PAIN

[PoodPiper]

Hi all!

It's been just over a week that I've started my meds for LC, and the cholestyramine has been doing a good job at "bulking" things up and helping with the frequency. However pain and urgency are still major issues.

Everything I've been reading , it seems pain is not a common symptom for alot of MC sufferers. Pain is , and always has been the most debilitating part for me. Sometimes to the point where I thought my appendix was about to bust and had trips to the ER (which started the very beginning of the path to diagnosis just over a year ago) .. I also find, alot of the time my cramping is indistinguishable from menstrual cramps (aside from the time of the month and they usually coincide with stomach issues) any other women find that?

I'm just wondering how many of you have pain, I figured it would be a common symptom but in the forums it doesnt seem to be.

I know this is unlikely, and hope it wouldnt be my case... but I'm wondering how many people first get diagnosed with MC but then later down the road find that it is crohns , or uc? I figure UC would have been detected, but since I havent had a small bowel series done I'm still a little suspicious of crohns. I was diagnosed with LC based on the increased IEL's - is that usually a finding with crohns?

I'm just a little suspicious due to the pain, and the fact that I have had bleeding at times (though the GI said that could of just been from irritation of the colon from multiple bathroom trips)

I have terrible health anxiety, if you can't tell lol.

[tex]

Remember, the anxiety is a symptom of chronic magnesium deficiency.

I had almost constant pain when my MC was active — abdominal pain, body pain, joint pain, etc. Even my hair hurt. Sometimes the cramps would almost bring me to my knees before they passed. On this forum, most members have pain. The reason why the members of the other forums don't talk about pain is because their GI doc has them convinced that pain is not a symptom of MC.

Nobody is ever misdiagnosed with MC. Many cases of MC are missed, but no one is ever incorrectly diagnosed with MC.

Tex

[grhandlan@comcast.net]

I had the same pain that Tex talks about..... I even posted your same questions..... Yes the cramping is severe.....Now a days when I get that cramping it is usually the beginning of a small flare..... It may last a day, but because of this forum I am able to get it to settle without any major D. You are not alone my friend..... hang in there!

[Vanessa]

Hormonal times still mean 4-6 bathroom trips for one day twice a month. I think this is common for women without MC as well. I consider myself in full remission but hormones always throw a wrench into things.

[Lou Ann]

I absolutely have pain during a bad flare up...to the point this time I had such uncontrollable lower back pain I was thinking I had kidney stones and my intestines just had that aching feeling....now mind you I was feeling pretty well, took off for vacation and decided it would be safe to drink a few beers....as per usual I was really wrong.... alcohol always bites me in the butt, more so than certain foods I try to introduce again. It's been a week since I was down and out and I am only now feeling less pain....for me, only time helps...nothing I take does anything....but it's my own fault.
All that being said, the lower back pain does confuse me....anyone else get that with a flare up?

Lou Ann

[Sue777]

Even though I don't think "pain" is a classic symptom of MC, I'm sure lots have experienced it, either chronically or sporadically, depending on the severity of the flare they're in, what they recently ingested, how much gas is trapped in their intestinal tract, etc.

Most of the time it's just urgency with me but this latest flair has come with some pain, too, which concerns me, but acts as a reminder that I need to cool it with food and let it heal a bit. Hope you feel better soon.
Sue

[tex]

Lou Ann,

Yes, I have had lower back pain pretty much every time I've had a reaction. During periods when my diet has been cross-contaminated with traces of gluten, sometimes the lower back pain is the first (and only) symptom indicating that something is wrong.

Tex

[Erica P-G]

I had some pretty 'aching' pain with my MC during the whole time I wasn't even aware it was MC yet....it took a while for 'pain' to not be so noticeable and that was after I started VitD and Magnesium and held to a strict diet based on suggestion from this site.

I so agree with you Vanessa!! Yes....hormones wreaked havoc with me at least 2-3 days once a month my whole life of 35 years of cycles...I never gave it much thought, but after I started to pay attention to myself and make notes when it happened....it was so disheartening. I still have twinges of those 'bad hormone' days even in menopause!! Drat it all!!

