Menstrual Pain Every Day but Gyno Tests Are Normal?
Have you ever had menstrual pain or cramps but no period?
If your only symptom is pelvic discomfort, a number of conditions can cause this.
But the more locations of your body, that have the aches or pains, that get added into this equation, the fewer the conditions that can explain this.
Thus, the possibilities get narrowed slightly when, in addition to pelvic cramps, you also get low back aches.
Toss in wrist, ankle and neck aches, and this eliminates gynecological causes such as pregnancy, ovarian cysts, endometriosis and gynecological cancer, and it also eliminates colon cancer.
Joint aches other than in the back are not on the symptom lists for these cancers.
So what on earth can possibly cause period pain in the absence of the above, and in the absence of pregnancy, periomenopause, menopause and celiac disease?
Consider the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease! One such condition is microscopic colitis, a benign inflammatory bowel disease that will never turn into anything serious.
“How can I have colitis if I don’t have any digestive symptoms, no diarrhea, no constipation, no flatulence, no gas?”
Microscopic colitis, as well as other IBDs like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, can cause “extra-intestinal” symptoms (e.g., beyond the intestines), that can surface IN THE ABSENCE of gut-related symptoms.
What causes menstrual joint pain?
Prostaglandins, which are hormone-like chemicals produced throughout the body, including the uterus.
This is why ibuprofen alleviates this pain, because it inhibits production of prostaglandins.
What’s believed to cause the joint aches of microscopic colitis?
Prostaglandins.
“Aching joints can be a symptom of microscopic colitis, but not necessarily. Many patients with aching joints don’t have microscopic colitis, but aching joints and gut problems often go hand-in-hand.
“They’re both associated with inflammation, and many doctors speculate that cyclo-oxygenase (COX 2) or prostaglandins are involved because of the function they provide.
“Prostaglandins are chemicals that generally cause inflammation of our joints.”
– Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving, as interviewed in my article, Why Does Microscopic Colitis Cause Joint Pain?
If you’re having unexplained joint aches and pelvic cramping that feel menstrual, like you’re about to get your period, but the period never comes, there IS some degree of possibility that this could be microscopic colitis, if all of your other tests have turned up negative, and ESPECIALLY if you’re over 50.
Even if there’s no diarrhea. However…the diarrhea may come yet. When I had my second flare-up of microscopic colitis, the period pain was present (and significantly) for about 27 days BEFORE the diarrhea and other gut symptoms started.
Then out of 32 days that followed from the first day of diarrhea, I had a total of 27 episodes of diarrhea.
The diarrhea came on rather suddenly and tapered down over the next 32 days.
The feeling like I was going to have my period any day disappeared a few days after the diarrhea began, BUT … throughout the diarrhea’s course, I continued, almost every evening, getting that menstrual feeling, albeit milder.
PROSTAGLANDINS!
Your health insurance should cover a colonoscopy, which is the only way to diagnose microscopic colitis. If you’re at least 50 and haven’t had one, get one.
Tell the doctor to swab for microscopic colitis. The joint aches of IBDs are called “enteropathic arthropathy.”
This situation is non-destructive, will eventually remit (though future flares are possible), and will NOT damage your joints or weaken them. I continue deadlifting heavy barbells and doing pull-ups without a problem.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Freepik.com
Sources:
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/basics/causes/con-20025447
webmd.com/women/guide/menstrual-pain
ccfc.ca/site/pp.asp?c=ajIRK4NLLhJ0E&b=6349433&printmode=1 (flare-up of joint aches can occur separate from gut problem flare-ups)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3629156/ (prostaglandins and MC)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6350580 (prostaglandins and PMS)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594490 (prostaglandins and IBD)
rheumatology.org/Practice/Clinical/Patients/Diseases_And_Conditions/Psoriatic_Arthritis/
Acid Reflux Can Affect Throat without Chest Burning
Don’t assume your throat issues can’t be acid reflux just because you have no heartburn, chest discomfort or abdominal pain.
