What's going on with my painful, tender, bloated abdomen?

[Spidershidingbloodyeverywhere]

An excruciating cramping in my abdomen woke me at 3.30am last night. Everywhere below my waist, it hurt like hell, like a leg or hip cramp but low in my abdomen, and for about an hour. It felt as though everything was being squeezed and twisted down there.

I got out of bed and took ibuprofen and made a hot water bottle, and got back into bed and did labour breathing until it gradually lessened enough to go back to sleep. It became so painful at one point I ended up shaking and teeth-chattering - shock?

This morning, my abdomen felt like your legs do the day after you do way more exercise than you're used to - sprained, stretched, pulled - with a prevailing dull crampy ache. This has lasted all day, along with bloating (I can hardly do up my jeans) and tenderness - if I press in certain areas of my tummy, it hurts.

What is this?! IBS? I don't normally suffer, and haven't had much bloating/wind since giving up pulses a while ago. I went to the loo twice this morning - no diarrhoea, a bit constipated at first but then fine - and still the feeling hasn't changed.

I've just finished a period so it can't be menstrual. I'm 38 and have a 13-month-old (still breastfed) - hormones? Dehydration from loads of night feeding causing constipation (although it's not all the time and not much)?

I reckon an appendicitis would have got worse, not improved. The pain is too low for gall stones (at least I think so).

I don't know, but I'd appreciate some ideas. Do I go to my GP? I didn't bother today; I aim not to go unless I really have to (and I'd have to wait a few weeks for an appointment anyway!). But I felt proper scared by the pain in the night, so could really do with getting to the bottom of it.

Thanks for any ideas.

That's creepy.

Sorry! Sorry!!! Wrong thread. stupid phone X

Could it be ovulation pain? Mark the calendar for the day you got the pain, then if in 14-16 days you get a period, then that's what it was.
Mine developed as I got older. When the egg was bursting out of the follicle I got a very sharp pain and bloating (a bit like needing to poo) for between 1 and 4 hrs.

Ovulation pain here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittelschmerz

Lucsy, thanks. I've had mild constipation on and off over the years, but never that has caused pain - just a bit of discomfort going to the loo. I had no idea it could cause lengthy and intense cramps. Hmm. It's possible I guess because I think I'm getting dehydrated fairly regularly - I don't drink much in the night because it wakes me up/makes me pee and disturbs my sleep further. But it could be drying me out.

sadie9, thanks. I am familiar with ovulation pain though - I get it sometimes, usually on one side. It's more manageable than this, and usually a week further on. Thanks, though.

Pain like that needs investigating, so yes I would go to GP, and quite soon. Incidentally for stomach area problems I've been told to avoid ibuprofen (can't remember what it does) and stick to paracetamol.

Could it be a kidney infection?

I suffer with these and they never present as cystitis or anything like that.

Once I had excruciating stomach pains like you've described.

If you think that you are not drinking enough water, it could be related maybe ?