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Muscle spasms in stomach and rib cage. CLOSED

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Posted 2/23/2008 3:32 PM (GMT 0)

Hi All

My son, sixteen, started having these spasms recently. He has had a few bouts with it over the past month, as recently as today. All seems to be normal at the doctor. He woke up before me and chose to lay in pain on the couch. His stomach wall was extremely tight, he had difficulty breathing and talking. I discovered that massaging his mid to low back, while he was standing but bent over, seems to relieve the pressure on his chest and abdominal area. I also told him to remain standing and to walk around for the next several minutes. Initially the pain was so intense that he said he would rather die that have to put up with it. After using these measures the pain subsided within about 15 minutes. Last night he ate hot wings, the time prior was similar greasy foods. Seems to be a corilation between food ingested and this type of pain. He too has had GasX and Tylenol which also seem to ease the pain. It's tough when it seems like everything is normal medically and without warning you or someone you love is writhing in an unbearable, unexplainable pain. Well wishes to anyone going through this.

Posted 3/9/2008 12:58 AM (GMT 0)

Rosie 99

I have the EXACT symptoms, have not have an episode in 1 year and in the last 2 weeks I have had 2.  have you had any luck figuring our what it is?

blhevans

Posted 3/9/2008 1:02 AM (GMT 0)

If anyone has ANY ANSWERS to these episodes, please HELp - I have had every test and my gallbladder removed thinking it would be the answer but the attacks continue, I do think some doctors look at me like I am crazy b/c nothing shows up on test but the pain is unbearable!

i FEEL LIKE AT i AT THE END OF MY ROPE AND i AM ONLY 35 AND DO NOT WANT THIS TO CONTINUE FOREVER!

NEED ANSEWERE ASAP - PLEASE

BLHEVANS

Posted 4/1/2008 2:01 AM (GMT 0)

I have been reading this site and it is the closest I can find to my own symptoms.  Mine started in the 4th grade...I am now 40.  I was a gymnast and fell off the uneven bars ...flat on my back.  It knocked the wind out of me and I had a slight concussion.  When I was allowed back to gymnastics I noticed that certain stomach exercises would cause me to have a spasm like a pulled muscle.  It would catch my breath and I had to lie flat and reach up as far as I could.  The muscle would relax and then everything would be better.  I never told anyone.  I would just naturally do the stretching exercise when this would occur which was infrequently.  As I got older, I noticed that any heavy duty exercise especially to the lower and upper abs, would cause my "monster" spasm to come out.  Just below the right rib cage.  It is not a sharp pain but it feels like a fist pushing our from under my ribs.  The only way to get it to stop is by lying flat, stretching my right arm up, and with my left hand I try to hold the muscle down to force it under the rib cage.  I also have to force myself to try to relax and breath slowly.  This is hard because the spasm makes me short of breath and it is a scarey feeling.  Just before it subsides I feel the muscle or whatever it is writhing in a circular motion and then it stops.  I lay for a little longer until I feel calm enough to move around again.  Now that I am 40 I have found that any ab work causes the spasms to happen but not always during the workout.  Sometimes hours later or days later.   Now when it happens I have multiple spasms.  One will subside and another will start.  All I can do is to try to remain calm to allow the spasm to subside.  I do not have any illnesses like others have described no gastrointestinal or esophygitis.  I am healthy otherwise.  At first I thought it was a hernia, but a specialist told me since I have never had any operation that this would not be possible.  I thought maybe a dangling rib...but the writhing of the muscle or intestine would rule that our.  I did have an ultrasound but the technician could not see anything wrong... any ideas from anyone.  I do not feel sharp pains like the gall bladder symptoms. I prefer not to be on any medicine as I am otherwise healthy.  Thanks everyone

Posted 4/9/2008 1:34 AM (GMT 0)

Hi-

I also experience the same thing. I am 28 yrs old, and feel this just odd ache/discomfort in my ribs on the right side seems underneath or somewhere in that area, I have also been experiencing EXTREME EXCESSIVE gas in my stomach for 4 months, seeing gastro friday, no matter what I eat, drink i developed excessive gas, sounds like ym stomach farts half the time and most times feels like there are little bubbles in there 24-7 some sound lime water bubbles, its so odd, anyone have had this?