My father was recently coughing for no apparent reason, and I suggested it might be acid reflux. He said it couldn’t be because he didn’t feel any burning in his chest or stomach.
I told him you could have acid reflux affecting the throat without feeling any burning in the chest.
Why can acid reflux cause throat related symptoms in the absence of chest or stomach related symptoms?
“On occasion acid reflux can cause throat symptoms with no burning sensation in the throat or chest,” says Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, the chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
“This is referred to as extra-intestinal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
“It can be a direct effect of acid refluxing all the way up into the throat from the stomach. GERD can be caused when esophageal and cricopharyngeal muscle disorders occur at the same time.”
One day I developed a cough—every few minutes something would tickle in the back of my throat and necessitate a cough. No other symptoms.
At the time, it didn’t occur to me that acid reflux was the only explanation.
But in retrospect, this had to be acid reflux, affecting only my throat and without heartburn or chest pain—triggered by extreme emotional duress.
This every-two-minutes need to cough developed a few days prior to having to literally chase after my beloved dog down a busy street, trying to catch up to him before he got hit by a car.
Actually, my parents owned him, but I was staying with them to give the dog his brain cancer treatment because my parents couldn’t handle the injections.
He was deranged from the disease and had gotten loose from the yard after the lawn care people left the gate open.
I was running through traffic since the dog was running through traffic. This was a German shepherd and I began losing distance.
Finally, I saw a man approaching from another direction who was trying to help.
Suddenly I got really close to my beloved furry angel and reached out to grab his collar, but he tried to bite me, causing me to retract.
Then I reached out for his collar and almost had him–he bolted off, even ignoring my father as my father pulled alongside the dog and opened the car door and called for him to jump in—something the dog always loved to do—but now, only ran away in his demented state.
I called out to the man who had joined in on the attempt to catch the large dog, “A hundred dollars if you can catch him!”
Within a minute, the man had the dog. (And I stuck to my word and paid him $100.)
I knew it was time to call the vet and have him euthanized; he had taken a rapid turn for the worse over the past few days—this coincided with development of my cough; my heart was just breaking—I was about to lose my golden love.
He no longer “knew” his family and was defecating in the house, spending hours pacing frenetically.
Throughout this course I had also suddenly developed a change in bowel habits that included frequent diarrhea and foul smelling and weird looking stools.
I couldn’t help but think colon cancer. I scheduled a colonoscopy, which turned out to be two days after the dog was put down.
The stress and anxiety were ridiculous. I’d be sitting there at my computer, coughing every two minutes, taking swigs of the almost-nauseating syrupy solution to clean my colon out for the exam.
Stress-induced acid reflux?
Acid reflux can cause a persistent cough — a throat symptom — without causing any heartburn, chest or abdominal discomfort. I had the cough all the way into the exam room.
When the colonoscopy was over, and the doctor said everything looked normal, and I began coming out of the sedation. The cough was completely gone. It never came back.
The diarrhea and abdominal rumbling turned out to be microscopic colitis, a benign condition not related to acid reflux.
If you have a nagging cough or other throat symptom like a hoarse voice, but no heartburn or chest pain, this might be acid reflux.
But to be sure, see a physician, since throat symptoms can have other, more serious causes.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/Rocketclips, Inc
Can Excessive Burping Be Caused by Anxiety?
Though cancer can cause burping, this symptom can also be caused by psychological factors.
Anxiety can cause a LOT of symptoms, including headache, backache, stomach ache, a knotty feeling in the stomach, diarrhea, a racing heart, a fluttering heart, a lump feeling in the throat …
But what about belching?
Burping is associated with obnoxious behavior and eating too much, and with gulping air with a carbonated beverage.
But can anxiety actually cause one to burp?
“Yes. Anxiety can cause excessive burping,” says Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, the chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
How does this happen?
