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mid back /abdominal pain

I have been having back/stomach pain that starts very early morning, I have read others on this website who have had the same thing, it only comes after laying down for a few hours, it wakes me every morning before I've had a full nights sleep. I have had an endoscopy,MRI, several blood tests, had my liver, spleen and kidneys checked, been on GI meds, and have been told I have IBS, I understand that I do have IBS but I do not feel this back pain that radiates to the front has anything to do with IBS. It hurts when I take a deep breath and it hurts more when I lay on my right side. I have been to 4 different drs, mostly gastroenterologist but none of them seem to hear me say that I feel it is in my back, so I've not seen a dr specifically for back or arthritis type pain. I do also have fibromyalgia so when this pain began, I was afraid I was having a flare up. I have bought a new mattress because I thought maybe that was the problem but it did not help. Years ago I had x-rays on my back and was told I had arthritis. Could it be some form of rthritis? I am also wondering if anyone else has found the answer to their very similar pain.
I am 47 years old but most mornings I feel like I am 95, the pain does go away once I am up. Can anyone Please help.
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Avatar universal
Please check whether you have endometriosis or some other womb related problem. Back pains occur when you have womb related problems.
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Avatar universal
I have been having this same pain for about a year now and it has got progressively worse. I can't sleep on my left side or back when hurting. Food intake bothers it. I have also had ct scans that only showed a fatty liver but a non alcoholic fatty liver should not cause pain. I take gas-x, enemas and laxatives it seems to ease but does not go away. I am scheduled for a gastric emptying study,another ct scan and blood work. I also have Fibromyalgia and some doctors want to relate it to that but i know my body and it is not Fibro. I will repost results when i get them. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone and if your doctor has not called you a hypocondriac you are lucky my has and not to wish any harm on anyone but my doctor should experience what i am and he may want to help more. So much for the Hippocratic oath.
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Avatar universal
I have looked all over the internet for a solution to my pain :( I am 21 and have been experiencing this pain for a VERY long time. I began having this pain when I was about 14/15. It doesn't happen every morning but does only happen after I wake up. The pain is a cramped feeling. Like I have been rolled in a ball and finally am able to stretch out. It takes about 30 mins for the pain and cramping to subside. I wish I knew a way to prevent it from happening but I have learned to live with it. I know to expect the pain in the morning. I just stretch through it. But I know this isn't really a solution ... More just a way to cope.
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Avatar universal
Yes!  You describe my symptoms exactly!  I do however have kidney and liver disease and have felt their increasing size may be the culprit.  But when I sleep on my tempurpedic mattress I sleep well and awake without discomfort.  We are in the process of replacing our master bedroom mattress to see if poor support is the issue.
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello and Welcome to the Community. I'm sorry to hear about your painful symptoms (SX).

The person that originated this old thread is no longer active. Often ppl don't read these old threads - and comments are ignored. I encourage you to begin a new thread (question) for better visibility and responses.

Your pain, questions, comments and SX are important to us and informational. Please begin that new thread. If you need assistance please let us know - but it's as easy as clicking on the green "Post a Question" feature at the top right of any page. This thread is lengthy and often ppl won't "wade through it" to read your post.

