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Stomach twitching and pain early morning

Hi everyone.
Had AS for 10 years with several flare ups a year in the hips, lower back and lower ribs. Have managed flare ups with anti inflammatory breathing exercises and more recently with prohealix (peptide) for the bad flare ups.
A month ago I started getting a pain in my stomach to the right side of my belly button. The pain was only early morning around 4am for a few hours until I got out of bed.
For 2 weeks this happened every morning. Then 2 weeks later the pain moved and is now in random areas all over my stomach. Also a lot of what feels like intestinal twitching. Again mostly early morning while still sleeping but bad days can feel pain or twitching several times during the day as well.
Docs have had theories ranging from pancreatitis too constipation(going every second day without effort). No real mention of it being related to AS until I asked. But no further testing was ordered, just “try some anti inflammatories”.

Ultrasound and ct scan showed nothing.
I have since read that AS can cause celiac and other stomach issues.
Wondering if others have had similar symptoms and what the diagnosis was.
Thanks

  1. If you haven't been to a Gastrointestinal doctor, suggest you do so. Many different autoimmune issues go along with AS. Colitis, micro-colitis, etc. I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and many other tests. You can even develop "mast cell activation syndrome". Better to eliminate the obvious...

    1. You're absolutely right, and I do have auto-immune clustering. They've been exploring but nothing found so far...

  2. I have had similar digestive/intestinal upset on and off for many years and similarly, nothing has shown on imaging.


    This is a serious long shot, but last year I started working with a massage therapist who has been helping me with shoulder pain but recently, I had a bad flare-up that impacted my thoracic spine and rib cage. Long story short, we decided to include my abdominal wall in the treatment and she noted that my ab muscles are extremely tight. She explained that muscle twitching, intestinal upset/constipation, and compromised back support can happen as a result of the tightened muscles. This has honestly been a revelation for me and since starting the self-massage on my abdomen that she stepped me through, I have experienced some relief to my digestive issues.


    I should mention, it's my opinion that the muscle tightness is a contributing factor to a deeper issue. But it has been very helpful none-the-less.

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