Muscle spasms in stomach and rib cage. CLOSED

  

  Hi Everyone,

    I am new to this forum, and it looks like very good information, from a lot of friendly folks. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis. I get muscle spasms in my stomach and rib cage muscles. The last time I had these was last Friday night, and they lasted for two hours. The pain does not come and go, but is continious. Does anyone else get this pain in stomach and rib cage? I have had them before this, but they never lasted for two hours.

   If anyone has these, what do you take for them? I noticed that I get a lot of gas when this happens, and it does help if I can get rid of the gas. I also have acid reflux, but don't know if this has anything to do with it. Ant information will be appreciated.

Grannyboots  

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 5/20/2010 7:57:00 AM (GMT-6)

Hi CathyA,
I live in Canada so are not familiar with the Gas X. The spasms come on so quickly, and I usually take some antacids as soon as I can. I will have to look into some liquid form of liquid antacid, that may work sooner than the tablets. I have to wait them out too. Thanks for your reply.
Grannyboots

    I have yet to see anyone with symptoms as I have.  Just very slow steady stomach spasms.  Starts out just uncomfortable then just gets worse slowly until within an hour I can hardly breath and the pain is a '10'.  In the past I have taken Vicatin but ran out and this last time, about 2 weeks ago, I took 4 ibuprofin and it did the trick.  I don't have gas, no GERD, no other symptoms.  The episodes are very sporatic.  This last one is the first time in 5 years.  When it first started I had them every 2 months or so for a year.  The next year only 2 times.  Now it is 5 years and here it is again.  Anyone out there who has an answer?

I am new to the forum,, I have a question for whomever relates to this issue.  I hurt my ribs left side 4 weeks ago, exray showed the bruising of 8 and 9,, now I have muscle spasms across my  abdominal wall left to right,

I thought it was better but now it returned to the same as when I first did it... also its right on and under the rib cage breastbone area, its nagging and stressful...burning feeling as well........HELP,, i DO HAVE VICODIN BUT i  HATE TAKING IT....IF I MASSAGE THE AREA IT GOES AWAY...BUT RETURNS  ,......SOMETIMES THE PAIN MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH,,ANYONE OUT THERE  EXPERIENCE THIS ??? thanks lynd

Post Edited (lynd) : 3/12/2007 3:36:17 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Rossie 99

What you describe sounds incredibly similar to what I've been experiencing.

Approximately 5 years ago I began waking up at 2:00am with stomach pain.  When it begins the pain is only stong enough to wake me up but within minutes it escalates to a 8-10.  The first couple of episodes we'd try to manage at home however after the 3rd or 4th attack they became so strong I'd have to go to the emergency.  Once there every test came back fine (urine, blood, etc....) and they would give me some sort of pain killer (usually morphine) and after a couple hours the pain would subside and I'd be sent home.  For the next two days (after an attack) my stomach would feel sick and achy but that would be it.  At first, my attacks came every 4-5 months (always waking me up between 1:30am and 3:30am - never in the day) but within a year or two they were coming every month or so.  I did a series of tests with my doctor and at the hospital (scopes, altrasounds, colonoscapy, etc....) and no one could figure out what was causing it.   Eventually the attacks just stopped happening.  Until last night......... I got my first attack in 2 years.  It was exactly like everyone before.  At 1:50 I woke up with horrible stomach pain (at the top middle part of my stomach - very deep pain, the pain is so bad you can't breath or lie down) withing 15 minutes it got so bad my husband had to take me to the emergency (I could hardly make it to the car).  The pain is always there but it goes in waves of how strong it is (between 8-10, never going below an 8).  The hospital took all their regular tests - everyone came back fine.  They gave me a muscle relaxer and pain killer and by 4:10 the pain had subsided and we were ready to go home.  Now, the next morning, I just feel like I have a bad stomach ache (though very managable....).  And sadly I guess I just wait for the next time I wake up in the middle of the night.

Does this sound like your attachs?????????  And if so have you found anything that helps or do you have and clue what it is or what causes it.

Just as an end note.  In between attachs I have no stomach pain, no heartburn, no digestive problems, no nothing.........I've charted my food intake, sleep, and stress and I also can't find any connections. Overall I'm quite healthy.

Hi Dogwoods

I'm sorry to hear about you problems but it was great to have someone reply. 

It's amazing how similar our symptoms sound and crazy that no doctor has a clue what is causing it.

Question for you.........do you drink diet soda.

The only thing unusual about my diet (which is generally healthy and balanced) is that I love diet Pepsi and I drink a tone of it.  Any chance this is the same for you.

I'm grasping at straws to find anything that could help me figure this out and stop it.

Good Luck

To Grannyboots:

   Hi, I just joined this site too and saw your post.  I have a similar problem.  I get these really sparp pains in both sides surrounding my rib cage, and they actually hurt like labor pains or contractions.  The pain usually lasts for about 30 minutes, and I also take gas pills, or Gax X and it seems to help a little.  If anyone else stumbles upon this post, if you have any idea what this might be, please respond.  Oh, and Grannyboots, I hope you are feeling better.

