Stomach pain while riding

[outdoorsgurl]

I am so frustrated and can't seem to find any answers to this question. When I ride more than 15 miles I will get stomach pain and bloating. I have to talked to my GI about this. I thought I had GERD but after having an endoscopy done my doc says i have very mild reflux and mild gastritis. He told me to do my bike rides on an empty stomach! Well, if I ride 25 to 30 miles on an empty stomach I KNOW I am going to have pain and probably pass out! I have tried not eating a few hours before riding but I usually like to have a protein bar and I drink lots of water. I still have pain. I'm just so frustrated because I don't know what I should do. Seems if I eat I hurt, and if I don't eat I hurt. I love riding so much but I know the price I'm going to pay if I do any long distance rides. :( I'm hoping someone here can offer me some good advice on what I need to do to help this situation!

[zoom-zoom]

If you had nausea I'd wonder if you have Gastroparesis (I'm only aware of this condition because 2 of my friends suffer from it and they really struggled to get a diagnosis). I hope you can find some solutions. Would calories in liquid form be less irritating?

[outdoorsgurl]

Thanks for your response, zoom-zoom. I don't really have nausea. It's mostly pain in upper part of stomach and bloating. And it's almost hard to straighten up when I get off the bike. If i lay down the pain eases, then it goes away. But once I'm back on the bike it's not long before it starts up again. If only there was a magic pill! :(

[ny biker]

I would think reflux would get worse when you lie down, not better.

What kind of bike are you riding? Are you leaning forward a lot, somewhat, or pretty much sitting up straight?

Is it a stabbing pain or burning?

[shootingstar]

So it gets triggered only when you ride a bike? Or??

Hope you find a solution. And everything else in your life is fine.

[goldfinch]

Get a second opinion?

[e3rdpower]

Is there anything in your protein bar that you could possibly be reacting to? Perhaps try something different for food and see if that helps? As a celiac myself I always think gluten intolerance or celiac disease when I hear bloating, but when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail ;)

[nscrbug]

Is the bloating accompanied by gas or the urge to have a bowel movement? I know...gross questions to ask, but....

Is the pain always in the same spot? Do any other activities (such as running or other types of cardio) trigger this pain? How long does it take, after you stop riding before the pain subsides?

[redrhodie]

Is it like a runner's stitch?

[outdoorsgurl]

I ride a mountain bike so I do lean but not as much as a road bike cyclist does. I have had the same bloating pain if I go too long without eating. Usually the rib pain happens along with the bloating when riding. I don't feel like i need to have a bowel movement and it's not really a burning pain just slightly nauseated and stomach becomes tight and distended. And it just hurts. I don't seem to have gas during that time...but feel like if I DID i would get relief! I find it hard to straighten up when I get off my bike. Sometimes I will stretch out on a picnic table and it helps. My GI is one of the best in his field. Ranks in the top 100. But I think he believes this is reflux related but I don't because I never feel acid come up and I feel better lying down. I have had food allergy testing done, including gluten and celiac. All were negative. Sports drinks also make me feel a little queasy. I tried water last ride. I still ended up with same pain and discomfort. The pain is located more in the upper center part of stomach. Of course bloating is lower. Once I finish the ride and can finely relax and stretch out and the pain eases and finally goes away. Then EVENTUALLY i may have some gas. I do great until about 15 miles then I start to feel the pain. And it's like I need to loosen my shorts. Thanks so much for all the responses! I want to figure out what I can do to feel good while riding! I haven't ridden much during the winter months and getting so excited to start riding again!

[pll]

Have you experimented with what you eat? Things I am thinking of are, for example, eating something that is easier to digest (a banana, maybe, or pretzels), not having all in one go, but a bite every 15 minutes or so... Also, could your shorts be to tight around your waist? That, plus the normal leaning on the bike, can be quite uncomfortable. RoadID sells some Giordana bib-shorts at a very reasonable price for testing...

[outdoorsgurl]

I usually eat peanut butter sandwich...sometimes banana and protein bar. But your idea of pretzels and bananas may be good idea. I will try that. Most of my shorts are not that tight so I don't think that's the problem. Thanks!

