I'm a 30 year old male and have had this debilitating problem since I was about 16 or so. I've been to numerous doctors over the years with numerous scans and tests with no conclusion as to what this condition. They've all ended up saying it's in my head which it absolutely IS NOT. What IT IS, is a debilitating condition and hindrance that can drastically lower the quality of ones life!
After researching the anatomy of the general area and due largely to this quoted in bold post by the 36y/o male who works in the Navy Special Forces (thank you, sir), I've come to the conclusion that this painful condition is indeed caused by the urachus, or rather a neuralgia associated with the urachus. Much like the appendix, the urachus is not needed by the post-natal human body. Now enlightened by this information, I am wondering if the urachus can simply be surgically removed.
If any of you will be seeing a doctor regarding this, please bring up this thread, especially the post I quoted in bold, because I know I will. I understand we are not "learned" doctors but there is a wealth of information here that may be beneficial seeing as how the "learned" have not come up with a suitable diagnosis for that which afflicts all of us. Thanks for your time and I sincerely hope we are all relieved of this condition.
After researching the anatomy of the general area and due largely to this quoted in bold post by the 36y/o male who works in the Navy Special Forces (thank you, sir), I've come to the conclusion that this painful condition is indeed caused by the urachus, or rather a neuralgia associated with the urachus. Much like the appendix, the urachus is not needed by the post-natal human body. Now enlightened by this information, I am wondering if the urachus can simply be surgically removed.
If any of you will be seeing a doctor regarding this, please bring up this thread, especially the post I quoted in bold, because I know I will. I understand we are not "learned" doctors but there is a wealth of information here that may be beneficial seeing as how the "learned" have not come up with a suitable diagnosis for that which afflicts all of us. Thanks for your time and I sincerely hope we are all relieved of this condition.
I have this exact problem, have we had an answer yet? or am i going to suffer from this for the rest of my days??
I'm a 17 YO Guy.
I'm a 17 YO Guy.
i have been having this problem too
i think its just some stuff like intestines tangling up inside
i think its just some stuff like intestines tangling up inside
I am a 29 yo male and have this problem as well for as long as I can remember. I just recently had another bout which made me decide to look it up. I read through the whole thread and came to the conclusion that it is something that is common with males and females. One thing I didn't see mentioned from anyone was whether or not they could get the pain by someone simply poking them in the belly button like myself.
It's one of my most tender areas and it's usually a girlfriend I am dating that thinks I just get annoyed by getting poked there or they think it's funny (they obviously have not felt this pain before) but the sharp pain will shoot down to the tip of my penis. Usually only for the amount of time that it is getting poked and then will go away. Although I also get the above mentioned pains from time to time and usually try to stretch it out as if it were a muscle that tightened up. Not sure what it is but I have just lived with it until I found other people that obviously have the same condition.
My one question is this, is it related to whether or not you have an "innie" or an "outy"? I have an "innie" but I am curious if the rest of you do as well or if that doesn't matter. Let me know whether or not this is a commonality between us all. Innie or Outy?
It's one of my most tender areas and it's usually a girlfriend I am dating that thinks I just get annoyed by getting poked there or they think it's funny (they obviously have not felt this pain before) but the sharp pain will shoot down to the tip of my penis. Usually only for the amount of time that it is getting poked and then will go away. Although I also get the above mentioned pains from time to time and usually try to stretch it out as if it were a muscle that tightened up. Not sure what it is but I have just lived with it until I found other people that obviously have the same condition.
My one question is this, is it related to whether or not you have an "innie" or an "outy"? I have an "innie" but I am curious if the rest of you do as well or if that doesn't matter. Let me know whether or not this is a commonality between us all. Innie or Outy?
Like many others I've too experienced this since I was 9... during childhood was more intense but very infrequent, and as an adult is's very rare and nothing that painful + it goes away within a few hours.
I'm a male and goto the Gym (strength training, that means lots of weights)... however it's not related since it has happened since childhood.
I'm a male and goto the Gym (strength training, that means lots of weights)... however it's not related since it has happened since childhood.
It seems there is a somewhat recurring theme with those who exercise...
I have been active my whole life. Often, after intense work-outs, I get this exact pain -- which leads me to believe it is muscle related.
Things I think it is not: gas, pregnancy, anything intestinal or UTI related,
The reason it hurts to pee: I feel it is related to your pubococcygeus muscle. Please refer to this wiki article for information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubococcygeus_muscle. Relaxation of this muscle will have it stretch (along with constriction as well) should make this hurt.
