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?