Sudden severe abdominal cramp...should I be worried? - General Health Message Board

Dark Stranger · 11-07-2004, 06:31 PM

I'm probably overreacting yet again, but when it comes to pain, I succumb pitifully to it. Here's what happened:

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At 1:30 this morning I decided to get on the internet for a couple of hours. Some time later I felt a sudden sharp pain in the left side of my abdomen (between my rib cage and the upper part of my hip bone). It hurt to move and to breathe, and soon I couldn't take it any longer. As I shut my computer down, I felt immediate nausea...as in brink-of-vomiting-violently nausea, as well as dizziness/faint feeling and hot flashes.

I took some Motrin and went to bed. Woke up a few hours later and was fine.

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Not sure if this is due to the change in my eating habits or not. Something is making me feel nautious constantly, to the point where I am only taking in fluids.

I don't think this is of any importance, but right before the cramp began I had drank a cup of orange juice O.o

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Is this a reason for concern? I've never had this happen before.

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Dark Stranger - hypochondriac

mel1977 · 11-09-2004, 12:06 AM

the same thing happened to me and you know what it was??? GAS. there is a turn in the intestine on the left upper side right under the diaphragm that air (aka gas) can get caught in. It is very painful and makes breathing hard and hurt b/c it is right under the ribs and diaphragm. I thought I was dying! I called the ER and of course they said to come in-so I called my mom at work (we both worked at the same hospital and I was getting ready to go in, she is an RN) and she said it was probably gas, and she was right. It was there for quite a while, but went away. Walking helps and calming your breathing. If this ever happens to you again or anyone else on here, relax and lie down on your left side (your bowels will move automatically on the left) and hopefully it will stop. If it seems this is NOT the issue, see your Doctor. This is just my personal experience. Good luck to you.

rush_rulz · 11-09-2004, 10:43 AM

Well, I had a similar experience although my cramp was in a lower area close to my ovaries...yeah scary. I about couldn't breath it was so bad and went to the Hospital (Local charity one) because when me and my husband looked up all of what I had going on it appeared that my appendix had ruptured...so they did some bloodwork and tests and I was told I had a Pelvic Infection but later on when I saw a "real" Ob-Gyn he said it was most likely just an imflamatory flare up, either in the cervix or ovary. Could've been related to my later on abnormal cell growth I had that came on later-- and eventualy lead to some of my cervix being removed with a laser (it grows back though!).

Well. It could just be gas though, I hear lots of stories about people thinking they are dying and it's just lodged up gas. Sometimes you even need special meds I'm told, to get it to come out on it's own...

mel1977 · 11-09-2004, 12:08 PM

I know the gas problem is more located at the upper left quadrant of the abdomen. I had my appendix out and it was the lower right. I am only suggesting that gas is the problem for the symptoms of the upper left, other than that, I can offer no advice.

Dark Stranger · 11-09-2004, 06:10 PM

Thanks for your help, guys. I appreciate it.

From the description of the gas pain, I'd say you guys hit the nail on the head. 'Twas strange because I did not eat anything that day except a few pieces of chocolate in the morning...unless I got bad gas from coffee ^-^

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Well, whatever it was, I hope it doesn't happen again because it hurt O.o

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Dark Stranger - chock full of hot air XD