It is hard to pin-point it, but it also may be nerve related. Similarly as your PC muscles can produce good feelings during orgasms, there might be an opposite feeling they can produce as well...this "pulling of the string" feeling. The good feeling is activated only after intense stimulation and can be during sleep as well -- why can't the "string pulling feeling" be the same way?
And like a Charlie Horse, the pain eventually subsides with relaxation -- another key indicator that it is muscle related. Charlie Horses are sometimes due to a Potassium deficiency. How many of you that are getting this know you lack proper Potassium levels? I do.
I wish we could get a gynecologist in here, I feel they would be able to help with this issue. This is my theory, I hope it helps.
I have been active my whole life. Often, after intense work-outs, I get this exact pain -- which leads me to believe it is muscle related.
Things I think it is not: gas, pregnancy, anything intestinal or UTI related,
The reason it hurts to pee: I feel it is related to your pubococcygeus muscle. Please refer to this wiki article for information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubococcygeus_muscle. Relaxation of this muscle will have it stretch (along with constriction as well) should make this hurt.
It is hard to pin-point it, but it also may be nerve related. Similarly as your PC muscles can produce good feelings during orgasms, there might be an opposite feeling they can produce as well...this "pulling of the string" feeling. The good feeling is activated only after intense stimulation and can be during sleep as well -- why can't the "string pulling feeling" be the same way?
And like a Charlie Horse, the pain eventually subsides with relaxation -- another key indicator that it is muscle related. Charlie Horses are sometimes due to a Potassium deficiency. How many of you that are getting this know you lack proper Potassium levels? I do.
I wish we could get a gynecologist in here, I feel they would be able to help with this issue. This is my theory, I hope it helps.
I too have had this issue for many years. I am a 34 y/o male and can definately attest to the fact that it hurts. The "pulling string" feeling I have been describing to MANY different doctors only leaves them looking dumber than when I first walk in. I used to swim competitively and would experience this whenever the first day of practice would come around. After leaving the pool following a long practice, I would go and pee and the darned pulling pain would radiate from my belly button down to my penis. I would have to sit down to finish peeing. After some relaxation the pain would go away (usually within minutes) and I wouldn't see it again until next swim season. After years of not getting this pain, I once again felt it about 10 years ago. The main pulling strain no longer came and went. Now the general pain and overall umbilical sensitivity lasts for days sometiemes weeks. Every time I go to a doctor they check for hernias and ask if I have had unprotected sex. NO STD's here. Finally, I went to see a doctor in Mexico who gave some news. He said that there is a little tear most likely on the inside of the abdominal wall which is trapping a nerve or some other tissue and causing the pain. He also stated that its common for one or both of a man's testicles to hurt. YUP...I do suffer from that. I spoke to my uncle who is also a doctor and not really anywhere near me to check but he collaborated this doctor's theory. I will be trying to reach him again to see if there is anything that can be done surgically or otherwise to fix this problem. Its sooo anoying.
What a great post. For some reason it's a relief to know that there are other people who have struggled with this and have been doing a lot of intelligent problem solving about it (pet hair? earwigs? jiminy!).
I think I want to start a website dedicated to this topic, and if we can attract enough credible reports like this absolutely great one from this fellow in the Navy Special Forces, that we could get possibly spur some action towards educating physicians about the existence of this condition and maybe spur some to become specialists at diagnosing and treating it.
If the author of this post could please e-mail me at ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
Please read our Terms of Use
, I would very much like to speak to you about your experience. Anybody else who would like to offer up help for a website dedicated to this condition, you can feel free to contact me as well. Any ideas for a good, descriptive domain name are also appreciated.
Thanks!
I think I want to start a website dedicated to this topic, and if we can attract enough credible reports like this absolutely great one from this fellow in the Navy Special Forces, that we could get possibly spur some action towards educating physicians about the existence of this condition and maybe spur some to become specialists at diagnosing and treating it.
If the author of this post could please e-mail me at ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
Please read our Terms of Use
, I would very much like to speak to you about your experience. Anybody else who would like to offer up help for a website dedicated to this condition, you can feel free to contact me as well. Any ideas for a good, descriptive domain name are also appreciated.
Thanks!
Hey there everybody, I decided after about two years of repeatedly checking this thread to finally post.
