Pain after binge eating episodes

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lowriad
lowriad Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
I've been eating really healthily for weeks, no dairy, meat or junk. I've been feeling amazing until I came on my period and then i've been bingeing for the last four days. I ate 5,000 calories saturday, sunday, tuesday and last night. I've also been feeling sharp pains in my upper stomach area that come and go like cramps. I know it's not period pain and it's making me nervous. Could I have done serious damage? I've not had pain like this before even when I used to binge eat regularly. Does anyone have any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?

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  • jessicagrieshaber
    jessicagrieshaber Posts: 167 Member
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    That happens to me sometimes, too. I eat clean normally, so if I have something processed or sweet (no matter how much or how little) my stomach ends up hurting really bad. Does it go away after some time or a glass or water?
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    When you overly restrict and remove things from your diet and then eat them in quantity, it's going to do a number on your system.
    May I ask why you are not eating meat or dairy? If it's not for ethical reasons, why not just eat all foods in moderation? You will be less likely to binge.
    That said, if you are having chronic pain that isn't going away, you should see your doctor. Be sure to tell him about your binges.
  • lowriad
    lowriad Posts: 2
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    I've never really eaten meat anyway, and the only dairy products I have are cheese and chocolate/cakes/ice cream so i'm not missing much. It's partly ethical but mostly for health. I'm not restricting my intake now, it's a mental thing that hasn't gone away from when I was struggling with bulimia, the binges are more a way of dealing with stress as opposed to hunger now because I'm always well fed. I'm actually eating a lot of food daily now but just making sure it's food that's good for me. It's not chronic as such, just shooting pains a few times through the day. Does your stomach hurt for a while or does it come as cramps too Jessica? I do feel like it's probably just a result of the amount of junk i've eaten but it's worried me a little! Hopefully it goes away after a few days of eating well again and if not i'll have to see the doctor. Thanks guys!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    It could be what you ate as well as how much. Last Friday night I ate four slices of pizza, then Saturday I ate two more. Sunday and Monday I felt awful. Stomach pain and bloating and gas and I was terribly constipated. All that dough plugged me up. Monday I drank a bunch of water and ate a lot of fruit and it worked, by Wednesday I was back to normal.
  • eqp1
    eqp1 Posts: 10 Member
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    I get this sometimes too after binge eating but once you clean up you're diet a little bit you will notice you're body feeling more normal and working better. After binging I find the next day the best thing to do is start the day with hot lemon water and drink lots of herbal teas to help with the bloating; as well as eating lots of fruit and veg
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited February 2015
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    lowriad wrote: »
    I've been eating really healthily for weeks, no dairy, meat or junk. I've been feeling amazing until I came on my period and then i've been bingeing for the last four days. I ate 5,000 calories saturday, sunday, tuesday and last night. I've also been feeling sharp pains in my upper stomach area that come and go like cramps. I know it's not period pain and it's making me nervous. Could I have done serious damage? I've not had pain like this before even when I used to binge eat regularly. Does anyone have any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?

    Sounds like you have a hiatal hernia. The pressure of too much food in the stomach causes part of the stomach to push up through the diaphragm at the hiatus (the opening where the esophagus goes through the diaphragm to attach to the stomach). It is actually very common and the most common is known as a "sliding hiatal hernia" where the stomach pushes up, then slides back down in place as the food gets digested and the stomach empties. There is another kind which is a permanent break through the diaphragm.

    Most of the time, it is not dangerous, just very uncomfortable. Complications can occur if it is the permanent one or if it causes a tear in the diaphragm which can cause bleeding. Either way, see your doctor. If you only get the pain for a couple of hours after a big meal, you could probably wait until your next doctor visit and ask him/her about it and stick to more frequent smaller meals in the meantime. If you have constant pain or see blood in your stool, get to a doctor soon. They are easily diagnosed with a chest x-ray.

    I have one and that, combined with gastric erosion from acid reflux, put me in the hospital with severe anemia. I was getting small bleeds that didn't show up in my stool so I never knew. My body was unable to replace the lost iron over time so I ended up with a hemoglobin of 5.3 (12-17 is normal) and ferritin of 3 (50-150 is normal). The sliding hernias are treated with frequent small meals rather than a few larger meals and avoiding binges. The permanent ones need surgery.


    ETA: sometimes the pain even goes up to the shoulder and upper arm, especially the left side, and can mimic a heart attack.

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    binge-ing is really hard on your body. I speak from experience. If you have to add foods back it to mitigate the urge to stuff yourself, please do.
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
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    If you are having pain, you should seek immediate medical care. People online cannot diagnose your problem, as it could be completely unrelated to your binge.
  • Chachamagnolia676
    Chachamagnolia676 Posts: 2 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I'm aching after binging last night. It feels as if I've been wretching and vomiting, but I didn't. I have binge eating disorder, and I've never had this kind of muscle soreness after a binge. Still, I've not binged in a long time. I've lost over 100 lbs. this year, and I've been managing my urges better. I am considering seeing my doctor if the aches don't subside soon.
  • 1Kristana
    1Kristana Posts: 10 Member
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    This is just my experience, but I think it has something to do w/ digestive enzymes. When you go for a period of time not eating certain things like dairy & meat but then overindulge(or binge) on those foods, your stomach enzymes are low. You can try taking digestive enzymes with your food for a few days. Then take the enzymes right away if you overindulge again. A lot of people have this problem when they don't break their fast correctly.

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