Stomach Cramp / Spasm

[Calf]

As some of you are prob aware from my b*****ing on the FLM thread things didn't go to plan due to stomach crampy type issues.

Now this happened when I did it 3 years ago. About a mile in (even less this year) i notice a slight pain in the gut bottom left side. Not to the extent it slows me down but steadily gets worse the longer I run.
Then get to 17/18 and it gets unbearable to point it feels like someone is stabbing me in the gut so I have to stop.
Walk for 50m where it gets a little better and then set off running again at a much reduced pace. Then it starts to get worse again and I can feel it for want of a better term 'going' until it builds back to this stabbling pain and back to walking again pretty much like this all the way to the finish!

Get to the finish and all kind of up chucking occurs and about 20-30 mins better I'm feeling fine????

Now when it happened the first time I'd put it down to drinking lots of carb drinks and taking a gel to carb load on the morning!

This year I just had the usual bowl of porridge about 3 hours before I started and a couple of cups off coffee....again all normal stuff. After that I just sipped on water.....not to much as I was worried about filling my belly up!

Then bam a couple of mins after the start and the all too familiar feeling?
It was very slow start due to the number of people so I didn't set off to fast either!

Around 15 miles I tried taking some ant acid tabs but didn't make any difference???

Finally this morning it as thou my stomach is sore, not in a I feel sick kind of way but sore in the same way you can get after a cramp in your calf for example??

Now this is doing my head in. FFS I did oldham half mara on the back of a late night and 5 pints of bitter and felt fine (ish).

Anyone any ideas????

[Yorkshire Lass]

Don't want you to panic, this is just a suggestion and is probably way off the beaten track..

I started suffering with a pain in my upper abdomen that would start after a couple of hours running and would get unbearable, difference was though that I would sometimes remain in pain for hours after.

Turned out I had an epigastric hernia that I have just had to have repaired.

It hurt when I ran long distance because the bowel pokes through the stomach wall and then as the muscles become more tight through prolonged exercise it strangles the part of bowel poking through, hence the terrible pain.

I had no other problems doing anything else and it didn't always trouble me. In fact it was a really small hernia and they struggled to locate it because of it. Still potentially dangerous though and they have to be surgically repaired.

Not saying that's what you've got, probably haven't, but might be worth checking it out with your doc just in case.

All the best

[Calf]

Turned out I had an epigastric hernia that I have just had to have repaired.

[Yorkshire Lass]

Chill!!

It's no big deal if it is and it probably isn't as I'm no doctor but always worth checking these things out.

[Calf]

hehe, am reasonably sure it isn't this as the pain moved thru my belly. Starting on the left over to the middle and finally crippled my when it got to the right side?????

[FellShoeShuffler]

Might be worth a look at

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/...s.asp?UTN=5186

for other possibilties

[Calf]

I'm really hoping it isn't period pain!

[OneHillWonder]

I'm really hoping it isn't period pain!

[AllanT]

Might be preggers and in prolonged labour????...

[Calf]

Oh god hope that number two this morning wasn't a kid in disguise!!!!