I'm a registered nurse in the ICU/CCU and this problem has been alluding me all of my life. I'm 26 now, and it all started at least 10 years ago. The difference is, I'm a guy.
The Ideas:
So, if we look at all the symptoms, and all the possibilities, we can narrow this down to a few things.
1) It has nothing to do with: vaginas, menstrual cycles, menarche (the first period), having children, yeast infections, UTIs or hernias, and here is why.
First of all, if guys are reporting these problems too, then clearly it is not any of the first four common thoughts, that's easy. If it were a UTI/yeast infection, symptoms would not just appear, nor would they just go away. A hernia, on the other hand, could just appear, typically after heavy lifting or straining (such as was the case with the one gentleman in the first part of this thread. However, similar to a UTI and yeast infection, a hernia would not just go away.
The closest idea so far was that of the muscle pull, similar to a charlie horse. The problem with this idea is that the pain (at least for me, and most others as I've read) is not described as warm "muscle like" pain. It's often described as a "sharp", "shooting" pain. For me, it feels like a knife is quickly and thoroughly cutting me from my belly button to my urethra (where we pee). The clincher was that pulled muscles (I've had several, including a quad, delt, trap, and hamstring) burn, and radiate a slow, throbbing pain...but most importantly, they don't emit 100% pain when you touch them, only when you move that muscle. So then, what could it be?
The Answer:
Well, I'm sure most of you have experienced a pinched nerve in your neck when you turn your head too fast. You know that it's SO incredibly painful, and pretty much stops you from doing anything until it's gone, usually as quickly as it starts. Well, this is kind of like that, only there is an actual reason it happens to YOU and not your doctor or anyone else you talk to...
Ironically, there are three nerve groups that travel from our belly button areas, to our genital areas. Even more ironically, there is a disorder, a nerve disorder, dealing with one of these nerve groups in particular. Please read the following from the National Pain Foundation's website:
Quote:
Apparently, what we suffer from is a disorder that is long term, not a repetition of funny circumstances. The only apparent cure for this nerve pain is nerve-blocking drugs (prescribed from your doctor, of course), or injections at key points performed by a MD as well.
I find it very ironic that I have also suffered from crippling back pain at equal intervals to my abdominal pain. I swore it was my kidneys, but the docs all said I was fine. So, the two very worst symptoms I had might possibly be attributed to the same thing. I will be scheduling an appointment with my primary care physician and then demanding an appointment with my in-plan neurologist asap.
You're not alone, and now we have an answer. Tell your docs you believe the pain is neurological, not organopathic, like they probably thought (hernia, stones, girl problems, etc). This area of medicine is often overlooked, since most docs are completely uneducated in it.
Good luck to all of you, I know how absolutely terrible this pain can be.
Dane RN
PS - look up the Ilio-inguinal and ilio-hypogastric nerve paths, you'll be super surprised at how incredibly close they are to the areas paining you the most.
I'm a registered nurse in the ICU/CCU and this problem has been alluding me all of my life. I'm 26 now, and it all started at least 10 years ago. The difference is, I'm a guy.
The Ideas:
So, if we look at all the symptoms, and all the possibilities, we can narrow this down to a few things.
1) It has nothing to do with: vaginas, menstrual cycles, menarche (the first period), having children, yeast infections, UTIs or hernias, and here is why.
First of all, if guys are reporting these problems too, then clearly it is not any of the first four common thoughts, that's easy. If it were a UTI/yeast infection, symptoms would not just appear, nor would they just go away. A hernia, on the other hand, could just appear, typically after heavy lifting or straining (such as was the case with the one gentleman in the first part of this thread. However, similar to a UTI and yeast infection, a hernia would not just go away.
The closest idea so far was that of the muscle pull, similar to a charlie horse. The problem with this idea is that the pain (at least for me, and most others as I've read) is not described as warm "muscle like" pain. It's often described as a "sharp", "shooting" pain. For me, it feels like a knife is quickly and thoroughly cutting me from my belly button to my urethra (where we pee). The clincher was that pulled muscles (I've had several, including a quad, delt, trap, and hamstring) burn, and radiate a slow, throbbing pain...but most importantly, they don't emit 100% pain when you touch them, only when you move that muscle. So then, what could it be?
