Stomach Spasms

I have a friend whose teenager had something similar which they ended up defining as "stomach migraines." They were basically caused by stress. They ended up switching her schools and they mostly disappeared. You may try and keep a log and see if they are on days that he has tests, speeches, friend problems, etc. Also, certain foods can trigger them, so you may keep a food diary as well.

It sounds like irritable bowel syndrome. I had it in middle school and highschool. They were able to give me a medicine that I put in my mouth when I felt the cramps coming. It would dissolve instantly and give me relief.

I had a friend who had the same problems, she was very thin and it was discovered that because she was so thin she could actually feel the gas moving in her stomach and intestines.

you might want to have him keep a food log and see if it happens after he eats specific foods. I was having weird intestinal pain that turned out to be a lactose intolerance.

I just want to mention another type of IBS is Crohn's disease. He may or may not have it, but I wanted to mention it because my brother started with the symptoms when he was a teenager and multiple dr's couldn't diagnose him with anything until he was in his mid thirties. By then the abdominal cramping was so painful he couldn't work - couldn't really do anything for that matter. Here is a link that lists other symptoms for Crohn's so you can see if your son exhibits any of them.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/crohns-disease/DS00104
It has been my experience that everything is not "normal" (as many dr's say) when you have severe stomach pains. I hope you can pinpoint the cause so that he can find relief from the pain.

Hi E.. It sounds like he may have diverticulitis. You may want to check into it. My husband has cramps like that and was diagnosed with this intestinal disorder. He said it feels as if he's having contractions. The doctor said that it will feel as if you're going into labor. I'm sorry to hear about that. If you have any other questions, email me.

I do believe from my own severe gastritis it is internal gas, give him some Beano or other stomach Gas relievers .It could be just that, and see if his bowel habits are ok. God Bless

Hi E.,

I have had lots of stomach issues since I was a baby and also my kids and no one could explain it. My chiropractor in Olathe discovered the problem last year and has made a huge difference! I forget the proper term but there is a part of your spine that if it gets a little bit out of line it causes all kinds of problems with your stomach. I can walk into his office after being sick for days and he will adjust it and I will walk out completey normal and feeling great! He has helped my boys as well. We don't have to take medicine anymore which come with the side affects and Dr. Clarke is much cheeper than medicine:o)

Let me know if you would like his info and try him out! It would be worth it.
S.

have your son do a colon cleanse you can google it and do research to find the best i have done a little and the one that seems to be the best is colonix i have not tried it yet but im about to. if you go to the colonix web site you will see why. im going to have the whole family do one. the human body can also carry parisites of many varieties and can cause problems through out the body. after the colon cleanse do a parasites cleanse. another web site to check out is www.hearbalhealer.com they offer both. my prayers are with you.

I would suggest you have your doctor to check for Crone's Disease. My son had a few symptoms as a teenager, he is now 55 and still has occasional symptoms of stomach pains and has passed out from them a couple times, but not constantly as your son has presented. Check the web for Crone's and follow thru with your doctor.

When I was a teen, I had some similar issues but they were rare. I finally figured out that I had adverse reactions to cucumbers which are know to cause gas problems for lots of people. I agree with the others who have said to keep a food journal with him. Since you have already taken him to a doctor, you need more ammunition and a food journal will help you and the doctors to pinpoint some things that might be causing the problem or rule out food as the cause. In the mean time, try the over the counter gas meds and see if that helps the problem when he has a flare up.

Could it be intestinal spasms? That is what they finally decided what was wrong with my teenager. Certain foods, eating certain times of day, STRESS and not getting enough rest will set them off. There is a medication that helps.

Good luck,
D.

Did the Doctor do a GI? Make sure that your doctor is being thorough. When I was a kid I had chest pains and the doctor told my mom I was making it up, becasue he couldn't "find anything". Well, I still get these pains to this day, and it turns out they are gas bubbles. Anyway, be his advocate and make sure they have tested him completely. Good Luck.

You should take him to the doctor. It could be Crohn's Disease, or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). You didn't mention any other symptoms, but he may not be telling you those. Also, make sure that he is getting an adequate diet. It is difficult for teens to follow a balanced diet. You might help him, or ask your family physician to recommend a nutritionist.

Hi E.-
I'm almost 44 and have had these since I was a teenager, maybe even before. All my tests were negative too, so they called it IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Basically we have very sensitive bowels, alot of times people have severe diarrhea and/or constipation, but mine is mostly just cramps and gas. Don't know why it happens but it seems to come in cycles, sometimes no symptoms but sometimes it just seems to hang around for a few months and then goes away. I've tried almost everything, but the only things that work for me are Gas-X and Imodium. You may try having him keep a diary to track stress and diet and see if he can key off anything, but with me, I haven't had any good causes. It really is no fun, but it's also not dangerous, just a pain in the butt. You should make sure it's not something else at first, but that's my best guess, since it sounds just like me! Best of luck!

M.

