Pain?

[jessev]

Hi All,

I am currently experiencing what seems to be my worst flare up to date, well certainly my most painful, I never new having crohn's disease could result in such bad abdominal cramping, yesterday I was curled over and couldn't move the only thing that seems to be getting rid of the pain is loads of codeine and paracetamol the only problem with taking so much codeine is that it is making me cloudy and sleepy and kills my appetite even more so.

Does any one have any idea's or more natural ways to deal with really bad abdominal cramping? Next week I go in for my remicade infusion so it should all stop by then but in the mean time I need something fast and effective that doesn't have harsh side effects.

Thanks,

Jesse

 

[Guest]

hi jesse - really sorry to hear you're in bad pain.

i'd hate to recommend anything to take, just in case it wasnt right for you, although i know there are some really good natural anti-cramp products you can get from health stores.

one thing you could try tho, which certainly wont have any adverse effects, and may just help, is abdominal massage. i did this on my mum 3 times a day when her IBS was really bad, and it really did help her.

if you cant get out, then anything you have in the house like baby oil will do. if you can get to a store, then carrier oil and an essential oil like lavender would be really good. you only need a few tiny drops of the essential oil to 20mls or so of the carrier oil.

put the oil mixture into a little bowl on a towel next to you, lie on your back, relax as much as you can, and sprinkle a few drops of the oil onto your tummy. start gentle and slow circular movements anticlockwise, covering the whole abdo area, right from the pelvic bone up to under your chest, and round the sides. keep the motion going, you'll start to feel a warmth spreading.. as you carry on, your tummy should relax and you can then start to put a little bit of pressure on as you continue the circular movements. try & keep it going for a good 10 minutes or so.. you may fall asleep after (mum often did).. and do this a few times a day.

i hope you feel better soon, and if you try the massage - i hope it helps.


dingbat.

 

[Kev]

At my worst, the pains I encountered would only respond to my pain meds for less than 2 - 3 hours tops. Essentially, I spent the day, curled up in the fetal position, sometimes with hot water bottle on my abdomen, counting the seconds till my next meds. What they say about time flying when you're having fun seems to be the exact opposite when your'e in pain. it was like time stopped, and the pain just went on and on. Tylenol 3 (with codeine) helped me in that it eased the pain enuff I could nap..., and since i'm such a heavy sleeper I could get like 90 min or 2 hrs relief before the pain woke me, and the big old cycle just repeated. Problem is, codeine messes with the GI tract, its bad stuff.
Anyway, what really helped me was just doing things to take my mind off of the pain.. dont' get me wrong, it didn't make the pain go away. But I was, without realizing it, concentrating on the pain... it became everything. I started writing just to pass the time (between pain meds).. and believe it or not, that helped.
big time! I love to write, never had time for it pre illness. So, if there is some 'thing', some 'activity' , anything that you have a passion for that you can bury yourself in, that you can do in your condition, that will probably give you relief..

That's what worked for me... in the end, far better than the 'pain' meds.

 

[Babe123]

i always use a wheaty bag, i swear by them

hope ur pains get better soon
x

 

[GregD]

When I was in pain like that I tried pretty much every pain med and all the over-the counter treatments, but nothing really helped. Not to reccommend anything illegal, but the only thing that helped, and it actually helped a lot, was cannabis. Not only did it take away my pain and nausea, but it also gave me an appetite. If you can get a hold of any, but don't want to smoke it, you can make tea with it.

 

[TheLazy1]

Any time I had really bad pain and no painkillers I would have a hot shower with the water pointing at my gut.
Drinking lots of water seems to help me as well.

 

[TammySue62]

For sudden pain like that I have Oxy IR 20mg instance relief in about 10 mins.
I keep that at the back of my shelf. I only take this drug when in severe pain.
Try a heating pad also

 

[amor151]

i agree with babe123 a wheat pack always seems to sooth my stomach when im in pain