Could this horrible pain be due to something simple, like constipation?

[Soybean]

Hey guys, I'm just after a little advice. Firstly let me start off by saying, on the scale of constipation I'm like a 0-1 or something. Basically I'm still going to the loo once daily but its only a small amount and it looks like sheep poop (but soft). I've also been getting pulsing/pinching type pains in my llq that are more irritating than anything else. 2 days ago I had 2 tall coffees to try moving things along but nope nothing (coffee usually goes straight through me).

Yesterday I had 2 trips to the loo but again very much like sheep droppings. I didn't have loads to eat yesterday cos I wasn't so hungry, but after eating I was feeling sicky and bringing up little amounts of sick. Before I went to bed I threw up twice and my lower tummy had that sicky pain going on.

Then bam after a couple hours of sleep I woke up in agony, felt like my lower tummy (middle and right hand side) was being ripped apart. I felt both like I was gonna hurl and have d but neither happened just horrible horrible pain that started to radiate up my right hand side to my chest, making me catch my breath. I was writhing round the bathroom floor shouting in pain (I felt that bad that I even asked Sam to get me an ambulance, but then quickly said no cos as much as I wanted to be out of pain, I didn't wanna move from the bathroom). After aboot 45 mins it died down enough that I could go lie on the bed (I looked like a lady about to give birth with the positions I put myself in to try and get relief!). Eventually it died down enough for me to be able to sleep on my back, but every couple of hours I'd wake up in pain, but as long as I didn't try sitting up or standing (which made me really faint) I could get it to calm down enough to get back to sleep.

I woke up a couple of hours ago and was able to get showered and dressed. There is still pain, but it is manageble enough as long as I move around slowly and dont bend too much.

I've rung my ibd nurse and left a msg, but in the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions as to what could be causing it and what could I take to reduce/remove the pain.

Thanks for reading through my essay
Soybean xx

 

[mickey]

I know what that feels like and it is merciless. Sounds like your ascending colon area is giving you grief, as did mine for so long. I found daily belly rubs got the circulation going in the bowel and reduced inflammation for me. Looking down at your belly and using your navel as the center of the circle, take your flat palm of your hand and begin at the right side (ascending colon), go up and then down on your left side (descending colon) and back around to the right; for a complete circle. I found that in the worst pain my husband had to do this for me, as I would feel as though I would be about to pass out. It may initially feel hard to the touch, but you will eventually feel the stomach soften, as it moves things through. The best position is lying down, but I have used this technical on the loo, at the dinner table (if I ate meat and doubled over in pain). Do as often as possible, until you begin feeling a difference. I will do it in the car, watching tv, whatever. If you notice, small children subconsciously do this when their belly is not feeling well. It is getting the circulation going and helps a great deal. I used it on my niece when she was 3 and having constipation due to raisin allergy and at 9 she still asks me to do it now and then. I am at the point where it is so relaxing I will fall asleep if my husband does it. Do upon waking up and before you sleep, at the very least.

Another trick is the "wind removing" pose of Bikram yoga. Google it. It is a stretching pose that is isometric. Takes less than a few minutes and works like a charm as well.

You are also either drinking or eating (or both) something that is causing inflammation and not allowing your digestive organs to circulate properly. Figure that out and also use digestive enzymes and probiotics. At the very least the digestive enzymes. That will help break down the food and enable you to process it better. Good luck!

 

[Soybean]

Thanks mickey I will deffo do the stomach rub and search for the yoga pose. Yeah I'm wondering if some of the things I eat are not good for my tummy, I so far know that when eating jacket potatoes I have to just eat the filling cos the skin doesn't digest. I can't eat beef cos it goes right through me, I shouldn't eat sweetcorn cos that doesnt digest at all (but I still occasionally eat it cos it used to be my fave veg), I can't eat rich tomato sauces cos they irritate and go right through me, and I'm beginning to think pasta is bad again (it always troubled me pre diagnosis, and since diagnosis I only eat it occasionally).

Re the digestive enzymes how do they work, and what dosage do you recommend? Do they help with all foods, even the ones that I definitely know cause me trouble, or are they just to help food that is less irritating pass through more efficiently?

My ibd nurse rang back and said it might be constipation, but it may be the crohns playing up cos my next infliximab is due in just under 2 weeks. She said to get an otc laxative, and if I get the same intense pain as this morning to go to a+e. If I don't go to a+e to ring my gp 2moro if it's still bothering me so they can at least feel my tummy. She's gonna get me an appt with my gi as soon as she can for a follow up (am due one in Jan but havent had an appt yet, my nurse said at my last infusion that they were aboot 3 months behind, so if I didn't hear anything to call her in jan).

xx

 

[David]

Awww, I'm so sorry you went through that, you poor thing

Never let yourself get to the point of screaming in pain without being seen by a doctor, you should have been in the emergency room (A&E) in my opinion. There is a time for what is mentioned above by Mickey, but not when you might be experiencing a potential perforation.

 

[Soybean]

Thanks David, I hope it's not a perforation, I hope its just my tummy having an off day and that it goes by 2moro. I definitely will go to a+e if it gets as bad as it was this morning, and if it's still bothersome 2moro I'll get an emergency appt with my gp.

xx

 

[Terriernut]

Soybean, I'm afraid I agree 100% with David. That sounds like a perforation. (and I perforated my sigmoid so I do understand the pain)

I decided I was fine and could wait to see the Dr. Please read my sig line. I think I'm really lucky to be typing this actually.

Please go to the Dr's asap.

 

[social me]

HI, I suffer from constipation horribly and was shown the belly rub while I was having a massage and it did help. My question though is have you tried to cut out gluten, lactoss and pop? I trimmed those items from my diet, though it wasn't easy. I dont have the same pain or fullness, heavy feeling in my gut anymore. Just a thought. Hope that helps and that you feel better soon, constipation is the worst!!