“When people become anxious, they may swallow excessive amounts of air,” says Dr. Fine.
“This is called aerophagia. When this happens, air goes into the stomach and is then forced back through the esophagus and out of the mouth – more commonly thought of as burping.”
Freepik.com/katemangostar
The solution would be to make sure that your mouth is closed during periods of anxiety.
But this tactic isn’t always easy to pull off, especially if the anxiety is of an acute and severe nature.
If you’re still burping, put yourself in a state of mind that induces relaxation and calmness, and see if it goes away.
For instance, settle down in your favorite piece of furniture with some soothing music, and focus on something that will distract your mind from anxiety, such as counting backwards by seven from 100; or counting each tick of the clock in the room.
Or repeat in your head your favorite poem or song lyrics over and over.
Do this for a while and see if the burping goes away.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
Can Acid Reflux Cause Bloody Stools?
Is it possible for acid reflux disease to cause blood to be in one’s stools?
“It is unlikely that acid reflux can cause blood on or in the stool,” says Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
“To have blood on or in the stool, the patient would have to have massive gastrointestinal bleeding from the esophagus and this is unlikely.
“The only way acid reflux could cause blood in a patient’s stool is if they had an esophageal ulcer eroding into a blood vessel causing rapid gastrointestinal blood loss.
“When a patient has this condition, they are more likely to be vomiting blood than to see it in their stool.”
If you’re experiencing any unnerving symptoms, insist upon a colonoscopy, even if you’re under age 50.
A colonoscopy can rule out or in a number of conditions. Do not fear a colonoscopy.
If you haven’t had any peculiar symptoms but are at least age 45, it’s time to ask your physician about a colonoscopy as a screening for colon cancer.
The age for starting screening colonoscopies was changed to 45 by the American Cancer Society in 2018 — due to the rise in colon cancer diagnosis in people under 50.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
Can Exercising on an Empty Stomach Cause Acid Reflux?
Are you wondering if that discomfort in your chest or stomach while working out on an empty stomach might be from acid reflux?
“Yes, exercising on an empty stomach can cause acid reflux,” says Jeffrey Fine, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
How does this happen?
“Exercising on an empty stomach can increase intra-abdominal pressure,” explains Dr. Fine.
“Anything that increases intra-abdominal pressure can overwhelm the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and result in reflux.”
The symptom can linger for a while after the exercise is over.
Symptoms of Acid Reflux from Exercising on an Empty Stomach
The symptoms are those that are typical of acid reflux: a discomfort in the abdominal area that can be described as an ache, mild pain or burning sensation.
This feeling can also make its way to the chest area, including what seems to be below the sternum (the esophagus is right behind the sternum).
If you’re getting chest pain every time you exercise on an empty stomach, but not when you have some food in it, then yes, this can be acid reflux.
However, make sure you have a thorough exam with a cardiologist so that a cardiac cause can be ruled out.
For example, suppose you have a normal coronary calcium score (within five years of having the test).
Suppose also that your blood pressure and cholesterol profile are in the normal range.
And let’s also say that you don’t have diabetes.
Finally, you have not noticed any unusual shortness of breath or decline in physical abilities due to increased fatigue.
Given all that — chances are extremely high that the discomfort in your chest (and especially if it’s in your abdomen) is being caused by acid reflux if it comes only when you exercise on an empty stomach.
To help prevent this annoying problem, make a point of taking in some food prior to exercising.
This could be a little yogurt, some fruit, a hardboiled egg, a handful of nuts or any small helping of a healthful food so that your stomach isn’t completely empty.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Gurgling from Stomach: Could this Be Acid Reflux?
Is that gurgling inside your stomach coming from acid reflux, cancer or what?
Now, gurgling from your stomach can be either annoying, embarrassing or scary (if you read somewhere that it could be a sign of cancer or even a brewing condition involving your heart).