Posted 4/9/2008 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have had (what one doc has called) biliary spasms for about 12 years, after having a baby, and getting my gallbladder removed. Long story short, I have been to many doctors including Mayo Clinic. The pain starts in between rib cage and radiates around my back, sometimes I can't talk or catch my breath. Sometimes it wakes me up in the night. Tiredness and stress can make them worse. I just had one at the heart doc yesterday during an appointment.

about ten years ago my gastro doc gave me nitroglycerin for when I have the spasms. When I feel it coming on or are awakened by them, if I can't control it I take a nitroglycerin, and eventually it calms down. These are only .4, not super strong. If it won't go away with one I'll wait 5min. and take another. You do have a headache (not huge) most of the day after, but better than the spasm pain. If the pain won't go away with the nitro then I go to the hospital, and morphine will take care of the rest. This happens once or twice a year.

The spasms happen mostly around my menstral time and sometimes I'll go a couple of months without them. I'm in good shape, and I'm 42 in May. I wonder if hormones could play a part in this? I can't imagine how I will handle the pain as I get older. It scares me to this day when I have them.

I hope my information might help someone else. I finally found others who have similar symptoms. Can't believe there isn't something that can be done about this, but it seems like it can only be something to try to control.

Thanks
Posted 4/16/2008 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
I cannot believe I found all of you. I have had these spasms in the center of my stomach under my ribcage and then seems like palpitations/racing heart. I feel pain in my back as well. I then need to lay flat on my back and then I burp like a truck driver. The spasms don't hurt, but are very distracting. Eventually, though, my stomach will hurt if it goes on for days. I worry all the time I have an awful disease. The gastro doesn't seem concerned, etiher gerd or ibs. Take this or that. Last night I had the worst heartburn I ever had and almost went to the er. I knew my heart was ok since I've been tested like crazy, so I just waited it out. Today is much better, but I am very tired and scared to lay flat, for fear of pain again.

I really never knew anyone else who felt this way, I am sorry for all of you but happy I am not alone.
Posted 4/17/2008 6:11 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone,
I had to post here to commiserate. I don't have GERD or even any acid reflux, but I too have experienced innumerable episodes of excruciating spasms in the upper abdomen in the past few years. These spasms would come on without any warning, sometimes during the day, sometimes waking me up from a dead sleep. Like many of you describe, I would just about pass out from the pain. I never had any gas/bloating/other associated symptoms. The pain would last for several hours, ranging from a 7-10 on the infamous "pain scale," and eventually subside on its own. I was treated with the GI cocktails, narcotics, etc. but not even shots of Demerol had any profound effect on the discomfort.

I do believe these pains are caused by esophageal spasms, although I don't have a good explanation for them. Since I'm a med student, I am learning some treatments for various pain conditions lately and one idea I have - since the drugs are so variable - is the next time you are experiencing this kind of pain, put yourself in the following position: lie down face-up with your legs hugged to your chest, also with your head tilted down (chin towards your chest) - but make sure your legs and head are propped with pillows to take away as much of the "voluntary" aspect of the position as possible. Does that make sense?