I have had Stomach Spasms for 10 years now, it is a form of IBS but mine did not follow any of those symptoms. They put me on a medicine called Hycosamine and that helped a lot for a year or so then I just stopped taking it. My pains feel like contractions. The best thing that helped me was to lye flat on my stomach on a heating pad for an hour or more and it helped a lot but just make sure you watch it because if he falls asleep it could burn him . I was told that stress, chocolate,soda, beans and spicy foods had a lot to do with it. I really noticed it during my high school years, when I am really stressed it comes on stronger, sometimes it gets so bad I cant walk, I have missed school and work because of it. It does seem to get better as I get older. I hope these tips help him. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

"stomach" issues can be caused by a lot of things. If this has gone on for very long, and it's not his food, stress, etc, take him to a gastroenterologist. If there is a pediatric gastroenterologist, you may want to check with him/her. It also could be somthing like celiacs disease.
If he is in pain a lot for a long time, you need to keep checking it out until you find someone who can give you some kind of answer.

Good luck!

Try putting him on enzymes to help him digest the foods he is eating. There are several varieties at the health food store. Get one that has an array of enzymes (not just enzymes to break down fat, etc, one that would cover all types of foods). If he still has this after being on enzymes awhile, get another opinion. I had stomach problems for decades, and had seen several docs and a specialist. Their treatment did not help. Finally an MD that was open to natural treatment had me try enzymes. I haven't felt this good since I was 21. However, the sensation of movement is a little unusual, could be the movement of his intestines as mentioned below. Make sure he has plenty of fiber in his diet as well. Good Luck!

Hi E.. I just wanted to write in and tell you that when I was in high school I had a very similar experience. I would get sharp pains in my stomach that were so bad I would double over in pain. I was diagnosed with a spastic colon and advised to modify my diet. The only thing I really remember that triggered it was salad greens and other raw vegetables. Just a thought. I hope your son feels better soon.

Hi, E.. I see you've gotten a lot of different responses, but here's mine! My son had the same thing from the age of about 12 to 15, and they finally diagnosed it as "spastic stomach", just as it sounds..his stomach would spasm and cause stomach pain and cramps. Luckily, that's all it was with him, and I had a doc with a simple and cheap solution....Pepto Bismol in the morning and at night, and cut down on the soda and juice....He was drinking a lot of soda and juice at the time and apparently the carbination and acid from the juice was setting off the spasms. Once he cut down on these, and used the Pepto for about a week, his spasms stopped. He's 20 now, and hasn't had any spasms since that time. Good luck to you and your son, and hopefully maybe this suggestion will help him too!

Hi E.,

I thought you may want to take a look at this site, I find it very interesting and you can ask your oun questions.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/gastro/messages/37280.html

Hope he gets better soon!

Mariana

It's probably just poo, lol! Seriously though, have you asked about food allergies? I am allergic to sesame and not all allergies are as severe as peanuts. The symptoms you describe are similar to my reactions when I eat sesame and then I get sick (not throwing up). You might want to ask him about if he does get sick at all and then maybe check with an allergist instead of his regular MD.

Good luck!

My stepson is 19 and he has had a nervous stomach as long as I remember..He was diagnosed with IBS..Irritable bowel syndrome..maybe that is something you might want to check into?

Yikes! There are a lot of scary possibilities you have suggested here. I hope it is not one of those. I agree that you should listen to him, but start small. A food journal is a good idea and maybe start with GasX, as someone else suggested. If things don't get better or you notice more symptoms then definitely go to a specialist.

Hi E.,

You have many replies but my experience is a little different than the rest.

I had similar symptoms for several years when I was in my 20's. Doctors thought it was gas or reflux and stress. Nothing suggested made a difference.

UNTIL the day that I got much worse and I went to the ER. Turns out I had appendicitis, even though the ER doc had his doubts because my symptoms were not typical. Long story short: Had my appendix removed, the doctor confirmed that it was indeed infected and after healing, all symptoms went away. Like magic. That was 20 yrs ago and I haven't had anything like this since.

My best wishes to your son!

Hello E.,

I think you should listen to you son, and make sure you get a second or even a third opinion. I would recommend seeing a gastroenterologist if your primary care doctor can't find the problem. We have to be advocates for our kids, and your son is old enough to know when something is wrong. My advice is to be sure to trust his instincts and yours, and keep looking until you find out what is happening.

Poor kid, that just sounds miserable. Good luck, and I hope you are able to get him the help he needs!

D.

Does he have regular BM's,when he gets these spasms does it usually end up in a BM.That is what i'm thinking he maybe feeling.Just an idea

I would have an upper GI and a colonoscopy done I deal with this alot and had both done I have a hital hernia and real bad ruflex they also found internal hemroids when they did the colonoscopy. Just some ideas for some test to look into. S.

Where is the "stomache" pain? Is it where his stomach would be... higher than belly button, or is it lower? If it's lower it could be peristalsis - or the moving/squeezing of the intestines. SOme people can feel that and it's not comfortable. I haven't felt it before, but my patients have.

My son had the same problem and the doctor put him on zantac and told him to cut back on fried food and spicy and to also cut back on the pop. Seem to help he's got a nervous stomach, that runs in our family.Maybe you should ask your doctor if he thinks that might be the problem.

You might ask the dr to check for parasites since he is feeling something moving in his stomach.