Can Acid Reflux Cause a Gurgling Sound in the Belly?
“No — When your GI tract moves, it generally causes a gurgling noise,” says Jeffrey Fine, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
“This is part of the natural digestive process and not due to acid reflux.”
What are the symptoms that acid reflux does cause?
The most common symptom of this very common condition is a burning or slightly abrasive feeling in the chest and/or upper abdomen.
However, the chest or abdominal discomfort from acid reflux isn’t always of a burning nature.
It can sometimes be described as a dull ache, strong ache or a pressure or heaviness.
The chest symptoms of acid reflux can mimic those of heart disease or of a heart attack.
Another common symptom of acid reflux is “burping” up a small amount of bitter tasting liquid after eating a meal — especially if you ate a lot of food in a short period of time.
The good news is that a gurgling stomach — either that which you can hear or only feel — is not cause for alarm.
The GI tract is supposed to move. The esophagus and intestines contract as part of the digestive process.
The esophagus and intestines are made of muscle, and muscle in the GI tract moves things along to get food digested. This movement is called peristalsis.
If you hear it, that’s normal. Whose stomach doesn’t gurgle sooner or later?
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Mix and Match Studio
Can HIIT Trigger Acid Reflux?
Are you wondering if high intensity interval training can bring on acid reflux?
“Yes. High intensity training can trigger acid reflux for some people, depending on what type of exercise the person is doing and how that person is wired,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Fine, MD, the chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
“High intensity training can trigger acid reflux for some, depending on what type of exercise the person is doing and how that person refluxes,” says Dr. Fine.
Symptoms of Acid Reflux Brought on by High Intensity Interval Training
You may get a dull aching or burning in your upper abdomen.
If the acid reflux makes it higher up into your throat and mouth, you may start getting an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
This taste won’t be strong or sharp, but rather bland and dull. It may taste the way you’d imagine cardboard might taste. It may have a bitter quality to it.
It can come on within five minutes of your cardio exercise.
Dr. Fine explains, “Everyone is wired differently, neurologically speaking. Some people experience reflux only when lying down; others when sitting or standing up, and some experience it in either position.”
Can acid reflux be prevented during intense cardio training?
If you’ve been experiencing reflux symptoms as a result of HIIT, see what happens if you eat a small amount of food prior to the exercise, since an empty stomach can make you more likely to develop symptoms.
Many people perform HIIT on an empty stomach, namely to maximize the fat-burning effect.
But a small item of healthful food won’t disrupt this process.
Choose a something like a small peach, apple, banana, grapes or a little yogurt.
Another approach is to more gradually ramp your work intervals, to give your stomach a change to acclimate to the uptick in physical activity. This may result in less acid reflux.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Razoomanet
How Soon After Eating Chocolate Can You Get Acid Reflux?
You may know that chocolate can cause acid reflux, but how soon after eating it can it produce this symptom?
Acid reflux, even when caused by eating chocolate, can result in a burning sensation in the chest and/or the upper abdomen.
Unfortunately, chocolate is a known trigger for the reflux of acidic stomach “juices” that travel up the esophagus and cause annoying symptoms.
However, to a chocoholic, the symptoms are worth the reward.
Time It Takes Chocolate to Cause Acid Reflux After Eating It
“Eating chocolate can cause reflux,” begins Jeffrey Fine, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the Medical Surgical Clinic of Irving.
“This can occur within seconds of consuming chocolate or up to an hour afterward.”
So if you had chocolate cake, brownies or ice cream three hours ago, and seem to be having some acid reflux, chances are pretty good this is not coming from the chocolate you indulged in three hours ago—probably not even two hours ago.
How does chocolate cause reflux in the first place?
Dr. Fine explains, “Chocolate contains cocoa powder, which is an acidic substance that can directly injure the esophagus.
“In addition, it can decrease the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which allows gastric reflux in the esophagus.”
