Weird stomach pain | FerrariChat

Weird stomach pain

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by crazy canuck, May 8, 2014.

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  1. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    I thought the F-chat experts might have some ideas as my physician seems to think its no big deal.

    Ive talked to others who think its just a pulled muscle, but I had hernia surgery about a year ago - and it healed up great. about 3 weeks ago, and not exactly the same place as the surgery I started feeling this pain(about 6 inches above the hernia site but not quite at the belly button).

    I thought I might have over done some core exercises, and weights - so I backed off and rested for a 10 days or so, and then it came back again.

    nothing is protruding like a hernia - but its painful.

    When I ice it down - and lay on my back in bed the pain goes away for 20-30 mins just because it's numb and frozen...and then returns soon after

    Im not overweight. Anyone ever experienced something like this ? Any ideas ?

    Thanks
     
  2. wax

    wax Five Time F1 World Champ
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    Dirty Harry
  3. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    Thanks wax, that's a very interesting read --

    i have the stomach pain but it doesn't radiate anywhere it's just in that spot between my navel and the very top of the groin.

    What do you mean by "another opinion, stat "? I understand the second opinion part..

    you're welcome to PM me too if it's best done offline.

    Cheers
     
  4. Piper

    Piper Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Get to a doctor. There's no reason to guess and every reason not to. Go find out what it is.
     
  5. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    You are right Piper - I'll go hound my dr again tmrw AM.

    it's just really weird.

    I think my dr. thinks Im a young guy in good shape so doesn't worry too much...

    I read the link that wax provided about aortic aneurism - that's scary but it seems to reference "older guys" which isn't me, and I don't smoke, nor do I have high blood pressure....


    hmmmm..

    Is there a CT scan or something that can see inside there to see what's going on that I can ask my dr. specifically for ? Any suggestions to point him in the direction of looking in any specific direction ?
     
  6. wax

    wax Five Time F1 World Champ
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    Medical practitioners and later, aging hipsters [like myself, apparently] say "stat" to shorten syllables derived from the Latin "statim" which means "at once" and/or "immediately."

    I'm certainly glad to see your hackles weren't alarmingly raised by symptom list. However, you found one thing disconcerting, no matter the age profile, and that's important.

    Nevertheless, just as you had inquired at the outset, there may be Medical Professionals who can help establish what "no big deal" often means or offer does-it-hurt-when recommendations. Just depends on their schedule vs. that of a Rob Layman.
     
  7. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    oh, I see, wax.

    What you say is exactly what I was looking for if there are some medical folks out there that might have suggestions that would be much appreciated....particularly the does it hurt when or ..other suggestions.

    I appreciate that this won't take the place of a dr's exam in person, but maybe it can arm me with some info to take to the dr tmrw, and help me figure stuff out in the mean time


    I really appreciate this community. Thanks guys.
     
  8. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
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    Michael
    With abdominal pains, it's useful to note whether it's on the right or left side or if in your case, whether it's actually in the middle. This relates to the specific anatomy below the skin and the usual complaints associated with them.
     
  9. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
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    #9 crazy canuck, May 9, 2014
    Last edited: May 9, 2014
    In my case it is on the right side, vertically midway between the top of my groin and navel, and horizontally it would be just about an inch or 2 to the right of my navel

    Maybe it's just highly coincidental, but I have also figured out that it gets aggravated when I walk fast ( long fast strides ) stairs or uphill or run.

    Also noticed it got worse after working out (weights or core exercises ) or even sitting in my office chair for prolonged periods of time - but nothing seems to be protruding
     
  10. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
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    The area you indicate is about where your appendix is located.

    Do you notice you have a fever, however slight? Is the area tender or painful if you press on it? Do you experience feelings of nausea? Regardless of whether your pains are accompanied by these other symptoms I would insist on seeing a doctor and not waste time wondering what it might be.

    It can be something common like appendicitis or worse, or perhaps it could be something mild like a minor case of diverticulitis. Did you see your doctor?
     
  11. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    No fever... Just the stomach pain. A it comes and goes. Tends to go away when lying down.

    Went to see another dr. And he said the same thing that it must be a muscle pull as I'm not displaying any other appendicitis symptoms or other possibilities that he could think of.

    Weird....

    Would a muscle pull or tear show up on a ct scan or another can of some kind ?

    I'm wondering what else a ct scan of the area could rule in or out ...
     
  12. Face76

    Face76 F1 World Champ
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    Could be a slight tear or developing hernia. Not a doctor but did have something similar in my late 20's. Pretty bad pain that eased when lying prone. Nobody ever found anything and it eventually went away.
     
  13. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
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    Did it become a hernia eventually ?

    I'm curious - How did you end up solving it?
     
