurts coming out except the difference being that it doesn't really help the pain it just makes it worse. And it actually hurts my anus almost like it's burning but I don't think it's actually burning. The "burning" sensation only lasts a few minutes after the bowel movement and the worse my stomach hurts the worse my anus hurts when I take a bowel moment. There's no blood in my stool it has just kinda been loose. It almost starts out like I don't barely feel it in the morning then after 2 to 3 hours it'll go back to hurting alot if I'm having an attack that day. Alot of these symptoms I am describing happen during attacks. When my stomach is at a normal level of pain it just feels kinda crampy and my stool seem to be regular. Not constipated or diarrhea. I thought alot of it would be due to my anxiety or depression but it can just randomly worse when I'm completely relaxed and be okay when I'm in the very anxious situation like at a job interview or a date. Nor does it improve with how happy I am like if I'm on depression meds. I don't know what to do anymore no one can tell me what's wrong with me and any remedies I've tried have either very little to a mild effect. Please help me!
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Hello @stevenshep and welcome to Mayo Connect.
I am sorry to hear of your severe stomach pain without a clear-cut diagnosis and/or treatment plan. That can be frustrating as well as painful.
Connect has many people with similar problems. There are a lot of rare diagnoses that lead to stomach pain. On Connect we are not qualified to diagnose health problems but I can suggest discussions that you can read where others have found helpful. The first would be the discussion on abdominal wall pain. Here is the link, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/has-anyone-been-diagnosed-with-abdominal-wall-pain/
As you read these posts you might find similarities to those who have posted and this might help you to talk with your doctor about a possible new way to look at your stomach pain.
There are also discussions on Mesenteric Panniculitis. Here is a link to those discussions, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mesenteric-panniculitis-or-schlerosing-mesentertis-auto-immune-around-small-intestine/
Some of these diagnoses are so rare that even a knowledgeable Gi specialist might not think of them right away. I always encourage members of Connect to seek a second opinion from a multidisciplinary health care institution like a university medical center or a Mayo facility if they cannot find help in their local health care system.
Would you be willing to get a second opinion at this time?
@stevenshep - Welcome to Connect Digestive Disorder! Your pain sounds horrible- I almost know the pain. I had extremely severe abdominal pains for years without diagnosis. I would scream- if I was home. I ended up having insufficient blood supply to my intestines due to a ligament compressing one artery. There are also other causes for limited blood supply to intestines and organs. I would typically get worse a while after eating. I don’t know if you already had a Doppler ultrasound of your abdominal blood flow? Or a CT angiogram of the abdomen? If this path has not been investigated, it may be useful to check with your gastroenterologist.
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1 ReactionI feel like I'm stuck though. I've had multiple tests done including a colonoscopy and barium swallow and nothing comes up. Now when I talk to a doctor about it they just tell me its probably ibs and do nothing about it. But no medication has really helped me so it's like trying to solve a problem with no one really willing to actually take the time to help me.
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1 ReactionHi again @stevenshep,
Have you sought a second opinion from a multidisciplinary health care institution like a university medical center or a Mayo facility? For hard-to-diagnose problems, these types of medical centers tend to be better than a local health care system.
You might want to consider it.
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1 ReactionI haven't but that definitely seems like that might be best
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1 ReactionIBS feels like something is wrong. I’ve had all the tests and there is nothing wrong with me. But it is completely controllable over 80% of the time with a proper food elimination diet. So if you figure out what you’re eating that causes the discomfort and eliminate it, you will feel better. Also, coffee, pop, chocolate, aspartame, and animal fat are culprits for me. So just figure out your triggers and you will feel better. Also, probiotics are amazing, either supplements or low fat yogurt.
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