Chronic Stomach Pain

Well, the title basically says it all. After tonight, I have a feeling that it might be linked to caffeine consumption, although I am not entirely certain. These episodes usually come about gradually, result in moderate discomfort, and last a good 4 hours or more. Anyone experience something similar, or perhaps have any insight into what might be going on? It is not debilitating, but it most certainly eliminates all but my desire to lie down flat on my stomach. These episodes are occasionally preceded by mild chest pain, typically on the right side. They usually occur at least once a week, though usually more. Eating makes them worse. However, oddly enough, they are almost always followed by powerful hunger. Aside from caffeine, having dinner after about 7 seems to correlate with these episodes as well. The first bout occurred when I was around 10 years old. 

It may be the types of foods you are eating or you may have some sort of acid reflux syndrome.  Foods/juices that are high in acid (oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, coffee, etc) can cause all kinds of stomach pains in different people.  While some people eliminate these foods from their diet, I have found that combining these with other foods can ease the discomfort.  Personally, I cannot drink coffee or orange juice on an empty stomach!  I have also heard that certain enzymes can also help with the discomfort.

Of course, these are just some of my thoughts.  I would definitely suggest you go and see a doctor to make sure there is not a bigger issue.

Best of luck!

Original Post by kelly05_04:

It may be the types of foods you are eating or you may have some sort of acid reflux syndrome.  Foods/juices that are high in acid (oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, coffee, etc) can cause all kinds of stomach pains in different people.  While some people eliminate these foods from their diet, I have found that combining these with other foods can ease the discomfort.  Personally, I cannot drink coffee or orange juice on an empty stomach!  I have also heard that certain enzymes can also help with the discomfort.

Of course, these are just some of my thoughts.  I would definitely suggest you go and see a doctor to make sure there is not a bigger issue.

Best of luck!

Well, I doubt it is the consequence of acidic foods or liquids on an empty stomach. I am well aware of the havoc that such a combination can wreak, and therefore, amd quite careful to avoid it. 

I would make an appointment with your doctor right away.  It could be a myriad of things...everything from gall bladder, ulcer, liver etc.  You dont want to play with your health. 

You want the healthiest body possible...go see your doctor.

You could have acid reflux or any of the others listed above.

Go see your doctor and ask for an upper GI.  If it is acid reflux my cure for that was to give up white processed foods because they aggravate mine to no end.

Have you considered a gluten allergy or sensitivity?  I have had chronic stomach pain, very sharp at times, for years.  Hospitalized a couple of times it was so bad.  Doctors always said it must be a "virus" because they couldnt find any thing.  I found out accidentally that it was gluten, by starting a low-carb diet about a year ago.  Wow!  What a difference to be pain-free.  Also, my first celiac blood test came back negative, but I found it wasn't worth the pain and suffering to eat wheat or flour.   Another test, a saliva test, was positive. 

All at my own initiative, however.  I had to find info and take care of myself on this.  I hope you can find some answers!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have recently (or still are?) suffered from anorexia?  Because if that's true, that is most likely the cause of your problems.  There are lots of complications from eating disorders, many of them gastric.  One common on is delayed gastric emptying.  Your body "forgets" (temporarily) how to eat/digest.  So then, in the weight gain process, your weakened body is bombarded with food.  So what does the food do?  It just sits there in your stomach.  So you may be bloated, have severe constipation, etc.  

The chest pain sounds like acid reflux/GERD/heart burn, etc.  If the over the counter meds don't help, go see a doctor.  Here are some things that helped me with this pain (I've gone through this many times while gaining weight post anorexia relapses):

• lying down (on your back) with a heating pad on your stomach
• drinking tea (preferably decaf)
• accupuncture.  sounds weird, but it works wonders
• yoga
• going for a slow, gentle walk
• sleeping
• smaller meals that are more condensed (less volume of your food)
• when you have the pain, take note of the situation.  Basically track your pain, and if you see a pattern, you may be able to stop it
• some common pain-inducing foods are:  carbonated drinks (soda), artificial sweeteners, acidic foods  (tomatoes, citrus, etc), caffeine, heavy/rich foods, spicy things, etc...