If you hold this position for several minutes, it actually should have some effect in lowering your pain, even if only slightly.
Posted 4/17/2008 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
I am so excited to have found this forum. I have been experiencing these stomach spasms on and off for about six months. I had a baby almost two years ago and I actually lost weight during the pregnancy. The following year after I had gained 80 lbs so I wasn't surprised when I started having a little trouble with stomach problems. I noticed feeling horrible after eating pasta like everything would just sit in my stomach undigested all night but that was the only thing that I was unable to eat. So I quit eating it and one night I treated myself to it and at 6 am in the morning I had my first episode. It starts slow and builds up to a horrble tightening feeling in the stomach. I feel like I need to burp but its impossible. The pain is so intense there is no relief, I can only pace. It only happens early in the morn and lasts from 4 to 6 hours. After it has happened several times I put myself in a hot bath because I ran out of energy pacing. The bath really did help, That when I knew it was a spasm of some sort. Gas x never works, picot has helped as far as I have been able to tell. The pain eventually radiates to my lower back I don't know if its gas pushing up against or not. I started to feel it come on yesterday morning and I ate something little and drank some seltzer water which helped me get air up. After I realized it was still getting slowly worse I took a motrin 800 and a hot bath and it took about 40 minutes and it went away but that is the shortest attack I have ever had. Had the same scenario today also. I have never had any stomach problems or any health problems so it's frustrating and to make it worse no insurance. I have started myself on a strict diet and exersise routine to try to see if losing all of this extra weight will help. I hope this can help someone
Posted 4/28/2008 8:24 PM (GMT 0)

All I can say is holy crap. 

It was great to find stories that totally goes against the emergency room doctor who just last night made me feel like I was just over stressed or exaggerating.  So many of your stories could have been mine, but Clarebear you stopped me cold with your "...When I speak to my doctor about the spasms they look at me is if I'm talking another language... Mine also start as a strange feeling in the top of my stomach which feels like you're hungry and within minutes escalate into muscle spasms across my diaphram, through to my back and down and across my abdominal muscles, and I start to sweat (I've always assumed due to the pain) and can't breath properly. I am also sick sometimes and have at one point thought I was going to pass out as the pain was unbearable. I don't know where to put myself as no position takes the pain away....  sometimes for up to about 2 hrs. The next day I feel as if I've been run over by a truck as my whole body aches, and I am absolutely shattered...."

 

It hit bad about 2 hours after I went to sleep.  My poor 16 yr old daughter drove me to the ER, which did tests for my heart, liver, pancreas, and found nothing.   

 

I too have had my gallbladder removed, but don't know if that means much.

 

Thank you for this site and hopefully some of your suggestions will help me too.

Posted 4/28/2008 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
I think that it would be worthwhile for everyone here to look up Sphincter of Oddi Disfunction. I feel like I may have found what is causing all of my problems and this could be it.

Posted 4/28/2008 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Oh and there is a connection with sphincter of oddi disfunction and having your gallbladder removed. It seems like many of the people here have had their gallbladders removed.
Posted 4/30/2008 12:07 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so happy I found this site! I thought I was the only one with this problem. I started getting these attacks since I was in my early teens. Back then they would last about an hour only and I would get them every few months. They stopped for a few years until recently. I got an attack two months ago and then two days ago! The last two attacks were of the same intensity. I'll try to recap the latest one - what I did exactly for others who might be able to relate. Three days ago, I had a very large buffet dinner. I ate everything - steak, salmon, lobster, prawns, pasta and dessert. (That's a lot, I know.) I went to bed at 11. The next morning at around 4am i started feeling that familiar pain in my upper abdomen. I went back to sleep as I thought it would go away. Then at around 9am the pain got worse, so I chewed on an extra strength anti acid, which did absolutely nothing for me. The pain started to escalate until it was just unbearable. Nothing made it feel better at all. I took a 2mg valium - did nothing. I took an anti spasmodic - did nothing. A few minutes later I started to vomit clear water. Did that a few times. I guess thats why the valium and anti spasmodic didn't get a chance work. At 2 i decided to go to the ER, where they diagnosed me with gastritis. I never believed I had gastritis because i never felt acidic and never had acid reflux. The ER put an IV line and gave me an anti acid and an anti vomit medication, and some tramadol pain killer. a fwe hours later at around 8pm it started to subside. i was in pain for 12 hours!! Two months ago when the exact same thing happened to me, it lasted for 12 hours too. 12 hours of INTENSE pain. I'm so frightened that it will happen again.