The Answer:
Well, I'm sure most of you have experienced a pinched nerve in your neck when you turn your head too fast. You know that it's SO incredibly painful, and pretty much stops you from doing anything until it's gone, usually as quickly as it starts. Well, this is kind of like that, only there is an actual reason it happens to YOU and not your doctor or anyone else you talk to...
Ironically, there are three nerve groups that travel from our belly button areas, to our genital areas. Even more ironically, there is a disorder, a nerve disorder, dealing with one of these nerve groups in particular. Please read the following from the National Pain Foundation's website:
Quote:
These are also called genito-femoral neuropathies. Symptoms of this disorder are low abdominal pain or even back pain that has traveled to the front of your body and now goes down into the genital area between your legs. The pain can often feel unbearable when it occurs in sharp, repeated attacks. Almost all patients have a large amount of pain relief — usually within minutes of therapy — after nerve blocks and maximum trigger point injections.
Apparently, what we suffer from is a disorder that is long term, not a repetition of funny circumstances. The only apparent cure for this nerve pain is nerve-blocking drugs (prescribed from your doctor, of course), or injections at key points performed by a MD as well.
I find it very ironic that I have also suffered from crippling back pain at equal intervals to my abdominal pain. I swore it was my kidneys, but the docs all said I was fine. So, the two very worst symptoms I had might possibly be attributed to the same thing. I will be scheduling an appointment with my primary care physician and then demanding an appointment with my in-plan neurologist asap.
You're not alone, and now we have an answer. Tell your docs you believe the pain is neurological, not organopathic, like they probably thought (hernia, stones, girl problems, etc). This area of medicine is often overlooked, since most docs are completely uneducated in it.
Good luck to all of you, I know how absolutely terrible this pain can be.
Dane RN
PS - look up the Ilio-inguinal and ilio-hypogastric nerve paths, you'll be super surprised at how incredibly close they are to the areas paining you the most.
I thought I'd add sone info to this. I experience the same pain that is obviously how i reached this page. But different from everyone else I usually wake up around 3 am in the morning from the pain I have to sit up in a sort of plane crash preparation form and it helps if I rock back and forward. I have nver had this happen to me when I pee and only once has it happened to me during the daytime and that was after leaving the mall not after standing up. I'm 16 years old and this has been happening since I was about 12. Some that kind if correlates is that I also get heartburn a lot and it is not correlated with any food I eat. It like the stomach pain is completely and utterly random. Well hope someone gets this figured out becaus I like sleeping and when thi happens it normally takes a half hour to stop and for me to get settled back down :/
I thought I'd add sone info to this. I experience the same pain that is obviously how i reached this page. But different from everyone else I usually wake up around 3 am in the morning from the pain I have to sit up in a sort of plane crash preparation form and it helps if I rock back and forward. I have nver had this happen to me when I pee and only once has it happened to me during the daytime and that was after leaving the mall not after standing up. I'm 16 years old and this has been happening since I was about 12. Some that kind if correlates is that I also get heartburn a lot and it is not correlated with any food I eat. It like the stomach pain is completely and utterly random. Well hope someone gets this figured out becaus I like sleeping and when this happens it normally takes a half hour to stop and for me to get settled back down :/
I also have this pulling and I am wondering if it is linked to a constant, spasming pulling that I have been experiencing for about 15 years and it drives me potty. I have the string pulling thing and sharp pain if I pull my navel down to clean it without relaxing first. I first noticed it when I had been lying on the floor on my tum with my head up watching telly.
But the thing that is constant is a pulling which radiates between my left pelvic/groin area and the left side of my mouth. It feels as if there is a wire joining these areas but doctors say that there is no known link. I cannot get a diagnosis and have never heard of anyone else with this.
But the thing that is constant is a pulling which radiates between my left pelvic/groin area and the left side of my mouth. It feels as if there is a wire joining these areas but doctors say that there is no known link. I cannot get a diagnosis and have never heard of anyone else with this.
Glad tohave found this post, I too on and off for some years have experianced this sharp pulling pain around the naval which proceed's down toward's my groin-poss the pain is down the unrinery tract.
I had it again today suddenly when I went to get up off the couch-I couldn't stand straight and had to sit gently back down.
I do suffer from Urinary infection's quite often and wonder if this is maybe just another sympton of this or could it be a Hernia????
I can cert sympathize with all of you suffering from the same thing. x
I had it again today suddenly when I went to get up off the couch-I couldn't stand straight and had to sit gently back down.