Original Post by swimfan93:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have recently (or still are?) suffered from anorexia?  Because if that's true, that is most likely the cause of your problems.  There are lots of complications from eating disorders, many of them gastric.  One common on is delayed gastric emptying.  Your body "forgets" (temporarily) how to eat/digest.  So then, in the weight gain process, your weakened body is bombarded with food.  So what does the food do?  It just sits there in your stomach.  So you may be bloated, have severe constipation, etc.  

The chest pain sounds like acid reflux/GERD/heart burn, etc.  If the over the counter meds don't help, go see a doctor.  Here are some things that helped me with this pain (I've gone through this many times while gaining weight post anorexia relapses):

 

• lying down (on your back) with a heating pad on your stomach
• drinking tea (preferably decaf)
• accupuncture.  sounds weird, but it works wonders
• yoga
• going for a slow, gentle walk
• sleeping
• smaller meals that are more condensed (less volume of your food)
• when you have the pain, take note of the situation.  Basically track your pain, and if you see a pattern, you may be able to stop it
• some common pain-inducing foods are:  carbonated drinks (soda), artificial sweeteners, acidic foods  (tomatoes, citrus, etc), caffeine, heavy/rich foods, spicy things, etc...

I hope you feel better!

 

I think it may have something to do with eating the foods and beverages that you have listed, so today I do not intend to have any of those items, and if all goes well, I have no symptoms. I have not suffered from a more severe bout of anorexia in about a year, although symptoms such as chest pain and heart palpitations did persist for a little more than 6 months thereafter. Not pleasant!

Original Post by spoiled_candy:

You could have acid reflux or any of the others listed above.

Go see your doctor and ask for an upper GI.  If it is acid reflux my cure for that was to give up white processed foods because they aggravate mine to no end.

Processed foods are probably not my problem (I stopped eating them)...though my stomach did go nuts after a single, very small slice of cake. But, then again, I had coffee, too. Could it have been a bad reaction to not having had processed food for a while? Obviously, the presence of coffee complicates things a bit...

Although this sounds rather strange, could another possibility be stress? I internally panicked after having that cake (I'm a mostly recovered anorexic). Then, one night, my grandma and I had dinner rather late. Aside from that though, she had prepared the food herself, which is fine and good if you trust other people to cook for you. I, personally, do not. Seconds after I put some food on my plate, my stomach twisted into knot and I only ate to be polite. Can stress really cause such tangible physical symptoms?

You could be having anxiety attacks. They can feel like a heart attack, with pains running up and down your arms.

You could be overwhelmed by nutrition, as you are recovering from an ED. Your body may not be used to food.

You could be having esophageal spasms. They are a symptom of GI problems, and often come on after a big meal, or what your body is perceiving to be a big meal. I get them all the time at the end of the day, when my stomach has yet to process everything I've eaten since the morning.

Bottom line is, you need to see a doctor, asap. Tell them about your full medical history (including restrictive behaviors) as well as what you were eating when these attacks happened. Good luck; I hope you feel better soon!

As of this morning, I am pretty sure it has something to do with caffeine. I abstained from having coffee yesterday and experienced no problems. However, lo and behold, when I reintroduced a small cup this morning, my stomach twisted into its trademark knot. Nevertheless, the small amount of caffeine found in diet soda does not appear to have any adverse effects on me, so I think I will just stick with that. 

I don't think that's the end-all answer. You should really get a check-up. Coffee gives me indigestion, too, but I have a number of GI problems and take medication for them.

Are you still restricting? What are your current stats? How much are you eating each day? It kind of sounds to me like you haven't been eating that much; i.e. a small piece of cake gave you a stomach ache. That's not normal. And this has been happening for years, according to your original post. Please tell your doctor - there's no need to suffer, or to restrict; they can help you.

Original Post by mel_e_mel:

I don't think that's the end-all answer. You should really get a check-up. Coffee gives me indigestion, too, but I have a number of GI problems and take medication for them.

Are you still restricting? What are your current stats? How much are you eating each day? It kind of sounds to me like you haven't been eating that much; i.e. a small piece of cake gave you a stomach ache. That's not normal. And this has been happening for years, according to your original post. Please tell your doctor - there's no need to suffer, or to restrict; they can help you.

 

I have not restricted in nearly a year. I currently have a BMI of around 19 or so, by the way. I eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day. And I no longer suspect that the cake had anything to do with it, as I consumed a rather large cup of coffee prior to eating it.