What does buttock pain in Crohn's sufferer mean?

[Kancer]

Hello guys,

I am sorry if I am in the wrong page but I am desperate to know peoples opinions or experiences.

I have been diagnosed with Crohn's in 2012 after having a colonoscopy. I never really had a bad flare or symptoms over the years. ESR was usually around 30 or max 45. Considering I had no actual symptoms such as pain other than diarrhea, I was told to take Pentasa and Iron Supplements. Though I do not take them religiously as I tend to skip sometimes.

In March 2014, I started having pain when I sit down, near the upper left buttocks and I went for my follow up. My ESR was 75 thus my GI put me on prednisolone 60mg for 4 weeks. Then I met him again, he tapered my dosage to 10mg in 4 weeks. When I was on 60mg, I had no pain in my buttocks however as I tapered to 15mg, the pain came back. I am still on 10mg now.

The problem is the doctor doesn't know what is causing the pain in my upper left buttocks. He looked for lumps assuming it to be an abscesses however it wasn't. I cannot bear the pain any longer thus I am here.

Thank you

 

[Kanakkaz]

Considering the pain subsided with Preds, it could be a joint issue. I am not too sure though. Hopefully, others can help you. new to the forum as well and tapering off preds

 

[Tuff]

How did he look for lumps? If the abscess is high up, you may need an MRI to pinpoint it. It could also be a fistula. Those can not be diagnosed with a colonoscopy. :ghug:

 

[Kancer]

He examined the area with bare hands. He pressed down on every spot he could find and I fel no pain. But when I sit down or bend, I can feel the pain.

I went back today to get an xray and it turned out normal as they were suspecting arthritis. At this point, I don't know what to do. Pain is unbearable at times but I am avoiding pain killers at all cost.

 

[irishgal]

I have had weird, roving joint pain and though it's not unbearable as you describe, it's in the same general area. I truly think mine is joint related since it feels like the end of my tailbone (coccyx) hurts when I sit down. It's only through a certain range of motion when I sit. I sometimes have to boost myself up. My ankles and wrists sometimes give me trouble too.I thought it may be anklosing spondylitis, but my doc said it was more likely coccyxitis. Once I went on antiMAP, it went away and I haven't had it since, which makes me think it was joint pain caused by my Crohn's inflammation.

I hope you find some relief other than pain killers. Anything you can do dietary wise to reduce inflammation (like bromelain, reishi mushrooms or curcumin) may help. I see an integrative health doc who assists me with that type of stuff. Good luck and best wishes to you!

 

[lgpcarter]

I am also thinking an abscess or fistula. Maybe an MRI or CT to see?

 

[Axelfl3333]

I had the pain thing round about my anus for a while but it has disappeared as I,ve found better as with all things crohns patience,about taking meds I,ve found it helpful to be very regimented about taking medication it seemed to help having a strict routine.

 

[Kancer]

Right now, the pain is not consistent. It's like sometimes it hurt a bit and the next Min, I feel like there's no pain at all. At this point, idk if I even have any problem.
I am getting off prednisolone. At 5mg now. Tapered from 60mg for 7 weeks. 2 more weeks and hopefully I am done.

I am on Pentasa ATM with steroid. What do you take for maintenance?

 

[Axelfl3333]

8 pentasa a day.

 

[Lady Organic]

do you notice a ''moment'' of the day pattern? how is the pain in the morning when you wake up in bed? or how is it after a bowel movement?

 

[Kancer]

I can't seem to find the pattern. However, I have been looking closely and I do notice the pain is a bit worse after a bowl movement however it is not the case all the time. I do notice some days theres no difference in pain after a bowel movement.

the past few days, my pain is on and off. After I go power walk or jog, I feel some pain but it eventually decreases.

Would you know what these symptoms mean?

I would like to ask one more question: Would you consider 13 weeks of Prednisolone use long term or short term. I am a bit worried as I am still a teenager, I am afraid it might stunt my growth big time as I heard long term steroid use would affect final adult height. My parents are 6'0" and 5'6" and I am 5'7" thus I would like to clarify on this. Thank you

 

[Lady Organic]

I had experience with a long term semi-internal Hemmorhoid last year. at first it was diagnosed by my GP as abscess. there was a pattern for me, felt great in the morning and then the more movement I'd do during the day including bowel mvt, the discomfort would increase. I felt the pain was really close to my anus. it was annoying more than painful.

I'd ask for a MRI to rule out abscess /fistula. At the same time MRI could possibly see arthritis as suspected by GI ( MRI much better than X-ray).
I had that test last year for the suspected abscess. It came out clean, so then my GI performed colonoscopy and with reversed maneouver, he was able to see the hemmorhoids. after a couple of month, it was also conclusive that my Crohns had started being active at the same time. I had increased bowel mvts and that was what triggered the hemmorhoid. a few months after the flare subsided, the hemmorhoids are now gone.

2-3 months of steroids is typical treatment to bring remission. I cant answer on he growth delay unfortunately.

 

[Kancer]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. At this point, I am not sure if I should classify it as discomfort or pain. I feel a bit of stiffness in the area I claim it to "Pain". I have had haemorrhoids before but no treatment was needed. When I was on high dose of prednisolone, despite taking a lot of fibre I had hard time passing stools even though the stool felt soft. It was like I had to push it out like constipation.

Being 19, this pain sometimes irritates me as I cannot be as active as I should. 3 days ago, i decided to weight lift and sprint. While working out and sprinting, I felt no pain. I came home and pain came back with fever (101.6F). Lasted 3-4 hours and subsided with panadol. Have been well the last 2 days other than the pain/discomfort in the buttocks.

Since I had a fever, I am thinking I might have an abscess and I might have ruptured it while working out. Thus Pus getting into my blood stream causing fever? I am not sure because when I had an abscess 3 years ago, the doctor said pus can enter blood stream and may be dangerous.

 

[Lady Organic]

fever is common in crohns. fever is no good and if it persists it can yes mean a possible infection is becoming systemic and spreading in the case of an abscess. Fever can also be a general symptom of crohns activity. if it comes back I'd call the nurse or Dr asap.

 

[irishgal]

I was on prednisone on and off in my teens and early 20s. I had my first Crohn's flare at 14, and I was already pretty tall for a girl at that point, but I think it was more the Crohn's vs. the prednisone that stunted my growth since I hardly great from that point. Luckily I had grown early, and that's not as big of an issue for girls. I know how hard it is to deal with during your teens when you want to have fun with friends and not think about being sick. A critical mistake I made early in my disease was to just ignore it and treat with not eating! I think if I had been more proactive about getting it under control through whatever means early, I could have avoided a lot of problems later in life. (I'm 40 now.) Glad you're seeking help on the forum! I find this a great resource.

As to prednisone, I felt great when I was on it. I think my max was 60mg, but a typical start for me was 40mg and then taper off after a couple of months. I did this repeatedly. I've heard it can rob bones of calcium, so that's maybe where the growth issues are. Other than my personal experience with it, I don't know much more. I know that Crohn's itself can cause growth issues too, so kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. Hopefully your doc can answer this question for you, or maybe another member here with more prednisone experience/research.

As an aside, I do know that Dr. Chamberlin wants to start trials for a new drug described as "prednisone without the side effects." It's called Formulated EpiBro, or FepiBro. Not available yet though, and not sure if it works in Crohn's patients, but it seems like it should.