According to the information you provided, it seems likely that you might be experiencing fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a condition in which chronic widespread muscle and connective tissue pain is present. Other symptoms might be present too: fatigue, joint stiffness, and sleep disturbances. More serious symptoms include: difficulty with swallowing, difficulty breathing, abnormal motor activity, and cognitive dysfunction.


There are many hypotheses about the cause for fibromyalgia, but none are clearly confirmed. If there are no severe symptoms, analgesics are usually all that is needed to prevent the pain.


As for the bowel gurgling, it might actually be increased bowel movement related to the fibromyalgia, but it can also be a separate condition. You might want to visit your family doctor to see if there are symptoms of inflammation of the stomach and if one is found, adequate treatment would be recommended.

According to the information you provided, it seems likely that you might be experiencing a muscle strain (possibly the muscles in between the ribs or the serratus anterior, etc.). This would explain the pain with laughing, coughing, etc.
Another differential diagnosis would be a disc herniation/bulge. This could cause both the pain you feel and the stomach problems.
The reason why this does not sound like fibromyalgia to me is because sharp pain with an abrupt onset is not a normal symptom of fibro.
It is recommended that you get this checked by a health care physician (preferably a chiropractor). If there was some type of trauma involved then diagnostic imaging may be warranted. Good luck.

Antonio Marotta, D.C.