I plan to go to the doctor for this but I was hoping maybe I can get some insight beforehand.
A few months back, I started experiencing upper abdominal pain during my periods, right below my ribs and down to about 2 inches above my belly button. The pain is dull and gnawing, not sharp. I figured it was gas because I always get constipated as well. But now I'm not so sure. It seems to be getting worse and just this last time I noticed that the pain was really bad before I ate breakfast and it got better after I ate. Then of course it came back. Then the pain woke me up at 1:30 AM so I took a shot and ate something and it made me feel a little better.
Just yesterday, same issue, eating breakfast made it better and I woke up at 6 AM with the pain and had to eat again.
From what I'm reading, it could be an ulcer, but why do I ever only experience the pain during my period? Unfortunately, I take ibuprofen for my cramps as they're pretty bad and unendurable without it, but I know I need to stop that. I'm 47 years old and have been taking ibuprofen for cramps since I was 18.
Anyone else have this issue or have any insight at all?