stomach spasms

[2tom2]

Have you ever gotten a cramp in your calf that  just wouldn't go away ?  Well i get these in my stomach.  When they  happen the muscles protrude from my abdomen, and are hard as a rock.  They vary in length of time. from seconds to minutes.  The pain is intense.  My Dr, Dr. Azizi of Temple University in Philly,  a neurologist,. said he though it was a pinched nerve in my back that was causing it.  So I had surgery one year ago this month.  I got spasms one hour after I was released from the hospital.  So much for the surgery.  The Dr said he had never seen this before.  I have had Nerve Conduction test several times,  I have taken many different medications which have done nothing, I am now taking Gabapentine, it's doing nothing.,  These spasms come at all different times,  bending twisting caughing laugjhing sneezing taking a BM, sitting and just about any physical movement.  I have been a gym rat all my life, and love to train with weighs.  Unfortunately ;the more i exercise the more spasms i get, so i have stopped completely.  After a spasm the muscle akes as if i had done a thousand sit ups,and the soreness stays for a few days.  These extreme spasms are so painfull that a few times i went to the hospital, where they have no idea what to do, i just feel better there because  i feel as if i may have a heart attack.  The only way to stop these tremmors, as they are called, is with Botox injections directly into the muscle.  But these shots are not covered by my insurance comapany, and are one thousands dollars for a couple of viles that only last for 3 months, and they are only masking the problem.  My life has changed because of this.  I cannot exercise, and, being a letter carrier, I walk eight miles a day on my route. During the day i feel my stomach muscles tremmoring just trying to lock and i walk around all day with the fear that it will happen.  When it does I am totally incapacitated. and try to some how break the fibers in the mscle by sticking a finger into the muscle  like a knife to some how deflate it as if it were a ballon. Sometime it works , most times it doesnt.  I cant take this much more and will take advice from anyone at this point.  Please HELP me if you can, I am desperate.   Tom Rinaldi


This discussion is related to Stomach spasms?.

[Jhb12527912]

I get this same thing as well, in my calves if I stretch with my toes pointing downward, when I bend over for long periods of time or sit up too quickly in bed, and most recently in my left rib area. It's totally debilitating especially if I can't stretch.  If it happens in the calve I immediately bring my foot up as far as it will bend, making it a 45degree angle to my knee. My stomach is another issue.. I try to stretch out as far as possible is all that helps but usually I have to just ride it out. The ribs, the most recent, oh my word...seems like I can only ride it out. The first time it happened I thought I was dying. Couldn't breathe, couldn't move, just laid in bed gasping and crying out to no one thinking, oh my god they're going to find me dead in my underwear and a shirt... I believe it's associated with dehydration because it rarely ever happens on days I drink a lot of water.

[Aabbru]

But does anyone know why the spasms occur?  I tracked mine to glasses of regular milk.  
Maybe they'll occur again, thouh. I'm holding my breathe

[jm1swansong]

I have had "gut" issues as long as I can recall.  Over the past few years I have experienced stomach spasms and cramps.  Over the last month the spasms have been non-stop and quite intense - in fact debilatating for the better part of the time, I hurt non-stop.  Now, mind you I do not EVER present normally so I realize that I am a challenge for the medical profession.  Even though I will tell a doctor what I think it is (or exactly where it hurts) - they go round and round and round.  Conducting test after test after test.  Coming back baffled every time.  Then one of them will finally say something to the effect of - OK we'll try "X" (which is most often what I have been complaining of the entire time) and lo and behold there you have it.

This time - after 3+ weeks of excrutiating pain.  With the majority of doctors just wanting to throw pain meds at me.  An ER doctor finally said he was "distressed" (his actual word :) and wanted to try one more thing - an anti-spasm.  Well, whaddya know, it helps - I have no clue why my stomach is in constant spasm...but as long as I take the drug every 4 hours (must take every 4  hours or I am miserable) I can handle it for the most part.  He prescribed for every 6 hours - but said if I find it helps I can take more often.

Hurrah for a doctor wanting to help rather than pump me full of drugs and send me away for 7 to 10 days if I still am not feeling well. Wow - you try feeling this cruddy for 7 to 10 days doc.  I don't see the wisdom in the waiting. Just admit you don't know how to help me and you want me to go away.

Anyway - the lovely blue pill for me is Dicyclomine.  I hope this helps someone else out there.

[oyster1]

I have them on the right side and and it moves to the center by the breast bone. I can feel it ball up and then I have to like stretch backwards until I feel it release. Im scared it is something serious.

[venus171]

Oh my G*d!  I thought I was the only one who experienced these.  They are excruciating!  I get them on either side, under my rib cage and sometimes lower in the abdoman area as well.  At first I thought they were from weak stomach muscles, but I've read too many health/exercise nuts with firm abs who also suffer from them.  So then I thought it was due to mild dehydration.  I tried eating a banana every day for the potassium.  I may be imagining the results, but it seems to help.  I've tried going a week with a daily banana and I don't seem to get the cramps during those times, then going a week without bananas, and they seem to reappear.  Like I said, I may be imagining this, but any relief I'm experiencing is still relief!  Write again and let me know if this helps you in any way.

[smurphx]

Dear 2tom2,
I have this problem too!
While I can't help you with a real solution, I want you to know, you are not alone....Here's what happens and how I deal with it...it might help?
I also get cramping in my feet, calves easily and elsewhere.
When a stomach cramp or my fee and even calves for that matter, I try to hold still and then very very slightly oppose slightly moving against the spasm and then continue to hold this position until the spasm starts to let up. I modify this holding/ stretching as my muscles relax or tense. This helps. I have no idea what cause my stomach or other muscles to spasm like this, but it is incredibly painful. It also does not take much movement to get a spasm to occur.
The stomach spasms also can occur very easily if the muscles are being used even a little bit ie. lying on your back and raising your body at all.
Years ago I used to do excessive numbers of crunches, but I don't this this is anyway related, especially considering I have other muscles that seem to have similar behavior.

[tristan76]

I am going through the same thing as you even as I write this...I have had cat scans, hida scans, xrays, and tons of blood tests with no answers...the doctors have no ideas.  I am having trouble with continuing work as you are...I am a CNA and this is hard for me with lifting residents and such.  I don't know what to do either, and the pain is very intense. I am going to try a new antispasm drug today, I am so worried its not going to help. I can't live like this forever the pain is to severe.  I hope someone will read these and maybe have some answers for us... Jody K