[pll]

I don't believe the shorts have to be really tight, just tight enough that coupled with the position on the bike and the fact that you might be exercising vigorously (which for many already makes it hard to digest some foods), they might be tight enough to disrupt your digestion.

[OakLeaf]

I wonder if the scope might have missed a sliding hiatal hernia. That wouldn't account for the lower symptoms, but shorts can definitely do that. :confused:

[outdoorsgurl]

My GI is one of the best in the US. He was voted in the top 100 in his field and he doesn't seem to think I have anything abnormal going on. Not saying he is perfect but according to him everything was very normal. Plus I saw an ENT today and had my throat looked at for burning and he didn't find any abnormalities there either. They both are convinced that I have stress related issues. So..I don't maybe. Maybe that's part of whats going on with my stomach too. As for my shorts.....I'm not a huge fan of spandex so most of my shorts are cotton and not extremely tight. I do wear spanx under them and they are fairly tight. I'm sure they don't help my stomach pain once I start to get bloated. I haven't been on my bike in a few months now but plan to ride soon and I'm really hoping the condition will have improved. I'm going to try to eat lighter, easy to digest snacks like pll suggested.

[ny biker]

If you haven't ridden in a few months this might not be relevant, but there were a couple of times that I had really bad stomach cramps because I'd eaten something heavier than usual for a bike ride and the weather was cool and I didn't have enough layers on. Basically I just didn't have enough blood to keep warm and digest at the same time, so the digestion suffered. Trying to do a third thing (pedal a bike) made it that much worse.

[Crankin]

Spanx while riding are enough to give you stomach issues! It's akin to wearing compression garments. Wearing regular spandex shorts would be much less compressive! Especially, cycling shorts with a wide, flat waistband.
I have GI issues while riding at times and I know that if I were wearing Spanx, it would definitely make it worse.

[pll]

Spanx while riding are enough to give you stomach issues! It's akin to wearing compression garments. Wearing regular spandex shorts would be much less compressive! Especially, cycling shorts with a wide, flat waistband.
I have GI issues while riding at times and I know that if I were wearing Spanx, it would definitely make it worse.

I had to look up what Spanx was. I'd still suggest that bib shorts might be worth a try. TE has some well priced Canari shorts (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodCA_2071.html), as does RoadID (http://www.roadid.com/Common/LearnMore.aspx?PID=116) (from Giordana).

[indigoiis]

I get this after riding a few hours on a road trip in the car. I think it is related to the actual muscles in my stomach - like you, I have a tough time standing up straight without pain after a long ride or sitting in the car, but once I stretch out, it's okay. Pilates helps. I think when we're on the bike, in combination with all the other things our stomach is doing (digesting, our pelvic muscles dealing with the bladder, etc.) the stomach muscle contract or something... and cramp. I cut the elastic on my bike shorts and that helps a lot.

[Sky King]

just one more thought. Are you swallowing air as you breathe? Would be uber great to ride with someone who could observe your riding. I also would chime in on the type of food and drink. I can't eat any types of protein bars and can only drink 2 electrolyte supplements and sometimes they will bother me as well.

[Kathi]

Spanx while riding are enough to give you stomach issues! It's akin to wearing compression garments. Wearing regular spandex shorts would be much less compressive! Especially, cycling shorts with a wide, flat waistband.
I have GI issues while riding at times and I know that if I were wearing Spanx, it would definitely make it worse.

If you are wearing Spanx for compression and support of the muscles you could try these, http://cw-x.com/ExploreProducts.aspx?product=tights&by=activity&gender=womens designed specifically for riding. I wear compression tights, this brand, for warmth and to support my lower back for skiing and hiking. I wear regular spandex shorts for cycling as I'm not sure how well the chamois works for long distance cycling as these shorts are designed for triathletes.

[bikerchickie]

I am a regular rider of about 5 years. Put in at the very least 50 miles a week all season. I ride a mountain bike and hybrid and am more used to an upright position. I just recently bought a road bike. After riding about 20 miles the next day I have slight stomach pain and bloating. I don't think anything is necessarily wrong with me. I think I am not used the road bike position as you are not that upright. As I break into this bike I hope the stomach pain weirdness goes away. But you are not the only one to experience it. I also wear this liner padded shorts underneath. I didn't feel the elastic pushing my stomach but will pay attention to that.