So today I went to a gastro doctor and he said it was not gastritis at all, but muscle spasm in the stomach. His instructions were: the MOMENT i feel any slight pain or any indication that an attack is about to occur, then i should take immediately a BUSCOPAN (anti spasmodic - dont know the generic name) every four hours. if it doesn't help, and i start to vomit whatever i take in, i should go to the ER right away and ask for an IV line and have them give me an anti spasmodic and a pain killer. That is the only advice he could give me.

*sigh* I feel so helpless!
Posted 5/15/2008 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello, everyone I'am new to this forum,but I just wanted to say that I may be having the

same problem as you'll, because for about a week know I've been having pain in my left rib cage, it started in my breast first, but it subsided in just my rib cage. I can't tell if it's a spasm or not it's very painful when I walk, or do anything strenuous, at first I was having muscle spasms in my back, jaws and arms. I also have a lot of heartburn too, really bad after I eat anything. Is there any test that would diagnose me with gerd? Are these the symptoms? 

Posted 5/15/2008 7:29 AM (GMT 0)
I just got this email last week but I deleted it or I would post part of it about a woman who was having these pains in her back and arm and then her throat, eventually radiating pain in her jaw and it turned out she was having a heart attack and the symptoms can be so different for men vs women. The last post on this thread just made me remember that mention of jaw pain and even though it could just be gas it's beneficial to know that could be a sign of something serious.

Posted 5/16/2008 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi-

I'm new to this forum, but this is the first place on the web I found anything about what I have going on. I'm having spasms under on ribs on the right side. They come and go for a couple of days. This is the 3rd time this has happened. I have no pain with this, just feels like there is something in my trying to get out! Weirdest feeling! I have had many gerd problems over the years and I have diverticulous(spelling-not sure) Does anyone know what this could be?
Posted 5/17/2008 6:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi.. i had an attack again last night after 3 weeks. In my last post I mentioned that I went to see a doctor and he told me what to do. Well, yesterday at around 3pm i started to feel the spasm starting. I followed the doctors instructions and immediately took 10mg of BUSCOPAN PLUS mixed with paracetamol (hyoscine butylbromide), an anti spasm medicine. The pain started to get a bit worse so after 4 hours I took another buscopan. I did this every four hours, plus i had a very hot water bag over my upper abdomen. I also took 50mg TRAMADOL right away. You know what? The pain, for this first time in years, was SO MUCH LESS and it was actually bearable! It still lasted 12 hours but it was not severe pain at all! I think you all should try taking an anti spasm medicine AS SOON as you start feeling the pain. It really helped me! The hot water bag worked as long as it was very very hot.

Just wanted to share!
Posted 6/2/2008 8:46 AM (GMT 0)
okay people there is somethng that can be done about those spasms as i myself have them and man do they hurt. my doctor gave me a perscripton for the spasms. they are called buscopan10mg this takes the spasm done and your able to move again
I hope that this has helped you
it has helped me big time talk to your doctor
Posted 6/2/2008 9:49 AM (GMT 0)
it's great to know that Buscopan worked for another member too! I urge everyone here to try taking buscopan AS SOON as you feel the spasms. Don't wait for it to get worse...
Posted 6/3/2008 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
I have had spasms for years. Since I was pregnant with my second daughter. she is now 12. Its under the rib cage and when i do soemthing that sets it off it contracts for like 15 minute. Thats been happeneing for years. Now the last two years it happens more and more. I had a few today and I keep eating salt and taking ibuprofen. I also have spasms in my back same area as the ribcage. If I lay flat my back will spasm. I hate it. It hurts and I have a hard time breathing. It contracts steadily for a little while and dies done. I dont know what to do. Soemtimes I feel the salt stops it faster. I think i may have some gallbladder issues that Im not sure is related to the spasms or not.  Could be two differnt things. But my gallbladder seems to slightly hurt all the time.
Posted 6/24/2008 6:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,
Just joined and cant believe how similar my pains are and symptoms. last tuesday morning I was rushed to hospital by my brother because....I woke up @ 6.00an and was feeling uncomfortable in the stomach area tried to sit up but could not so i rolled out of the bed onto the floor onto all fours Bark Bark... the pain was so intense i could not get up so called for my wife who was asleep with my daughter in her room as she has Down's Syndrome and Eisenmenger's Syndrome so we take it in turns each night to sleep with her. anyhow she called my brother who is a paramedic and he brought me to the A&E and they did the usual test over 2 days and sent me home with no real diagnosis except a stomach problems and put me on 2 antibiotics and a anti acid tab ended up @ my doc the following morning who gave me difine supositries (OUCH). I keep telling my wife that i know how labour pains are but she keep telling me no way could it be as bad but now you have proven it.
Posted 6/29/2008 4:29 AM (GMT 0)
I am so thankful to have found my way here.

