Sharp Pulling Pain in Belly Button - Part 2

It I probably no to the fact of the sugar intake could also be something different though

Hi everyone,

I've been having this sharp string-like pain for as long as I can remember and it is so irritating that there aren't definite solutions to rectify this! Although there may already be suggestions on how to manage with this, let me recommend some ways to cope:

1.) Drink lots of water.
2.) Take deep breaths, as it help you to calm down
3.) Don't sit in a straight posture, as this worsens the pain and makes it even more unbearable. Instead, try lying down in a foetal position as this relaxes the pain. If not this position, try any position where you are not stretching too much
4.) Apply a bit of oil to your belly button and rest for a while. There are many nerves connected to your belly button, so the oil may work to soothe the pain. This is not applicable in all instances, but definitely worth a try.
5.) Don't psyche yourself out on the internet! There have been instances where I have freaked out thinking I had an umbilical hernia, but this is definitely NOT the correct diagnosis.

Hope this helps! Just remember that you are NOT alone, and that everyone in this community has each other for support.

Take good rest everyone!

Wow, so relieved others have experienced this. I have experienced this same string pain only when someone has touched inside my belly button (or when I have. Makes trying to keep that area clean hell!)

But I do have to add that when I told my Gyno a few years ago she felt around and told me I had a mild hernia (not sure if that's exactly how she put it, could have been partial hernia). Anyway as soon as I started explaining it she just nodded and almost stopped me as though this was a common diognosis for what I was telling her... which is odd since so many others on here said their doctor could never figure it out... so now I'm confused. But anyway she said it could be taken care of with surgery, or I could just deal with it and avoid touching the area. She did tell me though that there was always the danger it could basically explode into a pull blown hernia (again paraphrasing here. She sounded more professional saying it). I left it alone, then became freaked out when I got pregnant this past summer because I thought that would put too much pressure on it and it would explode into the real deal. But I told my current Obgyn, and she felt around and said it was very minor, and shouldn't cause me any concern.

So that's my story. Still holding my breath a bit at nearly six months pregnant.

I completely understand you!! I'm so glad I found this, ladies talking about the same thing that happens to me, specially right now, I been in pain all day since the morning I was sleeping and I moved to my side and I guess I twisted or something since it hurt so bad, I got up, went to pee, usually that makes it go away, but no!! I got so sick today my blood pressure went down, and it's been hurting me all day, I'm so sick of this, I need to know what's going on!!! I have to see my Gyn tomorrow, I haven't had my period in two months almost and now this discomfort, I pray that he can help me!!

I am so glad to know I am the only one suffering. I have had this pain from when I was a child. It would not let me play or do anything but to lay on my bed. As I aged it reduced in frequency. But just today in office when I stood up from my seat, it started. How depressing is this when people around you can't understand what you are going through. My parents did not understand as well. They were confused and would apply warm massage oil over my belly button. Which did not help at all.

I am positive I am going to find answers soon to my condition.

MALE, 18, have had it on and off for years. the first time I was around 7 or 8 and I got up at night to go to pee with the mild sensation, like I had forgotten to go or had ignored it in my sleep, and couldn't do it, that was the beginning of the troubles.

As one other person mentions on page one, mine seems to hit me (the pulling string pain, have to bend down etc) when I haven't been peeing. Usually after a bike ride. When I do try to pee, the pain becomes extreme if I push and I can only get a little out gently before it starts to creep back in.

So for me, every time I get it, it involves laying down on my side or with a bent torso and frequently going to the toilet the moment I get the slightest peeing sensation (walking like a 100-year-old!) to gently pee just a little bit sitting down, over and over, each time peeing a little more before the pain comes (and each time being able to stand a little straighter), until it goes.

It always happens after not having peed, and the pee is always dark, like I had forgotten to go for hours, but with no feeling of having to pee before hand.

 

Anyone else like this? I was jumping up and down inside the moment I read ''pulling string''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I see these reports and accounts of this condition with no name that is completely unknown to the medical profession are still pouring in years later.  After suffering from this for years, having doctors tell me I'm imagining it, implying I'm drug seeking, or that I'm making a big deal out of something minor and need to just learn to live with it, what a relief it is to see others who understand what I went through.

Thankfully, this has greatly reduced as I entered my 40's, but I struggled with it regularly for decades.  It cost me my peace of mind, my reputation with friends and coworkers, and my job once.

Someone in the medical research community needs to step up, take this on, give it a name, and start studying it so others do not have to suffer like we have.  This is a serious condition with serious life quality consequences.

That being said, let me summarize my own thoughts on this:

 

I think the condition is a problem with the urachus.  This is the "string" we feel the pulling pain in.  For some reason the urachus becomes irritated or for some other reason goes into spasm, contracting and causing the intense pulling pain that is usually relieved by doubling over and recurs when you try to stand up straighter.  It seems dehydration is a risk factor for some.  Lots of twisting and turning movements of the trunk are a risk factor for some.  Sleeping is very helpful in resolving it, otherwise resting in the fetal position is the only way to cope with an episode.

