Abdominal pain and IBS symptoms after exercise

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone experienced IBS like symptoms which trigger by movements rather than foods?

I've been on the TMS journey for some years. I had an upper back pain for 3 years which happened to be TMS. It gradually went away within 1.5 years when I learned about TMS and gradually started to exercise convincing my brain that there's nothing wrong with my back.

In a few months after I was 90% better from the upper back pain, one day I felt mild stubbing pain in my liver area while doing crutches. I just brushed it off thinking that it's due to exercising after having a lunch recently and continued my routine. The pain disappeared after I finished. But that evening I went swimming and after that suddenly felt that pain in the liver area again, together with dizziness and nausea. It was a bit scary.
Next time I exercised more cautiously but the abdominal pain returned with vengeance - 8/10 for 3 days. I was lying in bed freaking out in pain and having major digestive issues on top of that.

When that attach ended, I moved for a month to another country with my family. Being there I haven't lifted weights, only was doing push-ups and shimmed every day. No pain at all during that time.
When return home I didn't remember about that abdominal pain and went right back to my exercise. But doing crutches I experienced that pain again. The flare-up lasted for a week. After that the pain in abdomen (upper right area, below ribs) started to appear even after upper back exercises. I then was gradually reducing weights. Finally, I stopped exercising at all. Now I have mild coming and going pain (no other symptoms) in the upper right side of the abdomen every day. But any time I try exercising, even something very mild, like doing push-ups from the wall, that liver pain increases greatly after exercise (not during) and lasts up to a few days. When pain increase after exercise, I experience IBS-like symptoms together with it, like stomach gurgling and guts moving, blowing, burping and diarrhea. It's a bit scary: isn't IBS supposed to be triggered by foods and stress, not by exercise? I personally had IBS myself 20 years ago after a lot of stress for some years, but that time pain and symptoms reacted to foods and stress, not movement.

I went to doctors, made ultrasounds and blood tests - ruled out cancer, tumors, inflammation and infection. Basically, they don't know what's wrong with me. One of them suggested that I may irritate the vagus nerve with exercise but can't say what to do with it apart from limit movement activities to the ones which won't irritate the nerve.

It's a bit scary and unusual when the pain is felt in internal body organs rather than muscles. It tricked me into believing that it's a structural issue. But it behaves not like structural issue, and it gradually became chronic. That lead me to the thought that it's just a tricky TMS symptom. I'm working on accepting that thought and the pain started decreasing. I had it before with my back, and have a lifetime history of migraines, IBS, insomnia, anxiety etc. There was always some kind of a symptom for me, one replacing another during years.

I love exercise and want to return to them so much. It was very empowering and calming while moving away from back pain previously. Without lifting weights I’m anxious, have no energy and become depressed. But the pushback I'm having with these abdominal symptoms is heavy and raises fears.

Has someone experienced abdominal pain triggered by mild activities/exercise? It would help to increase my belief that's it's just the old plain TMS acting up again and move forward with it without fear that I'm hurting my body with the activities.

Appreciate your attention.

 

Thank you @JanAtheCPA,
That's reassuring.
It makes sense that the brain creating exactly what would catch the person's attention. I mean despite knowing about TMS and being able to escape from back pain with this approach, I was absolutely tricked with the abdominal pain and symptoms into believing it's a structural issue. I had no clue it may be TMS until started to notice how strange and inconsistent the new symptoms behave. Apart from this, any injury or issue should heal with time, not getting worse. Especially since I gave the body enough time to "heal" itself in case something was injured.
It's just all these doctors talk about nerves leaves the room for doubt. You can't see all these nerves clearly on scans to say that they're ok. But I guess it's a mindset of a TMS sufferer in me that's always seeking for 100% proof that the body is not broken.
I guess it's time to get back to books and podcasts and work with the new symptoms the way I did it previously with back pain.

 

How has it been going with your symptoms?