Thanks so much,
~Tuck
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Avatar universal
I forgot to mention that I have also been using a True Back at least once a day before bed time. If you use a True Back be sure to read the instructions or watch the instruction video on their website. But I have found a lot of benefit in using this device.
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Avatar universal
2nd day on same regimen as noted above. No abdominal pain. Slight back ache. This will likely be my last report if things continue to go well. Also considering the Chiropractor soon.
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Avatar universal
I had no abdominal pain and only very slight back pain when I woke up this morning (possibly due to my workout). Here are some of the things that I did yesterday and last night. I used my inversion table yesterday afternoon right before lunch, and a laid on a trueback back stretcher in the evening. I did a 30 min total body workout after dinner time that evening and stretched really good afterward, especially my hamstrings (tight hamstrings can cause back pain). I took my multi-vitamins throughout the day including a fish oil and a probiotic. I drank water only throughout the day, and 8-16oz of water with a few drops of peppermint oil in it before bed. Meals were simple, portion controlled, and clean with a protein, carb, and veggies. I'm going to stick to this again the best I can today and see how it goes.
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Avatar universal
6 ft, 215lbs, 40yrs old. Symptoms have been happening now for the past 4-5 days. Very similar to what everyone is talking about. I go to bed around 11pm and wake up around 4:30 with pain that wraps around my back and upper abdomen. It feels like very tight muscles if I had to describe it. I have an inversion table, and used it one night and saw fewer symptoms the next morning. I will use it again tonight and see if it helps. I will also keep a closer eye on my diet. I have also been under increased stress the past 3 weeks.
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Avatar universal
Aloha from Oahu
    Dido, Dido, Dido
        I knew, I wasn't crazy. I am going to try not eating late at night, and in the middle of the night when I wake up. I will learn about the clean diet, although I do eat clean, I fudge, and pay dearly. I was given the catch all diagnosis of IBS a long time ago, then Gerd. I have had Kidney stones, and got them removed. I have small  sand in my gallbladder, but don't need to get it removed (yet).  I, too, sit all day at a computer, go to the chiropractor regularly, and noticed that after I go to the bathroom, most of the real bad pain goes away. The only problem is the muscles start tensing in the morning (coffee) until I eat lunch, then a couple of hours later, they begin to stiffen up again, about a few hours after I eat. So, I will try to eat breakfast for a while. After dinner is the only time, I'm really pain free. I think my pains have began to put my spine out of sync. The daily pain is bearable, but the morning pain is unbearable. Hot showers do help, but a bowel movement heals it all the way. Recently, I have started drinking herbal laxative tea to compensate for my unclean diet. Trying to stay on a clean diet can be just as painful when I can't eat out, or eat at friend's house. I used to eat a real strict diet, and it really helped, but the older I get the less restrictive I feel like being.

Enjoyed knowing I am not alone in this pain. Why do the doctors act like they have never heard of this, when so many people seem to be having the same problems.
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Avatar universal
Hi did you have the tests.
I would love to know what they found.
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Avatar universal
HI Jess,
I have suffered these symptoms for at least the last 20 years - maybe longer ( i am female age 60). I have tried over the years to work out what I am doing to make it easier/worse but in truth there seems to be little correlation between what I eat/don't eat and the 4am pain! So if I eat late in the evening ( after 6pm) I will have pain.  But if I don't eat in the evening I can't sleep because I am hungry - but if I do get to sleep I will wake with the pain.  The occasionally I have a morning without pain - no reason!

Finding this forum has made me realise I am not mad, or odd - just one of many surfing people.  Thank you for being here:-)
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Avatar universal
I have been following this post for over a year now and it has brought me great comfort to know I am not alone in this.
I have suffered the exact same symptoms for a few years now and have had a few wrong diagnosis and tests along the way, I'm now seeing a physio who says I've got various back issues to deal with (but who doesn't!).

Over time I've established a link between these symptoms and my eating habits, I wanted to ignore this at first as I felt I ate fairly healthily and I love my food so I didn't want to change my diet, however, I have to admit to myself now that if I eat a large meal in the evening or snack late at night (especially heavy, carby foods) I WILL be showing these symptoms the following morning, every single time! And if, for some reason, I barely eat at all in the evening I will get a much better nights sleep and hardly any pain in the morning (maybe a little stiffness, but who doesn't!). I might feel hungry though!

What helped was keeping a food diary (an honest one!) to find the link, these days I try really hard to a have a very light, early evening meal. It's not easy, I'm only 26 and it seems so unfair my friends can sit down to a three course meal at 8pm and not suffer, but the other side is that I might lose a little weight a long the way which is always welcome! Meanwhile I'm sure the physio will be helpful too.

I hope this helps others, I guess I wanted a proper 'name' for it and a quick solution, but I've accepted that isn't going to happen. I learnt to be honest with myself about my eating habits and realised I just had to change them.
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Avatar universal
Chiropractor sounds like a winner.  After reading through all the posts, it seems everyone has the same symptoms, and seeing as some of us have already exhausted every medical test in the book, the only logical answer is some sort of nerve being pinched.  Im going to visit my chiro and report back.
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Avatar universal
Mike,  I too am having the same symptoms, and I work out 5-7 days a week.  It has nothing to do with my core, I exercise my lower back and stomach regularly!  I agree with previous posters, it has to do with the bowels.  As soon as I figure out what the problem is, ill post here.  Good luck all.
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Avatar universal
I had my gallbladder removed but the pain still presists
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Avatar universal
Because your bladder is in your pelvis and your lungs are in your chest it is unlikely that they could be pushing against each other, but you may be right about the pain being muscular.