If you’re prone to frequent episodes of acid reflux that seem strongly correlated to an intake of chocolate goods, you may want to consider discussing this with a gastroenterologist.
After all, chronic irritation to the esophagus can lead to a condition called Barrett’s esophagus — which is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
Dr. Fine has been in practice for over 30 years and specializes in digestive health, integrative medicine and food sensitivities.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Hurst Photo
Tiny Red Speck on Tissue Paper not Always Blood
Find out what that tiny red speck on your toilet paper after wiping yourself might actually be.
Recently after wiping myself after having a “number 2,” I noticed what appeared to be a very small, faint red splotch on the tissue paper.
I couldn’t get a good close-up of it with my contact lenses on (yes, I need an updated prescription).
I was sure I wasn’t imagining the red appearance—a faded red, not a bright red.
So I popped out the contact lens, and put the tissue paper up close to my unaided eye, while covering the other eye, for a good clear inspection.
The red speck appeared to be elevated off the tissue paper. Blood doesn’t do this. That’s not blood, I thought.
With my fingernail I lifted the red speck off the tissue paper and onto my finger.
It was several fibers from some kind of garment—obviously from the red sweat pants I had worn the day before.
Conclusion: Fibers from the red sweat pants had made their way into the entrance area of my anus.
They remained there till the next day when a good wipe dislodged them and attached them to the tissue paper.
It had definitely looked like blood when it wasn’t close up and clear to my eye.
Next time you think you see a tiny speck of blood on the tissue paper after wiping yourself, get a really close, sharp look at it to see if it might instead be a few fibers of clothing material.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Can Anger Cause a Heart Attack or Stroke?
There really IS some truth to the saying, “If you don’t calm down you’ll have a heart attack.”
You’ve heard of extreme sudden fear causing a heart attack soon after, but can anger (which is a completely different emotion than is panic or fright), also lead to a heart attack or stroke?
Yes, says a study. The increased risk of heart attack or stroke, following an episode of anger, persists for up to two hours after.
The heightened risk, predictably, is much worse for people who have pre-existing risk factors for heart attack or stroke.
The study report says that high frequency of anger episodes increases the risk.
How does this all convert to numbers?
– In those with frequent outbursts of anger, five episodes per day would mean about 158 extra heart attacks per 10,000 individuals with low cardiovascular risk annually.
– The number of heart attacks jumps to 657 per 10,000 people in those who have a high cardiovascular risk.
“For people who already have issues with their heart or may have narrowed blood vessels supplying their heart, this [anger outbursts] can cause less blood flow to the heart and cause potential for heart attacks,” says Bethany Doran, MD, a board certified cardiologist and CEO of Enabled Health.
Nevertheless, a solid cause-and-effect relationship has not been established, when it comes to anger and heart attacks.
In other words, maybe people who frequently get angry are also more likely to have a high sodium junk food diet, smoke and/or not exercise.
On the other hand, mental stress drives up heart rate and blood pressure.
The so-called fight or flight response makes the blood thicken: nature’s way of protecting the body from bleeding out from the anticipated fight or escape).
The more that a person is in the midst of a stress response, the more often their blood is in a thickened state, which means it can clot more easily.
Problem is, modern man’s anger often takes place in a setting where he can’t fight or flee — such as at the workplace or stuck in a traffic jam on the way to an important appointment.
What can you do?
“Lowering risk factors for heart attacks by eating correctly, exercising and maintaining a healthy body weight can decrease risk factors for heart attack,” says Dr. Doran.
- Limit processed foods. Eat foods in their whole form as much as possible. For example, eat potatoes fresh from the produce section, not from a can.
- Keep sodium intake under 2,000 mg/day.
- Make efforts to lose excess weight via more exercise and portion control of food.
- If you smoke, quit. Limit drinking: eight ounces a day for men; four ounces a day for women.
- Do both aerobic exercise and strength training.
Bethany Doran, MD,