One thing I can say is I am able to tell when my magnesium is lower than it should be because I will get more heated flushes than usual....I had a brief conversation with my mom (who is 70 now) and she said 'oh...I still get those even at my age'.....soooo I plan to beat that in myself and get proper Magnesium so that I don't 'get those heated flushes like she has' when I am 70! Too bad she wont listen to me and get on the Magnesium band wagon...I bet she would feel so much better

I digress....so after much healing I no longer get those 'pains' unless I am having a short flare then the gas or urgency may work up a little bit of pain, but luckily it doesn't last long anymore...I can remember debilitating drives to work (only 20 miles) where just sitting for that long in that seat drove me straight to the bathroom as soon as I got to work.....not fun memories.

[crervin]

so sorry you are having a lot of pain, but that was my main symptom too. Nonstop pain. Lower back pain, bladder pain, rib pain, and on and on. 2 years later after strict diet, I notice the daily constant pain is gone. Unless I eat something different or expose myself to allergens. Yesterday I mowed (with a face mask), today I have lots of cramping, bladder urgency, lower back pain, D, etc. I'm on a heating pad right now....

So hope you feel better soon! Until then, you could use a heating pad.

[Gabes-Apg]

before my MC diagnosis, and subsequent diet and lifestyle changes, pain was my worst digestion symptom.

pains worse than labour pains that would cripple me.
and worse when there were hormone changes /ovaluation etc (mindful that my bowel is adhered to my left ovary)

since getting onto my low inflammation, gut healing eating plan, and various lifestyle changes - I don't recall I have had any chronic pain for over 5 years...

[Jodybug]

I get pains that I compare to labor pains as well. And back pains too. It will stop you in your tracks. I had that just yesterday. I have been on the paleo diet for a week and a half.

[jessica329]

I get bad pain too. It's not uncommon for the pain to radiate into my lower back.

[PoodPiper]

Oh my! I spent all this time thinking no one replied to my post, for some reason I didn't get any email notifications!

Thank you all so much, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this! I've started Entocort and things seem to be getting a bit better, I'm also starting on a diet called IBD-aid - I'll see how that goes, if not I may have to just eliminate things as they seem to bother me. I know already that I can't eat nuts or coconut for a long while, until some healing has occured since I had a very bad day last week after eating them and started bleeding again (only lasted 2 days, probably hemrroids)

Anyway, thank you all for the responses :) Magnesium seems to get brought up alot, does anyone reccomend a good supplement? I visited a naturopath last Friday who gave me a "tincture" called Unda #24 it is for digestion it helps by relaxing the ANS (nervous system) which may in turn just help with the anxiety too ingredients include (Hawthorn) 4X (German Chamomile) 4X (Passionflower) 4X (Boldo) 4X (Valerian) 4X (Aluminum) 12X ..... she didn't suggest a magnesium quite yet but I am open to going to pick one up!

[sunny]

Yes on pain for me....it always happened between 10 pm & 2 am...sometimes for 2-3hours....extremely intense and very much like being in labor....starting in my lower back & radiating to the front....often excruciating to the point of tears....
Free of pain for now...Entocort seems to be a miracle for me...
Sunny

[Erica P-G]

Anyway, thank you all for the responses :) Magnesium seems to get brought up alot, does anyone reccomend a good supplement? I visited a naturopath last Friday who gave me a "tincture" called Unda #24 it is for digestion it helps by relaxing the ANS (nervous system) which may in turn just help with the anxiety too ingredients include (Hawthorn) 4X (German Chamomile) 4X (Passionflower) 4X (Boldo) 4X (Valerian) 4X (Aluminum) 12X ..... she didn't suggest a magnesium quite yet but I am open to going to pick one up!

Doesn't surprise me that Magnesium isn't brought up...it really isn't on anyone's radar.

Here is a good one https://www.vitacost.com/kal-magnesium- ... softgels-1 and this external magnesium will not cause D or constipation it comes in lotion https://www.vitacost.com/life-flo-magne ... on-8-fl-oz or oil https://www.vitacost.com/life-flo-pure- ... oil-8-oz-3

There are other Magnesium types out there including a Drs Best non-buffered glycinate but you have to take 2 to match the KAL product...then there is ReMag by Dr. Dean and it is great stuff too...a little goes a long ways in the beginning but once used to it is very effective too, I think it depends on the person and how they tolerate it.