What could this be?

[ChesterTown]

For about the last ten years, every so often, I have really bad pains in my stomach. They come maybe once every three months, but I can gor for six months with nothing. The pain tends to last about 36-48 hours. Over the counter medicines don't make much impact.
Before I had children, it was put down to IBS, as the GP said the area where I indicated the pain was (centred on my tummy button) was my bowel. However, peppermint and the colpermin he gave me had no effect. I have some mild gastro upset every so often, but nothing problematic and I don't think I have get constipation - I go once or day or so
Since children, I now recognise the pain as feeling the same as early labour. Not building waves of contractions, but the same pain - real deep churning/ache. Last time I had it it hurt to stand or move, so I had to spend most of my time lying or sitting down. However the pain does not seem related to my monthly cycle in any way.
I know that I will get nowhere with the GP, and as it is infrequent it is hard to describe when it is not happening. However, when it comes, it is very real and very painful.
Any idea what it could be? The last attack was really quite debilitating

It maybe colon related. It's possible that it's diverticulitis, this is when there are small pockets in the large bowel which collects poo, becomes gunkified and sore. I'm sorry to say, the tests for this are not nice ones.

Crones disease/inflammatory bowl disease also cause severe pain, it's best to get a referal to a gastroenterologist, they should only say it's IBS after doing all the tests to exclude all of the other things it could be.

My DS1 has a "loose" diagnosis of IBS. He has terrible cramps very much like you are describing. Try Aloe Vera juice (holland and barratt sell it in big bottles). He mixes it with juice in the mornings and it helps greatly. It won't do you any harm to try it.

Forgot to say, if you're going to try it, take it daily (not just when you're in pain).

I agree with sarahappymummy re. the aloe vera for IBS. I took it daily for about 3 years and it really helped. I now take it just during flare-ups.

Ta Scrooged -just googled diverticulitis and Chrohns and thankfully, they don't sound right. Mainly because the only symptom I get is the pain. No fever, tenderness or anything else.
shm - thank you for that tip. I will try it when I next get an attack and see if it helps.
I am still thinking it is something gynae rather than gut, because it is so like labour

PS like the 'lose' diagnosis of IBS

Not necessarily Gynae (although I'm not an expert). The way DS1 describes his pain to me, he sounds like he's in labour! lol.

at shm!
Is aloe vera juice pricey btw? Does your ds have any other symptoms?

Is it food related? I have pains when i drink coffee..

Could you have a cyst on an ovary? A long shot but a friend had recurrent abdominal pain and it was put down to "stress"by her GP until it ruptured .She lost the ovary,so go back to your GP or ask to see a different one and get a scan.

The pain is very generalised (like when you are pg and your bump hurts with the pain), not located up or down or left or right, just everywhere on my tummy. I did ask the GP if it could be gynae and he said no, as gynae pain would be much lower down near my pubis.

I don't think it can be related to a specific food - it occurs too infrequently - and I don't drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks

Thanks for all suggestions

Have you been checked for helicobacter/stomach ulcer? You need to ask your GP for a bloodtest. This sounds very similar to the fairly regular but debilitating pain my dh suffers from. You can get antibiotics if it is helicobacter. Good luck

"Is aloe vera juice pricey btw? Does your ds have any other symptoms? "

I think (from memory, which is very bad) it's about £12 a bottle. But that should last you a month.

Other symptoms. Um... bad wind (the farting kind). So he tells me. Evidently IBS is exacerbated by stress. It may be worth keeping some kind of diary (so that you can monitor stressful events). This would be a good way of pin-pointing the possibility of IBS - which, so I understand, is made worse by stress.

My IBS is exacerbated by stress, but I also get it if I eat rich, oily food such as curry or very creamy sauces.

It's also worse around the time that I ovulate.

My Aloe Vera costs £18.00 per bottle and a bottle lasts me about a month.

If you google "forever living products", I take the aloe vera in the yellow bottle. I mix it with apple juice which masks the slightly medicinal smell.

Hmm, sounds like the aloe vera is worth a try.
I wish I could work out what causes it. It really is a puzzle.

Hi,
I have had a soreness in my lower right side since last Oct, virtually daily, its really sore atm. I have been 3 times to my gp, two diff docs, they feel the area, felt up my backside, then both said ibs. Gave me meds, I have been drinking peppermint tea etc but no diff. I am very stressed and friends are putting it all down to me being paranoid because my husband is battling bowel and liver cancer. So naturally I am just abit scared that it may be something more worrying. I have been back to the docs, and am now going on the 20th to the colon clinic at the hospital, I need reassurance, and I dont see hoe they can just sat ibs by feeling your tummy.As we have 3 xs 11yr olds I am scared as things are bad enough atm as Harry has been told its treatable but not curable. Trouble is I have spoken to so many people who suffer with ibs and no two peole seem to have the same symptems. It is a real pain and is getting me down.

Soaked linseeds are also soothing for the bowel - you soak them overnight (about a tbsp) and gulp down in the morning (yum) and they gently cleanse your insides.

Nontoxic - that is a new one on me. What do the linseeds actually do to you? Do you soak them in water? How do they taste?

Yes you soak them in water. They don't really have a taste but they start to become gloopy.
Sorry I can't remember exactly how they work, but a nutritionist recommended them and they did help with he IBS.
They're sometimes called flax seeds.