I'm very new to this board. I went to it to get info on diabetes and checked out this spot too. I have had these pains occasionally over the last 4 or  yrs. I had a very severe attack after having colon cancer and my gi dr. gave me a "cocktail" (he called it) which did nothing He finally gave me demeral at 4:00 am. He took an ekg and tested my pancreas - all ok. It relieved my mind that it was not serious, but I continued to experience these episodes. I take some vicodin if it gets too bad. Sometimes it works miraculously, within minutes. Other times it doesn't seem to work. I think it relaxes the muscles which can give me relief. I was so glad to read about others with this problem, not that I wish this pain on anyone else. But I realize that I will just have to endure it, and not freak out. I once went to the ER when it was combined with a numbness in my left hand, which turned out to be nothing more than a pinched nerve. Thank you for all your info. Tommi

Hi all,

I also have these same symptoms--muscle spasms in stomach and ribcage.  I had an upper endoscopy yesterday and one of the findings was erosive gastritis and esophagitis.  Gastritis can cause this same symptom, and chronic acid reflux can cause gastritis, although there are other causes as well.  If you're already being treated for acid reflux, as I am, I'm not sure what you do about it, but I would recommend that you find a doctor who is willing to do an upper EGD just to document the gastritis--has to be confirmed via biopsy or it's not considered legitimate.

It does hurt, in any case, doesn't it?  Sometimes a heating pad will help, and low dose bentyl stops the spasms for me altogether--bentyl is used for IBS, but is also appropriate for bladder spasms and stomach spasms.

I hope you feel better soon,

elcamino

Wow!  I've been having these stomach spasms on and off for 2 years now.  My new doctor said the stomach/rib cage pain or spasms, chronic cough, hoarseness, sore throat, vomiting, gas, belching, bloating, etc. are all classic symptoms of acid reflux.  Interestingly she also said the hiatal hernia is commonly associated with acid reflux and that gastritis can be a result of acid reflux or vice versa.  She said she's also seen a lot of cases where the gastritis is caused by post nasal drip (I guess it goes into the stomach) or sinus infection, which then results in a lot of stomach acid being produced and viola!  Acid Reflux.

Too bad she didn't have any answer on how to get rid of it--just how to cope.  In my case the stomach spasms occurred before gas pains and the reflux.  She said to take Gas X immediately at the first sign of pain, to drink a full glass of water and to double up on my PPI for 2 weeks when the symptoms start.  It does seem to help.

Marburg

Hi Kiddies3,

I also have muscle cramps all over.  Your stomach cramps sound a lot like mine.  What works for me is having a bottle of Gatorade rain and 2 banannas a day.

Marburg

kiddies3 said...
Well thank goodness I've found some folks with similar symptoms as mine!  These stomach spasms are driving me absolutely nuts, but I've been contributing it to lack of exercise and lack of potassium since I take water pill/blood pressure medication.  These spasms, to me, bring back memories of true labor pains and they appear all over my stomach area, first here, then there.  I definitely will try some of the otc's mentioned since my gp doc and my heart doc both have not a clue.  I also have cramps in other places, my feet, toes, fingers and sometimes lower legs. Hope something will help.  The stomach muscle cramps come on when I sit up after lying down, if I turn from side to side, or lean over from a sitting to pick up something from the floor.

Hi all,
My daughter who suffers from Gerd, ended up in the ER a few months ago because of chest pain and trouble breathing. She just collapsed the pain was so so severe. After numerous tests, the conclusion was that her esophagus had gone into a spasm. It sure gave us a scare.
She is pregnant now, and of course suffers from a lot of heartburn , but her spasm thing never happened again. thank God and hope that lasts.
Mary

I've had pains now in my stomach when it is empty for over three years. I've had EGd , colonscopy, ERCP. Told I had gastritis , hiatal hernia, bile reflux, due to gall bladder removal.

I have been to my gastro. for several years trying to figure out what's wrong w/me , he's given me Nexium, prevacid, I've tried Zantac, prilosec, they help w/the heartburn pain, but didn't help w/the severe pain I kept getting when my stomach would empty out. the only way to get rid of the pain was to put something in it, so I'd be up at all hours of the night eating to get rid of the pain.

I called this past week asking to talk to my doctors nurse , it took me all week to actually talk to her in person on the phone, but I'm starting to think she's better than my doctor. She spoke w/me for at least 15 minutes. I explained my symptoms to her, I've told her at the office before but I thought maybe if I'd keep repeating it would sink in to them, what's going on.

So She asked me if I'd ever been on anything for esophagial spasms, "I said no", nurse said couldn't hurt to try since we've tried everything else.
She prescribed me
Hyoscyamine, I can't tell you how much relief this drug as brought to my life so far in the short two days I've been taking it. I haven't had one , "knock on wood," once of stomach pain.

This is a major relief to me, I was getting so depressed over not being able to find anything to stop the horrible pains I was getting at all hours of the day. I constantly had to carry something around w/me to eat just incase the pains started. It would always start out like a hungry pain, then the pain would just become unbareable. I will be praising this nurse if this medicine continues to work & I remain pain free.

I really didn't realize I was having stomach spasms, I really didn't think there was such a thing, But I guess it makes sense your stomach uses muscles to help digest the food.

SO far I haven't noticed any horrible side effects from the Hyoscyamine, You can put it under your tongue, doesn't tast too bad, or swallow it w/water. Just kind of dry's my mouth out a little.

If anyone on here thinks they could be having these spasms , it wouldn't hurt to see if your doctor would try anti-spasmatic med's