There is a good chance that you had an active trigger point in one or more of your erector spinae muscles, the muscles that run the length of your spine.

If a trigger point is activated in the iliocostalis thoracis you will feel pain in the middle of your back (mid-thoracic) that may reach to your shoulder blade and around to your chest.

If the trigger point is in the iliocostalis lumborum the pain will be felt in the lumbar region, glutes, hip and maybe the stomach.

The erector spinae muscles are used to hold you up if you are stooped forwards and they bend you sideways. You also use these muscles when you inhale, cough and if you're straining to have a bowel movement.

If you are standing straight (erect) these muscles are in a neutral position.

If these muscles spasm it will make it extremely difficult for you to move.
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Avatar universal
I had pains like this for years. It took me a long time to realize that the pain was only relieved in the mornings by urinating. Seems like a slightly full bladder was pushing against my lungs and rib cage and creating soreness. The rib cage hurt and radiated to the back. It seems like particular beds would contribute to the pain, leading me to think it's muscular. But the pain lessens considerably after I go to the bathroom. Maybe particular beds are bad matches for my bladder and kidneys?!
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Avatar universal
I had pains like this for years. It took me a long time to realize that the pain was only relieved in the mornings by urinating. Seems like a slightly full bladder was pushing against my lungs and rib cage and creating soreness. The rib cage hurt and radiated to the back. It seems like particular beds would contribute to the pain, leading me to think it's muscular. But the pain lessens considerably after I go to the bathroom. Maybe particular beds are bad matches for my bladder and kidneys?!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've found something. Let me start from the beginning. Okay, I woke up this morning with all the same problems. Pain in the lower back and abdomin, it hurts to breathe. Also the pain seems to get better the longer I'm awake, the pain usually subsides more after I use the restroom.Its been almost 2 years I had been dealing with this.  I have had terrible experiences with Dr.'s in the past and now only go to them if I can't fine an alternative way of treating something. So I started to see a Kinesiologist/nutritionist. She has done so many wonderful things for me. Now, this morning I woke up with this same problem only through my own fault...I'll explain..... She did lots of different tests for lots of different things since I've been going to her, however this one she didn't need to do a test. She was all to familiar with it. She told me I needed to change my eatting habits around BIG TIME. She told me the way people eat now is causing a lot of problems. Basically I needed to eat a Clean diet. (If you don't know what I'm talking about a good example would be Tosca Renos book the Eat clean Diet) Also She told me I would need to eat the most in the morning and the least in the evening and cut out sugars all together (yeah I know that one wasn't one of my favorites). and having little snacks between meals keeps your metabolism fired up. Also DO NOT EAT within 3 Hours of sleep!!!! That was the big wapa-bonga answer for me. Eatting clean has most certainly helped but even if I'm eatting clean if I eat anything 3 hours before I go to bed (or if Its an unusually large meal) I wake up with the same pain in the morning. I thought she was crazy at first but everything she has told me has been right. At night your body should be resting, Not digesting food that was too heavy or eatten to close to bed. And last night I ate only an hour before heading to bed. Hence my discomfort this morning. I hope you all find what your looking for and I hope you all feel better soon!!! Love and Aloha!
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Avatar universal
I'm sorry, I made an error. Here is my correction.

Chronic pain in the paraspinal muscles can be caused by scoliosis. In severe cases, you can see a bulging where the muscles are tight.
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Avatar universal
I have been having the pain while sleeping on my side after a few hours.  It is very painful to turn to the other side or even on my back.  If I sleep on my back or side OMG!  I feel like I want to die when turning over or getting out of bed.  My stomach is bloated and I look as though I am pregnant!  Needless to say the MRI or CST(not for sure) saw that I have fibroids inside my uterus!  I will see my GYN tomorrow to see what she suggests...
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Avatar universal


Thanks, i will give it a go and let you know,
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Avatar universal
I'm sorry to hear that you've been suffering.

If medical tests fail to find anything wrong with you there is a good chance you have an aggravated trigger point or two.

The way to find out is to get massaged by an experienced masseuse. When pressure is applied to the trigger point it will reproduce the pain symptoms.

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