  14. rossocorsa13

    rossocorsa13 F1 Rookie

    Jun 10, 2006
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    #14 rossocorsa13, May 12, 2014
    Last edited: May 12, 2014
    OP--

    Same kind of pain/experience for me three years ago. I was misdiagnosed with epididymitis because two doctors didn't find a hernia. Treatment was unsuccessful.

    I lived with the pain (dull, but very localized, sometimes sharp, and intermittent--always on the left side of my abdomen, and often accompanied by testicular pain) for two and a half years. My brother, who is a little more holistic than I am, told me about an extension of Bowen therapy called NST. It's a therapy that targets the body's muscular system via non-stressful, but very intentional, massage manipulation of the fascia along specific body points. It essentially does the opposite of a knee jerk reaction, and causes the body to totally relax and realign.

    When I went into my first session, my therapist told me that my left hip was an inch higher than my right hip (probably from carrying trays on my right shoulder from waiting tables for so long). She could feel the tension in my abdomen, and her touch was very tender for the first two sessions. When I stood up off the table at the end of my first session, I felt my weight distributed evenly across my feet for the first time in years.

    My pain returned briefly a few times after my second session, but I haven't felt any pain in almost a year now (and I've done plenty of physical activity since then). My posture is miles better than it used to be as well.

    All of that to say--your body may not need an intervention, it may just need to relax, and it sounds like your exercise routine might not promote enough relaxing. Mine certainly didn't. Things like NST can help.

    Additionally, your body may also be having a somatic response for another, non-physical issue. Your doctor should have an understanding of therapeutic process (e.g., when people present with severe weight loss/gain, and are also depressed), or should at least consult with therapists and refer out to them when necessary. Exercise is very aggressive--not bad, but aggressive--and it can (it did for me) trigger my body to respond with pain because of the stress, and that stress was related to other aspects of my life. NST helped, but I still had to do other work to relieve my stress/anger issues. The body stores unresolved emotional response, and it resurfaces in interesting ways.

    Consult, consult, consult.

    Hope this helps.

    Edit: Not a doctor. Not a therapist. Do what you know is best for you.
     
  15. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
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    Michael
    Lying down reduces muscle activity, muscle tension.

    I would not insist on a CT scan. CTs deliver very high doses of radiation, much more than a regular X-ray. While CTs can be the prescribed imaging technique for some conditions you should always try to avoid unnecessary CTs. Most doctors stay away from prescribing CTs for your own good.

    So what is a pulled muscle? It means muscle injury and inflammation. So right off, if you really do have a "pulled muscle" you must first identify which muscle, understand when that muscle is activated, then avoid any more stress on the muscle, next eliminate the inflammation and do what's needed to promote healing.

    Usually, your best approach is a sports injury clinic. Our public healthcare system tends not to have a wholistic approach and does not have much in the way of sports medicine expertise. But we do have private sports clinics and I would go that route if I were you. I've used them before and they find the problem very quickly. They're not very expensive. Therapy is up to you to choose between the private or public system. Just keep your family doctor in the loop.
     
  16. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    #16 crazy canuck, May 13, 2014
    Last edited: May 13, 2014

    This is an interesting approach that i had only considered in the periphery of my quest. But you raise some valid points. I think your advice to consult consult consult is very good

    Thanks
     
  17. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    I had never thought of a sports injury clinic. Honestly I am not familiar with any of these - but this is certainly worth pursuing further. You don't happen to know any good ones in Vancouver do you ? Or have any suggestions on how best to go about finding a high quality clinic ? Either public or private ?

    My personal experience interacting with both the public and private healthcare systems in bc is that I couldn't consistently say one is better than the other. I've had excellent and poor experiences with both- so am not ideologically biased one way or the other.

    I used to think you get what you pay for - but this hasn't always been true in my experience with healthcare. There are some in the public system that have far exceeded not only my expectations but also their private counterparts - and vice versa.

    All things being equal I guess I would choose a public system first if it was of similar or better quality as a private one because I'm guessing its covers under Canadian healthcare - but not if it required a compromise in quality of care expertise, and ultimately outcome.

    Also do you know if it / they require(s) my GPs referral ?
     
  18. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
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    Sorry I am not familiar with sports clinics in Vancouver. You should simply check the credentials of their staff, whether they worked with national/provincial teams, familiar with the sports you engage in. The one I use is a designated treatment centre for national teams, have specialists and therapists that accompanied the national team to recent Olympics.

    If UBC has a sports clinic that offers services to the public you might try that too.

    Sports medicine clinics specialize in diagnosing and treating injuries from sport activities so the doctors and therapists are very familiar with which parts of the body are vulnerable given a specific sports activity and the clinic will offer a full range of specialists and therapists. You don't need a referral if you go to a private clinic.
     
  19. crazy canuck

    crazy canuck Formula Junior

    Jun 20, 2005
    426
    West Coast
    Sounds good. I think I'll start by making an appointment with my gp to see if he can refer me to say the Ubc one or possibly another one.

    Thanks
     

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