The spasms I have seem to last only 15 to 30 minutes and are sporadic, occuring anywhere from once a month to once every 2 or three. I have the same symptoms as so many of you, feeling like someone inserted a bike pump into my stomach and began blowing me up. I cannot sit, lay down, bend, it only makes the pain that much worse. I feel pain in my upper back, shoulder blades, and it's the sort of pain that makes me feel as though I am going to black out. I cannot have a conversation or focus on anything during the attack its so powerful, I almost gasp for a breath since my lungs feel like they are being cut off. I saw my doctor, did an ultra sound on my gallbladder, turned out okay so I was sent to a GI doctor who said it was a symptom of IBS and prescribed Donnatal 3 times a day. I hoped this would be it but today I had another attack so apparently this medicine isn't going to do the trick.

I have also noticed the last few times as the pain was ending my mouth began to water profusely and for several minutes I thought for sure I was going to throw up. After that I just have a dull ache in my upper stomach for the rest of the day.

I am terrified for the day I am out somewhere and this comes on. I have a 3 year old and I think every day what if I am at the zoo and I begin this awful attack, what will I do and how will I have the state of mind to care for her...it's horrible and I feel for everyone of you as well. I wish there was more that could be done for us.

Thanks for listening! :-)

Posted 6/29/2008 2:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hi all,

Just call me twiddle dee, I really have no idea what causes these spasms...it feels like a gas contraction inside my stomach left side under the rib cage. Its like it has needles! I know buscopan really is effective and works in minutes but can someone have a medical explanation why people have these kind of spasms. As much as you want to let it out thru "farting" *LOL* its not working.

Normally I experience this while Im inside the classroom almost everyday. What could be the reason? Is it because of something we eat? Can someone please help to avoid having spasms? I have this since I was a kid. It also feels like you have bloated stomach. Thanks a lot!!!

Posted 7/18/2008 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for this website. I was desperate to be rid of my stomach cramps which were starting to come several days a week and finally lasted a whole week. Three doctors were unable to cure me, although one did give me Levsin which helped somewhat. It takes two weeks for the Buscopan to get here from Canada, and now I don't need it.

I discovered that my stomach cramps were the result of a zinc deficiency, which was caused by chelation for mercury toxicity. Within a day of starting the zinc supplement, my symptoms were gone. The general mineral supplements I was taking did not have enough zinc in them to replace what I was losing through chelation, and I needed an additional 100 mg. per day. It is possible to develop a zinc toxicity, so care must be taken. I expect to double the recommended dose for two weeks and then revert to the dose on the bottle.

After several days on the zinc I developed spasms in my leg, so I added a potassium supplement to my regimen, which is helping, and I expect to be at full steam by tomorrow.

Zinc plays a pivotal role in moderating blood PH, by catalyzing the reaction between carbolic acid and bicarbonate as the core of carbolic anhydrase. A zinc deficiency will make the blood alkaline, and when one eats the production of gastric acid causes the blood to become even more alkaline. Then the stomach cannot make enough acid to digest the food. This is what happened to me, and the food would not digest, and my stomach would cramp, horribly.

I have not had a stomach spasm for a week. At my worst I could barely walk and certainly couldn't stand up straight, and was missing a lot of work. If you are in the same kind of pain you should not give up. I hope this helps someone.
Posted 7/18/2008 10:06 PM (GMT 0)

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