Dealing with chronic cramping pain and passing blood

[CharlieBoy]

Hello My name is Charlie. I am currently not diagnosed with anything but the process is underway. The docs i have seen believe I may have Crohns Disease. For the second time in 3 weeks I have woke up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night with very severe cramping followed by Diarrhea with lots of blood. The pain is so bad, I break into a cold sweat, feel very hot, feel very weak, shaking, some of my extremities start tingling and feel numb, I'm doubled over almost in tears, my wife says I turn pale white, and it is worse than any pain I have experienced and I have had lots of pains from broken bones to gaping gashes and cuts to horrible tooth pain. Is there anyone who has experienced anything like this? What are some things I can do to help like certain foods to avoid or meds to take to help make using the bathroom easier with less constipation or bowel obstructions? I have made an app with a GI now I'm just playing the waiting game. Any Info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God Bless

 

[Jennifer]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Honestly I go to the ER whenever I'm passing a lot of blood. Bleeding is never a good thing. I originally went to the ER before my diagnosis because it seemed like I passed nothing but blood. I showed my mom (I was 9) and she took me to the ER right away. Didn't go home for about 3 months. Didn't need a blood transfusion but was getting close and had to be hooked up to an IV for nutrients.

I know you're waiting on a specialist but you may want to try and be seen sooner if you're currently passing blood. Going to the ER can get you a sooner appointment with the GI plus they can run tests while you're there. Bowel obstructions can be life threatening so take care of yourself. If you're bleeding, have a fever and extreme abdominal pain then please go to the ER.

 

[CharlieBoy]

I went to the ER the did a fecal smear, said it tested positive for blood and Gave me a referral to the GI, That was the first time it happened about three weeks ago and it happened again last night and I went to my Primary Doc and she did a blood test, prescribed me some steroids for inflamation and will call me tomorrow with results to see if im anemic. And my app with the GI is next tuesday so i'm trying to hang in there

 

[Angrybird]

Hello and welcome to the forum, I am sorry to hear you are not doing so well at the moment

Just to confirm have you only just been given the steroids? What dosage have you been put on and have you been given a calcium supplement to take with them? Food wise for now I would say perhaps try a low residue diet with soft foods and may liquids like soup.

AB
xx

 

[CharlieBoy]

Yes, I was given the steroids yesterday, They are Prednisone 20mg tablets.
3 a day for 2 days
2 a day for 3 days
1 a day for 3 days

and no I was not given a calcium supplement to take with them, but hey drew blood to check for anemia and I should have results today.

 

[David]

Hi Charlie and welcome. I'm so sorry to hear about your health problems, that's rough and is no doubt scary

I realize you say you've had these specific symptoms for three weeks, but have you had any additional symptoms prior to that?

All my best to you.

 

[CharlieBoy]

Not really, every now and then I would have stomach cramps right before having Diarreha, but never any blood. The 2 times this has happened now, I wake up have sever abdominal pain, followed by bloody stool for the next 8 to 12 hours, and then I have no bowel movements for a few days. Its kinda weird. I just want to figure out what is going on so I can start taking care of it, and doing what I need to be doing to help make it easier to cope with. It is undoubtedly scaring me and I dont know what to do.

 

[Jennifer]

Have you gotten the blood test results back yet? If they haven't called you then you could try calling them to see if you could get your results by phone. Has the Prednisone been helping at all or have things basically stayed the same? Usually takes 3-5 days for you to start noticing a difference from the Pred assuming its the right dosage for the amount of inflammation you have and if its even enough without any other meds.

I know you have an appointment with a GI on Tuesday but if things feel too out of hand then please don't hesitate to go to the ER.

You can try following a soft bland diet for now (the BRAT diet comes to mind, that stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast but also allows other items that are along those lines) also increase your fluid intake and avoid foods that you know give you diarrhea and foods that might (such as diet drinks, soda, fatty foods, milk, fiber, seeds etc).

