Stomach / Back Pain On and Off for 2 Years! Help!

Digestive health
1

I have been having problems with my stomach / back for around 2 years now. 

Without any pattern at all I randomly have days where I am in ridiculous amount of pain with severe stomach cramps and lower back pain around where I would guess my kidneys are. The focus of the pain being in the stomach, there is not particular side or area of the stomach, it hurts all over and is an all-consuming pain.

I have experienced some issues with my bowel movements, occasionally I feel like I can't go at all and other times I will get diarrhea. I have even woken up in the middle of the night and thrown up once after having a whole day and evening of excruciating pain. I often feel sick when the pain in my stomach is bad. 

Occasionally I will also have problems when passing urine. The actual urine itself does not sting or burn but sometimes it is a struggle to be able to actually start and can cause pain before and on the very odd occasion the pain will ease after I have urinated if I was struggling to wee. Other times I feel like I am weeing every 10 minutes. 

However often I have the pain with no urination or bowel problems at all.

I went to see my GP and they sent me for blood tests. All showed normal except my iron levels. They showed I was very much lacking in iron and was a bit anaemic so I am now taking ferrous sulfate to try and change that. The GP said they do not believe the lack of iron is in any way related to the stomach pain.

My GP put my pain down to IBS and prescribed Mebeverine for the stomach cramps. I took this for a week or two and I felt like I was in just as much pain if not more than when I wasn't taking it so I decided to stop taking it in case it was actually making things worse. I also tried Buscapan but again it did not make any difference if anything it just upset my tummy. 

So I decided to go to the hospital as I was in so much pain and actually getting a little desperate now. They tested my urine and said it showed signs of infection so they sent me away with 3 days of antibiotics and told me to go back to my GP. 

I took the antibiotics for the full 3 days and I can’t say I felt any difference at all after taking these. I called my GP surgery and they said to just see how I go (even though I had been seeing how I go for over 2 years and I am not getting any better!).

The pain now continues on and off. I would say it mainly occurs after Eating and more often in the afternoon / evening.  This could be after a slice of toast, after a salad, after eating plain roast chicken, it honestly doesn’t seem to be discriminative to food, no matter what it is, it can cause me pain. The pain will normally last around 5/6 hours, sometimes longer and sometimes I just have to try and go to sleep to sleep it off and then I will wake up in the morning fine. Sometimes it will ease if I apply heat to my back but that doesn't always work.

Sometimes the pain is so bad I cannot walk or move and it reduces me to tears on most occasions. Sometimes I can go a few weeks with no pain at all and then all of a sudden I will get it every day for a week and it really is excruciating.

Occasionally I will feel quite gassy and will burp quite a bit, other times I won’t at all.

I cannot find anything regular with it and cannot work out any pattern to it.

Recently I was at work and then at around 1pm the pain started and it was unbelievable. I was in the office toilet on the floor, doubled over in so much pain, I could not stand or walk I honestly felt like I was going to pass out and throw up. Later on in the day I did also slightly struggle to get my urine out however once I did pass urine it again did not sting or burn at all. 

I have spoken to my GP again over the phone as it is impossible to get an appointment there and they are still say it could be IBS. However they have asked me to do a urine sample and drop it at the hospital so I could just see what comes of that but at this stage I am losing faith in my GP. They almost make me feel bad for going to them, like I am a burden and make me feel like I am making the whole thing up and overreacting but I have been living with this for 2 years and before that I never had it at all so something clearly isn't right. I should not be doubled over crying most evenings and I most certainly shouldn't be doing it at work. 

I am just getting desperate to find out what is causing it and I am even more desperate to make it stop as it is seriously affecting my life and my work in such a bad way.

As I have previously mentioned, I have monitored what I am eating to see if certain food types trigger it and there is absolutely no pattern to it at all. 

I am seriously feeling drained and slightly down and would love to get it sorted.

Any suggestions as to what it could be or what I can do to help the pain would be greatly appreciated. 

2

Hi PDH0210

Have you been tested for kidney stones..you need to have an ultrasound scan or CT scan...and to be referred to a Urologist as the problem seems to be affecting your bladder...best wishes for a speedy diagnosis...

3

I have similar symptoms, but not as extreme in terms of stomach pain. I have a dull constant burning feeling specially in between meals. My back muscles seem to be soar most of the time. I get relief by stretching and rolling on a stiff back roller  you see at the gym. I started taking prescription digestive enzymes called Zenpeep DR. This helps me break down foods giving me more solid and consistent stools.You mentioned GP is that General Practitioner? Have you seen a GI specialist?  

4

Ask your dr for a ct scan and a referral for a colonoscopy and gastroscope.. actually demand it! You should have to fo through this for as long as you have without answers

5

Could be Gastroparesis.  Sounds very similar to the symptoms I have.  I know the excruciating pain that you're talking about, as I also experience the same debilitating pain. Hope you find out soon what is going on.  Feel better.

6

Your symptoms sound very like IBS;  I would accept your IBS diagnosis. Ask for a different antispasmodic since two have disagreed with you.  Mebeverine was too strong for me and upset my stomach whereas Buscopan helped. You may have to try several before finding one that suits.  Try a food diary or the Low Fodmap diet to see if you have food intolerance.

I had a negative urine test but was put on a three day course of antibiotics just to make sure I hadn't had a false negative result. This didn't change anything despite another week of antibiotics.  My ultrasound showed nothing and my stool tests and celiac test was also clear so in the end I was diagnosed with IBS.

7

Hi Pippa58442,

Thank you for your comment.

The only reason I think it might not be IBS is because our National Health Service state: A diagnosis of IBS will be considered if you have stomach pain or discomfort that is either relieved by passing stools, or is associated with a need to go to the toilet frequently or a change in the consistency of your stools. 

I do not feel like this is the case for me? I can be in excruitiating pain but my bowel movements be perfectly fine and normal and if I do go whilst I have the pain it does not apply any relieve at all! I would say only 1 out of 15 times I have the pain I would also have problems with bowels. The other times there is no problem with them at all?

8

Hi Mike60178,

Thank you for your comment.

Yes a GP is a general practitioner. I am unsure what a GI is. To see any specialist you have to be referred (which isn't easy!) unless you pay over the odds and I do not have the money unfortunately.

9

Hi Lilian05079,

Thank you for your comment.

Someone has previously mentioned to me about Kidney stones but would it go on for more than 2 years?

I hope I can get a scan or ultra sound soon!

10

Hi PDH0210

Yes it can last a length of time because kidney stones can escape through urination and then form again. That is probably why you are getting intermittant pain. The pain can get very intense and impinge on urination by the stones blocking the ureter tubes from your kidneys to your bladder....i do hope you can get an ultrasound soon..my very best wishes to you for a speedy diagnosis...

11

IBS can vary from person to person.  Sometimes I get the pain, but no change of bowel habit or a change of bowel habit without the pain.  You can also have peroids of remission where you will have no symptoms at all.  Initially  I had constant daily pain and change of bowel habit for three and a half months.  This has now changed to come and go pain with occasional change of bowel habit  Sometimes you can have atypical IBS which means you have IBS but your symptoms are not typical of the condition.  I also have had flare ups when I have been crouched on the bathroom floor with pain.

Were you ever given a fecal calprotectin test to look for IBD. Have you had a colonoscopy?  Keep going back to your doctor and ask for these tests as well as an ultrasound.  Ask your doctor about the discrepancies between NHS IBS criteria and your symptoms to see if it could be anything else.