I do suffer from Urinary infection's quite often and wonder if this is maybe just another sympton of this or could it be a Hernia????
I can cert sympathize with all of you suffering from the same thing. x
This is crazy. I've tried to explain this condition to people my whole life and I swear I thought I was the only one in the world until now.
I am a 33 year old male who has been experiencing these same symptoms since I was about 14. As a kid I just dealt with it because I didnt know any better. Then about 7 years ago I went to the doctor who suspected an umbilical hernia. He sent me for an MRI which revealed nothing so I just let it go again. 2 years ago I couldnt take it anymore and went to a general surgeon who performed an "exploratory" surgery. He said he found a tiny hole about the size of the tip of a pen behind my belly button. He sewed it up and for the past two years I had no episodes. That is until now. That awful pain woke me up and now Im right back to square one and absolutely miserable. I hate the fact that I have to be cautious about the way I move, and even the way I sleep. I am an active guy, a police K-9 handler, and a father to a 16 month old baby. I just want to have a normal life without the fear of twisting or stretching too far. I was going to call a urologist tomorrow but after reading all of these posts, I dont know if it is even worth it. If it is in fact this ligament that attaches the belly button and bladder, then cant it just be removed?
I am a 33 year old male who has been experiencing these same symptoms since I was about 14. As a kid I just dealt with it because I didnt know any better. Then about 7 years ago I went to the doctor who suspected an umbilical hernia. He sent me for an MRI which revealed nothing so I just let it go again. 2 years ago I couldnt take it anymore and went to a general surgeon who performed an "exploratory" surgery. He said he found a tiny hole about the size of the tip of a pen behind my belly button. He sewed it up and for the past two years I had no episodes. That is until now. That awful pain woke me up and now Im right back to square one and absolutely miserable. I hate the fact that I have to be cautious about the way I move, and even the way I sleep. I am an active guy, a police K-9 handler, and a father to a 16 month old baby. I just want to have a normal life without the fear of twisting or stretching too far. I was going to call a urologist tomorrow but after reading all of these posts, I dont know if it is even worth it. If it is in fact this ligament that attaches the belly button and bladder, then cant it just be removed?
Hi guys I am a 15 year old female, been suffering from the same symptoms since I was 11 sharp pains, then I would end up hunched over and I would be hurting my back in doing so, I used to get it usually 3 to 4 times a year, but didn't get it for a whole year, until last night I was getting tweeks and twinches, when I sat up and started getting the pain only on my right side of my belly button. Normally I wake up with it at like 6:00am in the morning on total random days and it's in the middle and intense. last year I went and saw my doctor they gave me the "Your Mad Look" when I tried to explain it too her, but she sent me off to do some blood tests and they came back fine (Apart from lacking in Vitamine 'D'). I visited a psycho to do with 'Sports Injuries' and he felt around my 'Belly Button' and asked if I had any injuries, I did say when I was around 11, my pony kicked my in the stomach and I was winded for a few minutes, so he thought because of that injury the build up of 'Scare Tissue' might tighten around the nerves and cause them to spasm and that surgery to remove the 'Scare Tissue' would only create more. I then went and did a MRI test (Nothing), I went and visited a 'Nerauologist' (Specialist with Nerves) she did all this simple tests (Nothing). After all this tests I went back to my 'Doctor' and the only thing she came up with was a 'Nervous Tick' which is where the nerves spasm, when you get excited, anxious, scared etc. or for sometimes no reason at all, and that it was all in my head and I just had to calm down and relax and then the pain would go away. My dad said he had it in his late teens and early 20's but he didn't worry about it and said that his may be due to a soccer injury. I am very worried about this, and I get anxious and depressed, because even though I don't have it all the time the 'Sharp Pulling Pain' that everyone has, but when I get it I usually just go to sleep or nap and it goes away, but when I go to pee it hurts, like the nerve is pinching. I once asked the doctor if I could go into sugery and get the nerve 'Cut - Out' but they said that there are many differen't nerves and that, sometimes it's better that they can't find anything and I will just have to learn to deal with it, but if it is affecting my life in such stress and worry, then I think there should be something done about it. Anyway I am going to keep investigating as no - one should have to suffer with this pain.
I am leaning towards nerves rather then anything else, but might try some of the other suggestions.
Lets keep working together!!!
Thanx for reading!
I am leaning towards nerves rather then anything else, but might try some of the other suggestions.
Lets keep working together!!!
Thanx for reading!