"New" pain left of center question
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"New" pain left of center question
Hello - I just registered today but definitely not my first time here. I have found this support forum to be very helpful. I was diagnosed with CC/MC about 1.5 years ago. The doctor doc suggested I go gluten free and dairy free. That helped tremendously and I have been diligent with my diet. I have had 2 flare up since being diagnosed; about 9 weeks for one and 6 weeks for another. Both, as you all know, not pleasant experiences. In between I do pretty well. I have occasional bloating and cramping and take Bentyl which helps most of the time for that. Also try to drink a lot of water. In the past week or so, I have gotten a pain to the left of my navel and diagonally about two to three inches down. It seemed like the size of a nickle at first and maybe like a half dollar now - hard to tell. When I walk up stairs I can feel it on that side. I don't know if it is related to the the MC but I would guess so but just thought I would check in here. Just haven't felt quite right for the last several days. Thanks, Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Welcome aboard. Odd pains seem to show up now and then with this disease, and sometimes it can be tough to pin down the cause. By any chance did your colonoscopy report show that you have any diverticulosis pockets in your sigmoid colon? If you have a copy of the endoscopy report from the colonoscopy, their presence would be noted as "tics". The lower left quadrant is a common site for diverticulitis pain.
If your CC is currently not active, that would increase the odds that a diverticulitis "attack" might be underway. But the two can also go together, since the pattern of inflammation present in the mucosa of the colon at a diverticulitis site is the same pattern found with active LC, namely intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration.
If you happen to be taking any narcotic-based pain killers, there's another possibility - such painkillers are notorious for causing impaction problems that can cause such symptoms. I'm guessing that probably isn't a possibility in your situation, though.
Bentyl is an anticholinergic, which means that it tends to relax smooth muscle tissue and reduce motility in the stomach and the intestines. That implies that it's possible for it to cause localized impaction problems, and if such problems develop, they would be most likely to develop in the transverse or descending colon (where your pain is located). I'm not saying that this is definitely your problem, but it certainly appears to be a possibility, because any site of impaction would lead to infection/inflammation in the area. Since there are no nerve ends in the interior of the intestines, any inflammation has to penetrate through to the serosa (the exterior layer) of the colon before it can be felt.
Even if you are having normal bowel movements, it might be necessary to take a stool softener at the very least, in order to free up any impacted material. It would probably be a good idea to check with your doctor to see if he or she agrees with this possibility (or the possibility of an acute diverticulitis infection).
Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful.
Tex
Welcome aboard. Odd pains seem to show up now and then with this disease, and sometimes it can be tough to pin down the cause. By any chance did your colonoscopy report show that you have any diverticulosis pockets in your sigmoid colon? If you have a copy of the endoscopy report from the colonoscopy, their presence would be noted as "tics". The lower left quadrant is a common site for diverticulitis pain.
If your CC is currently not active, that would increase the odds that a diverticulitis "attack" might be underway. But the two can also go together, since the pattern of inflammation present in the mucosa of the colon at a diverticulitis site is the same pattern found with active LC, namely intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration.
If you happen to be taking any narcotic-based pain killers, there's another possibility - such painkillers are notorious for causing impaction problems that can cause such symptoms. I'm guessing that probably isn't a possibility in your situation, though.
Bentyl is an anticholinergic, which means that it tends to relax smooth muscle tissue and reduce motility in the stomach and the intestines. That implies that it's possible for it to cause localized impaction problems, and if such problems develop, they would be most likely to develop in the transverse or descending colon (where your pain is located). I'm not saying that this is definitely your problem, but it certainly appears to be a possibility, because any site of impaction would lead to infection/inflammation in the area. Since there are no nerve ends in the interior of the intestines, any inflammation has to penetrate through to the serosa (the exterior layer) of the colon before it can be felt.
Even if you are having normal bowel movements, it might be necessary to take a stool softener at the very least, in order to free up any impacted material. It would probably be a good idea to check with your doctor to see if he or she agrees with this possibility (or the possibility of an acute diverticulitis infection).
Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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ladyathome
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:08 am
Welcome!
In regards to your left side pain, I have had a very similar pain. Mine comes and goes, but when it's there, the pain seems to be worse in the evenings. I have thought maybe it is gas, my stool being harder than normal, or maybe inflammation in that area...or some or all the above. I went through a 3 week bout a few months back, and just about the time I was going to go to the GI doc, it just went away. Over the past year, I've had it come and go a few times. When it's there, I usually take PeptoBismol and drink a lot of liquids.
In regards to your left side pain, I have had a very similar pain. Mine comes and goes, but when it's there, the pain seems to be worse in the evenings. I have thought maybe it is gas, my stool being harder than normal, or maybe inflammation in that area...or some or all the above. I went through a 3 week bout a few months back, and just about the time I was going to go to the GI doc, it just went away. Over the past year, I've had it come and go a few times. When it's there, I usually take PeptoBismol and drink a lot of liquids.
WELCOME COACHDALS! 
One other possibility is a hernia. I have a hernia in the area you describe and it is tender sometimes. When it is, I wear a hernia girdle to push it back in. I also have diverticulosis, but the pain with that is pulsating instead of constant, in my experience. I keep watch on the hernia because I had a strangulated hernia on my other side years ago and had surgery to correct it.
I don't plan on getting this one fixed because my father died of blood clots after he had surgery for a hernia when he was my age.
Gloria
One other possibility is a hernia. I have a hernia in the area you describe and it is tender sometimes. When it is, I wear a hernia girdle to push it back in. I also have diverticulosis, but the pain with that is pulsating instead of constant, in my experience. I keep watch on the hernia because I had a strangulated hernia on my other side years ago and had surgery to correct it.
I don't plan on getting this one fixed because my father died of blood clots after he had surgery for a hernia when he was my age.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Re: New Pain
Tex and the others - thank you all for the welcome and the information! Tex, given what you have said, I believe you may have hit the nail on the head - I think I may have overtone the Bentyl. I do as needed take Norco, 5mg, for back pain (scoliosis and back fusion and knee arthritis). Mostly at night IF I need to take it. I will put the Bentyl away and give it some time. The colonoscopy report did not indicate diverticulitis. I have been lucky that with the diet I have managed to keep the flare ups to a minimum. After the last one I had to add soy and eggs to the things I couldn't eat. Anyway - I am just keeping my fingers crossed that this bloating, much gas, interesting pains is not a precursor to another flare up.
Again, thank you.
Again, thank you.