 

[Grant]

Agree with David as well. Sounds very much like obstruction.
Siobhan, coffee is fine but water is better. Coffee & Tea are Diarrhetic which means you pee more. But what you need for your body to function is water, plain or with squash or hi juice. That water stays in your body & goes to your organs as opposed to being peed out.
If you are very blocked up perhaps some Magnesium Hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia) might help, its very gentle but it works.
Best Wishes
Grant

 

[outlier]

go to the doc. after back surgery the most painful part of the surgery was when i had a bowl obsctuction due to the meds. pain is a sign you should do something.

 

[mickey]

You will have to check your dosage for digestive enzymes, but mine tells me take one with each meal. I found eating every few hours, small doses, helped mine stomach in the "dark" times. Sounds like you need to eliminate the "sugar" items. I know if I am off any sugar and then start it back up, the constipation starts back up! Holiday season can be brutal. Pasta can be rough because of the gluten/wheat, etc...I would eliminate grains, dairy, red meat and be off that for at least a month. If you have to, go to broths for a week to clean out the system and calm it. What you put in your body thereafter will usually immediately tell you it is causing a problem. Pop should be off limits as well and any other carbonation. That can also cause constipation. As long as doc assures you of no perforation, attack your diet and figure that out. I was in the same boat as you for a L O N G time, until I realized it was the diet causing it. Even if I have red meat every once in a while it can set me into a white faced, sweating, ball of pain, until my husband does the belly rubs and moves it along. We do not seem to break down the food very easily, so digestive enzymes do help! Stay positive!

 

[braveheart]

Siobhan,

I am sorry to hear you had such a bad time.

Here is a thread I've started some time ago where someone here talked about "the cork". It feels like you are about to poo, but it gets stuck in the exit.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=19891

I am feeling much better, but after two months it happened to me again today.

I don't know if this is exactly what you experienced.

 

[Soybean]

My pain seems to be reducing, last night I wasnt able to really touch my tummy or bend/move quickly without pain. I woke up once last night with a bit of discomfort, but I think I woke because of either a noise outside or one of the cats nosing around making noise. I have only eaten chicken soup (from a tin) with a piece of bread, and have been drinking water. Eating hurt a bit but wasn't awful. I am holding off from ringing my gp atm and am gonna try eating something more solid and see how I do. If I'm feeling worse by this arvo I'll ring my gp for an emergency afternoon appt. I have been to the loo 2 times which took ages cos I couldn't put any pressure on my tummy but everything there seemed exactly the same. I've definitely had a lot more gas though. :stinks:

@ misty - I haven't got a fever, and my pain seems to be diminishing so I'm hoping that means it isn't a perforation, maybe I was obstructed?

@ socialme - I very rarely drink fizzy drinks (they just make me burp and feel uncomfortable) maybe 1-2 x a year at the most. In the past (pre diagnosis) I have tried cutting out gluten and lactose on separate occasions, but it was so long ago I can't remember how much of a difference it made. I would say recently I've had much less lactose (only in the occasional latte, a tiny amount in tea and some cheese) but I have been having a lot of gluten (white bread, pastry, occasional pasta, plus I'm sure lots of hidden gluten). I will talk to my gi aboot testing/setting up an elimination diet etc at my next appt thanks.

@ grant - I've made sure I've got a bottle of water next to me at all times since yesterday. I must admit that I haven't had much water apart from in tea, food (homemade soups) and the occasional glass of water in the last 2 weeks since going from full time work to a nil hours contract (in work I always carried around a litre bottle of water and would at least have a litre a day) so I'm guess I haven't been doing myself any favours there - I dunno why but I always find it hard to drink anything thats not really hot, maybe I'll try having hot water and lemon aswell as tea (and hopefully over time switch completely).

Thanks everyone for your advice. xx

 

[Crohn's 35]

I hope you are feeling better Soybean.. when do you see your doctor? When was your last scope? One thing you dont want is a bowel obstruction, that is excruciating. Keep us posted...hugs!xx

 

[Soybean]

Hey Pen, the pain is definitely just like bruising now, and I've had some solid food today, which has so far not caused me any bother

I've only ever had one scope, which was when they diagnosed me back in April, as far as I know they have no plans to do another one anytime soon.
I decided against going to my gp in the end as the pain has reduced so much.

My ibd nurse said she's gonna try and get me a follow up appt with my gi soon, but I'm guessing that won't be til after xmas hopefully early jan (last time I asked aboot my appt they said they were 3 months behind). I'm due my next infliximab in just under 2 weeks so I can have a proper chat with the nurse then.

With bowel obstructions can you just get them as one offs for example because of something you ate not being able to be digested properly or are they due to strictures? (are strictures and narrowings one in the same?)

P.s due to me being a tad unorganised and because of whats happened in the last couple of days your xmas card may be a teeny bit late, but it is on its way honest :ybiggrin:

xx

 

[Terriernut]

Soybean (love that nickname) Strictures are caused by scar tissue. This is my worry for you. Obstructions can just be that something is caught. Both can cause bowel perforations. Both can be life threatening.

Dont want to scare you, but when I had my bowel perforation, I DID NOT have a fever. My heart was racing, I could barely walk, I was in agony, my CRP as WAY HIGH, I was in shock, hot, cold, sweats, hot flushes. But no fever. (way to go me...)

So, just keep that in mind. Everyone behaves differently.

I just hope this is an obstruction and no damage done to you!
:ghug:

 

[Soybean]

@ misty - I love the nickname too (ty pen) hoping to have my username changed to it fingers crossed.

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it I am really hoping it was a one off obstruction or something like that.

xx