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Strange cramping sensation near my belly button?

Posted , 3 users are following.

juleslg
juleslg

I don’t have health insurance currently, so I’m here to get some outside opinions on what this might be before I make the decision to go see a doctor. 

I’m a 28 year old female, about 117 lbs give or take. For the past couple weeks I’ve been experiencing a strange, cramp-like feeling (achy, off and on) in the area of my stomach to the right of my belly button. Sometimes it’s higher up, but usually it’s directly to the right. At first I only noticed it when I would wear tight-fitting clothing, like leggings or high-waisted jeans. But now I’m feeling the ache even in my loose pajama pants. It’s sort of a gnawing feeling, accompanied by a sensation of bloating. When I’m resting, the cramping subsides, although I do avoid putting pressure on my right side while I’m laying down due to some discomfort. As soon as I’m up doing anything physical, I start to notice the cramping return. I wouldn’t say it’s a severe pain, but it’s definitely an inconvenient sensation that is difficult for me to ignore any longer...

Some quick medical facts about me! I’ve suffered from stomach issues since my adolesence. Although I’ve never been properly diagnosed, I’m 99% certain I have some form of IBS, accompanied by acid reflux. I’ll go through random bouts of heartburn every couple months where I have to either pop some antacids or take a round of Prilosec to calm the burn. I suffered from Esophagitis 2 years ago, so I usually try to be careful with my diet, but I do slip up more often than I like to admit and end up paying the price for enjoying a spicy meal or a round of drinks at the bar.

The reason I’m giving a brief backstory to my stomach woes is because when I first started experiencing this cramping feeling, I thought for sure it had something to do with my ongoing IBS or acid reflux issues. I started cutting out coffee, alcohol and the like from my diet to see if it would help calm the cramping. But unfortunately, the changes haven’t changed anything. 

This brings me to my next assumption... I’ve been attempting to exercise recently. In my little at-home workout routine, I do sit-ups and planks. I started experiencing the cramping right around the same time I began working out. I happened to read an online article that mentioned if you don’t do pre-workout stretches, you could strain your muscles. This got me thinking that perhaps I strained an abdominal muscle and that’s what’s been causing the achy, cramp-like feeling? I haven’t been doing any pre-workout stretches, so that would make sense. It’s hard to say though... My exercises are beginners level, at best. I never feel like I over-exert myself. And yet here I am, unable to even do a workout right now out of fear that it will make my cramping worse.

So that’s why I’m here today, writing my life story to see if someone might have an idea of what I’m going through. I’ve more or less ruled out the possibility of being pregnant or having a hernia or appendicitis... 

Any thoughts or opinions are welcome! Thank you so much for your time. 

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 juleslg

    Posted

    With IBS, you would normally experience bowel habit change and typically the pain moves about.  It may be a GI problem.  However, symptoms can vary so I would definitely try and get health insurance and see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.
    • juleslg
      juleslg pippa58442

      Posted

      Thanks for your response! Yes... I agree. I’ve made the decision to bite the bullet and visit urgent care tomorrow. The cramping sensation isn’t going away, so it’s better safe than sorry to just go and get it checked out. 
  • lucy42957
    lucy42957 juleslg

    Posted

    Hi jules I have the exact same thing with the sensation to the right of my belly button ... my doctor tried to tell me it was ibs because I stupidly went to the doctors when I was “time of the month” so it was occompanied by bloating.. to which has now subsided . But I noticed the same with the right clothes making it come on ect .. did u manage to find out what it was ?
    • juleslg
      juleslg lucy42957

      Posted

      This is a LONG overdue response, so I apologize! I’m not sure if you’re still going through the same stomach pains Lucy, but I unfortunately still don’t know what it could possibly be. I wussed out back in the beginning of the year when I made my original post and didn’t end up visiting the doctor. The pain actually went away for a while and I felt a lot better over the summer! But it has returned now, and worse than before. I’m still avoiding visiting the doctor due to fear of the cost, but I’m slowly starting to accept that I need to go. If I find anything out in the near future, I’ll be sure to post about it!
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