 

[CharlieBoy]

They said my CBC blood test was normal. And since the very painful and bloody episode I had at 3am monday morning, I havent had a bowel movement, just some gas. But i havent been hurting, or feeling like hell. I have been feeling pretty good since Monday evening. I dont know if its the prednisone helping or what, I just can't wait to hopefully find out whats wrong

 

[Aussie]

Hi Charlie, reading your story, the first thought that comes to mind is ischaemic colitis. That being said, it is more common in women on the pill and older people with vascular trouble, or smokers.

The key with ischaemic colitis is that you get a fairly sudden onset of very very severe abdominal pain (when the bowel is not getting enough blood), some describe the pain as so severe they collapse or lose consciousness. A short time later, few hours or so, there is profuse bright red rectal bleeding from the newly formed ulceration in the colon that was deprived of blood. It all settles very quickly, and then you can return to normal.

If you do the colonoscopy too late after the episode, the colon can appear normal - it heals very quickly.

However, without knowing more about your history, could also be IBD with acute obstruction, which is also terribly uncomfortable.

Good luck!

 

[David]

I was thinking along the same lines as Aussie. Your sudden onset of severe symptoms without anything much out of the ordinary prior to that makes me question whether you'll end up with an IBD diagnosis.

I'm not seeing it in the thread... do they have you scheduled for a colonoscopy?

 

[CharlieBoy]

Well this is day 5 since my last episode, and I have hardly had a bowel movement to save my life. No severe pain or blood since monday. I have had small stomach cramps, and in some spots my abdomen is tender when I push on it. I have been eating things like soups, and drinking lots of water, V8 juice, gatorade and things like that. I have been taking Prednisone since monday, I am taking a mens One A Day Multivitamin, and My Hydrocodone for pain when i need it. The thing that worries me is not having a bowel movement in over 4 days, I may have passed enough to fill up a small pill bottle and thats about it, And what I have passed is small, and very narrow. I fear the worst, but pray for the best. I have an appointment for the GI Doc tuesday, but not a scheduled date for a colonoscopy yet. Does anyone know if there is possibly anything I can take or do to help me use the bathroom given my condition. I called the Doc yesterday that i went to see monday, and told her I haven't had a bowel movement and asked if I should be worried, she just said to take the prednisone, and drink 90 oz of water everyday to stay Hydrated. Thank all you guys who have replied to my story, I greatly appreciate it, and God Bless all of you.

 

[Ihurt]

First off, I am sorry you are going through all this. I myself have not been dx yet, I am waiting for tests. I read that you are taking hydrocodone, this can cause major constipaton( all narcotics can). This may be why you have not went. Also, what all are you eating? If you are taking in mostly liquids, then that could be why you are not going much either. Not sure. I would just try and stick to a more liquid diet or really soft one until you are seen on Tuesday. I know waiting sucks! Hope you feel better soon.

 

[ginnyrdhap]

Miralax and metamucil have helped my constipation, but check with your doctor before trying.
Good luck with your appointment on Tuesday! I'm also trying to get a diagnosis, after 2 months of tests, I still don't have an answer. Can be very frustrating, but seems to be pretty typical with diagnosing GI problems.

Hang in there!

 

[Jennifer]

With passing small amounts of stool that's also very thin or ribbon shaped (or even if it were small amounts of diarrhea) then it does sound like a partial blockage and not a full one (which is sort of good since you don't want a full one but a partial is no walk in the park either). When you have a narrowing taking anything that softens your stool or causes diarrhea may not be a good idea as things could start to bottle neck and back up and could lead to vomiting. Definitely stick with the liquid/soft food diet (sometimes Jello is your best friend cause you at least get to chew a little to mimic that whole food eating experience).

Glad the pain is less and hopefully the Prednisone is doing what it does best (I really do hope you're just dealing with inflammation here and not a lot of scar tissue).