 

It may be that surgical removal of the urachus is the only real cure.  We desperately need more collective experience with this to learn if this is a cure, and if it is, it will confirm the nature of the problem.

 

Good luck, hang in there, stay hydrated, and remember that while this condition is very frustrating and debilitating, it is not life threatening and you'll get through it, with a good chance that your episodes will reduce as you age.

 

 

Hey Anderson,
I hope you have a good time and cope with this thing easily!
I thought I was the only one in the world with this thing and felt depressed that I had to go through it for a lifetime (having been to the doctor several times and all they said was ''no UTI'' I completely lost hope in getting diagnosed). Now I can atleast rest assured knowing others know my pain and it's at least not something dangerous. It's just gonna ruin quite a few of my days as I'm out and about and BAM have to bend over and make an excuse as to why I can't go out or do my job ). But hey, people out there have cancer and kidney failure, we're pretty damn lucky huh?! 

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Hey everyone. Ive currently had this similar pain for a couple years. It occurs occasionally, and I cannot stand up strait or pee normally. I get an excruciating pain whenever I do either of these things. The pain is coming from my belly button, and it goes away after a couple of hours. I have seen a physician about it and took an X-ray, but there was nothing. The physician thought that it was diet related, however I don't think so. It's like a sharp pain and I double over. I hope to find an answer soon so I can be able to treat it :/

BREAKTHROUGH FINALLY! Here is an update to my post above.

After trying physical therapy for two months, I realized my pain is not correlated to my muscle, but had more to do with dehydration. I also realized that even when I am not having a sharp pulling pain episode (2-3 days of pain 2-3 times per year), I have a dull pain after urinating in the same location. Therefore, I went back to the urologist and said I think it's my bladder, not sure if it's interstitial cystitus, but I definitely think it's my bladder. He did a cystoscopy (not fun) and found a bladder tumor. He said it was likely benign but it needed to come out. A week later I went back for another cystoscopy but this time went under general anesthesia so they could remove the tumor. The first breakthrough was finding out that the pain post surgery was exactly in the area where all along I felt the sharp and dull pulling pain under by belly button, which gave me confidence my issue all along is tied to my bladder (urologist at first didn't think this would solve my pulling pain issue because the pain was too high to be my bladder which now I realized wasn't true). Then, I found out this morning the tumor is benign, and actually it's a URACHAL CYST. My urologist says it's been filling with fluid slowly over time (for me, this explains why I was feeling the pulling pain more as this issue progressed over ten years).

A week post surgery I still feel the pain from the where they cauterized the bladder wall after removing the cyst, but I am highly confident this urachal cyst has been my issue all along. This has been a painful rode of having a hernia surgery, two prostate exams, a small bowel series test, a CT scan, seeing a primary care/urologist/gastrologist/surgeon/orthopedic, etc, but finally I think I figured out what it is. I have EXACTLY the pain that 95% of people on this message board have (sharp pulling pain, hurts to stand up, walk like an old man and finally goes away after a few hours or days and lots of water, tends to happen after workouts/dehydration, sharp movements/twisting, 10-15 days a year) and I think the answer all along is I had a Urachal Cyst that was enlarging. They never saw it on the CT scan, so my advice (and I am not a doctor just a patient who has had this issue for 10 years and finally 2 years ago made the decision to figure this thing out) is to see your urologist, share you think it might be a urachal cyst, get a cystoscopy if you're serious (only 2 minute procedure/awake/but not fun for 1-2 days after) and go from there. My explanation for why this problem is so hard to diagnose is because hernias are more common, urachal cysts that cause issues are rare, and thus urologists rightfully are skeptical to make the connection. Good luck and I will keep you posted if my issue returns.

Great information. Thanks for contributing!

It's still so unclear why the cyst would be painful at times and unnoticeable at others, but I do think your case is compelling as a possible cause that others should explore.

It's a great question. Im assuming I was irritating the tumor/cyst with my diet, or it was causing episodic spasms or something else weird nerve related was happening related that caused a "flare" up under certain conditions cited above (notably dehydration and exercise). I guess only way to know is to wait and see if pain goes away. It just seems like such a coincidence that many on this board have cited the urachus or an associated abnormality as the culprit and after extensive tests they found and removed a urachal cyst whiich caused pain in the exact same spot. I guess I feel it would be even more weird if this wasn't the issue. What would those odds be? Anyway, time will tell but will be sure to share for better or worse.

Agreed. Can you do us all a favor and set a reminder on your calendar to update us in 3 or 6 months if the pain has or has not recurred? If you're still good by then, as far as I know you will be the first person to ever report an actual "cure" for the condition. Breakthrough! Best of luck!

14/F
Been having this exact thing for 2 yeard and I just woke up in the middle of the night on much pain. I getot onceor twice a month uusually but this is the first time ove had it in almost 4 months and, wow much pain. Really glad im not alone on this.

Sorry terrible grammar its 4am and my phone sucks really badly