i was sleeping so well last night only to wake up with stomach pain at around 3am. i am not sure what that was about. the pain was located in inch or two below my navel (or close to there) and it felt sharp (not the usual pain you'd feel from say eating too many sf chocolates). took an advil, but that didn't help. even though i am under the tom, it didn't feel like cramping due to that. at any rate, the pain continued until like 5am and then it receded and finally i was able to catch another hour or sleep before waking up.

anyone know what that was about?

Hi Serrelind Funny you should mention this because I just began suffering the same kind of night stomach pains about a month ago. They went from bad to worse when I started self-medicating myself with ibuprofen just so I could sleep through the night. Bottomline: it is an ulcer! I found this out after a trip to my Dr. and then a few days later to the emergency room. I discovered that one of the most common indications of an ulcer is night stomach pain. This is because when you are sleeping your stomach empties and then the acid builds up and starts eating away. You can research ulcers on the internet.

I would recommend making a dr. appointment and in the meantime get yourself some Zantac. That is what was prescribed for me. I'm taking 150mg twice a day and it is working WONDERFULLY! In addition, the doctor at the emergency room told me I was allowed to take Maalox like "tequila shots" during the night if the pain gets too bad. (Now how did he know that I was familiar with tequila shots???) I've only used the maalox a couple of times but it has really helped as well.

Go see you doctor. Don't just ignore it becuase it may get worse. Oh!! And DO NOT TAKE IBUPROFEN. I found out that it is the WORST thing you can take for stomach pain. I'm only allowed to take Tylenol now.

GOOD LUCK.

-Kiersten

p.s. I've been taking the zantac for 10 days now and I've lost 2.5lbs. It hasn't affected my weightloss a bit!

kiersten, thanks so much for your input. i will have to do some more research on ulcers, pay more attention to this type of pain in the future, and discuss this with my doc. thanks again!

I've been having the same problem as well. I finally tracked it down to eating the Low Carb pancake mixes and Low Carb Buns (like for hamburgers and hot dogs). Really don't know what it is in those things but they will keep me up for hours with bad stomach pain if eat them.

hmmm interesting, gimmpy. i just recently started eating lc bread and lc tortillas. wonder if they are the culprit.

I had lots of trouble sleeping and it turned out to be from regularly eating fake sweeteners. I can have a little, not a lot and cannot eat them regularly. Even the splenda does it for me.

Just another idea....

You should definitely see a doc if you suspect an ulcer.

I suffer from occassional night cramps in the same area-more the feeling of severe labor pains. The cramps continue until I have explosive diarrhea. My problem is probably irritable bowel syndrome. I don't have the cramps much anymore, only twice since low carbing-but there is no chance of sleeping through them. The pain will last up to two hours and completely wipes me out.

And don't rule out appendicitis! (unless you don't have your appendix anymore.....) :-o

YOMV, but would an ulcer be causing pain two inches below the bellybutton as described in serrelind's original post?

IMHO pain below the belly button would not be a stomach or duodenal ulcer. The only organs down there are intestines, bladder and her female organs. Could also be a hernia. Wouldn't hurt to get it checked out-no matter the cause. Worst case senario they embarrass you with a diagnosis of constipation.