I have suffered from bad period pain and heavy periods on and off since my teens (I'm now late 30s). For at least the last ten years I frequently get other pain for the first two days or more, much higher up. It's hard to describe but I think it's called flank pain: in the sort of kidney/waist region on both sides, or the middle of my back. It doesn't happen every month but when it does it's agonising, makes me want to puke or faint though I rarely do either. I can't carry on normal life at least for a few hours. All I want to do is lie down or sit up with my back resting on something.
About four years ago it got significantly worse and was affecting me a lot of the month. Eventually I was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer/gastritis and given omeprazole, which helped a lot. I still take it when I get reflux or stomach pain.
But, the weird thing is, I still occasionally get that strange pain the first two or three days or my period. Omeprazole helps a bit, and I usually take it with painkillers (paracetomol and/or codeine, which I am prescribed as the gastritis means I can't take any of the NSAIDs).
GPs I've consulted say it's just gastritis and the link with periods is probably coincidence, though I did see a GP who specializes in gynaecology and her view was it could be mild endometriosis in an unusual place (diaphragm? Kidney/tubes?) but as attacks are rare these days wasn't worth trying to investigate. GP referred me for endoscopy to look at my upper GI tract but referral was sent back as not enough symptoms, apparently. Urine always comes back clear. A transvaginal ultrasound a couple of years back showed no abnormalities in uterus or ovaries.
So I think I'm happy to just ignore it as best I can and take painkillers/omeprazole which seem to work whether it's gastric or something else. I just wanted to know whether anyone else had had anything like it? It's rare these days fortunately - though I have had another three-day attack of pain this weekend - and I no longer worry it's something serious or malignant, but I've never heard of anyone else having kidney-type pain with periods and wondered if I'm just weird.