another trip to the ER

Oh Ryleigh,
I am so sorry about your trip to the ER. I've never had this pain you speak of, but I do understand the hypochondriac feeling. Lots of people think IBS is all in our heads. Did the docs give you any sort of pain medication you can take home with you? If I remember correctly Sarita was given a Codeine (or something of the like) RX so she doesn't have to go to the ER for pain management.
Have you considered going back to your GI and insisting on more tests?
I hope you are feeling better today...

Ryleigh,

Goodness, I am sorry you are having so much pain. I can relate. I have IBS as well as a bunch of other medical problems. I was once in so much pain I ended up in the ER. On a pain scale of 1-10, 10 being the worse pain ever mine was at a 12.

I had a CT done with the dye, can't remember the exact name of the test. Anyway, I heard the technologist or the doctor or whoever say her intestines are inflammed. Talk about pain, my intestines were so inflammed it even hurt to pee, it was like someone was twisting the life out of my intestines.

They admitted me to the hospital and did a few more tests and could not fine the cause of my intestines being inflammed. Needless to say they sent me home the next day with no answers.

I still get the same symptoms every now and then it usally happens if I eat something I shouldn't have but unfortunately I don't know what that is until it is too late. Someone suggest I may have IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) such as UC (Ulcerative Colitis or maybe even Crohns). I don't know but luckily it doesn't happen too often.

You may want to see a Gastroenterologist and have them run some test maybe even to a Endoscopy or Colonoscopy to check further.

Good luck to you,

Rene'

Hi,

I am new but just saw our post. I also had on of the hardest times yesterday and last night and during the night. I thought I should go to the Er as well but was too terrified to so so. I could not imagine being in that much pain as that and not being able to get up and try to go to the bathroom. All last night I would get the pain and go in a try to go and nothing. I would come back to bed and then the pain and nausea and sweating etc. I get scared then thinking something awful is wrong. I have had this for many years but it seems to have changed. I also have a plevic floor dysfuction and a rectal tear right now that adds to it. I have trouble believeing that is diorder can cause this much pain but today I feel a little better but have constant ache in lower abdomen. I was so happy to find this forum since I am so stressed out about this whole thing...

I hope you feel better today...

Denise

Wouldn't a CT scan with contrast show if something were wrapped around the colon?

Hey guys,  Does anyone take xanax on a daily basis.   Does it help??   I am a freak about taking drugs..  I barely take asprin...  I do have xanax and have taken it before..   It does seem to calm the colon down..  I am affraid of getting addicted...  Thanks..

Floopsy,   Thanks How much do you take???  I have .25 tabs..  The lowest dose..  I keep getting the script filled and hardley ever take them..  I do find if I take them to much I get constipated..  I am having a really bad day today with pain...  I wonder if there will ever be and end to it..  I can't stop crying about it..  My poor husband and kids..  THanks

Hi Ryleigh,

Usually, I hang around the pain forum, but I've posted here before (I think...lol).

Our symptoms sound almost identical.  I also deal with bad pain and IBS-like symptoms.  I have severe endometriosis with TONS of adhesions, but I have not yet had a hysterectomy.  Did you have your hyst because of endo?

I've had seven surgeries for the endo, and in each surgery, adhesions are removed using the most advanced techniques that are supposed to lower the chance of them reforming.  Well, each and every time, the adhesions come back more dense and strong.  In my surgery last year, the adhesions had re-arranged the anatomy of the GI tract.  The ascending colon was pulled to the opposite side of my body, and much of the small intestine was pulled downward into the pelvis.  Also, adhesions were sticking all of the loops of bowel together.  So, it was a complete mess. The surgeon tried her best to remove the biggest adhesions, but afterward, she told me that little could be done to completely remove all of them.  Initially, after the surgery, I had dramatic relief of all pain and IBS problems, but within 3 months, I started having all of my symptoms come back.  Now, I never would know that I was ever operated on.  Rather than re-operate, we are trying to control the symptoms.  I can always tell when a new adhesion is forming because it feels like a pair of hands is literally in my belly pulling on my organs.

Unfortunately, adhesions can be impossible to control.  Science still hasn't developed a fool-proof method of removing them and keeping them from re-forming.  The biggest threat from adhesions is bowel obstructions, which I hope doesn't ever happen in my case.

I have found that the best drug for controlling my pain and symptoms is Lomotil.  I have to take it daily to function.  At least with it, I can function on most days.  I also have to take pain meds on some days, but amazingly, that doesn't help my GI pain at all.  But the Lomotil does.  Have you ever tried Lomotil?

If you were diagnosed with endo, there could be some lesions still on your bowel that could also be contributing to your symptoms.  Some doctors incorrectly believe that removal of the uterus and ovaries means that endometriosis will be cured.  Not true!  There are many documentated cases of women with endo undergoing complete hysterectomies with continuing pain and bowel problems.  It is now believed that the endo lesions can produce their own supply of estrogen to keep them thriving.

I hope that this helps some.  I really understand how crippling your pain is.  I hope that you are able to find some relief soon, and I'm keeping you in my thoughts.

Ali   

Hi Ryleigh- I'm so sorry about your pain.  This will be the third time I post this tonight!lol.  I guess I'll just complain to anyone who will listen!  haha.  Anyway, I only have occasional pain but when I do, it's BAD.  Today for the second time, I was having such severe cramping - from the good old C - that i was vomiting.  How much fun, huh?  So, while I cannot identify directly with you and your more frequent pain, I can sypathize to a degree. My aunt, who has colitis has had absolutely terrible bouts of pain and has ended up in the ER several times. They've had her on clonadine and bentyl, xanax (which by the way, is fine so long as you take it as presribed as mentioned- I take .5 of ATivan someitmes and after months of agonizing over it, have just surrendered), narcotic pain killers. She now takes something for pain that really works- but i don't want to guess for fear of giving you the wrong med.  HANG IN THERE.  Ok?   that a' girl!

Thanks again to everyone!!!  I know I am not alone...  I take one day at a time...  Love you guys!!!!

Keriamon,   Thanks for the reply... Yes I had my ovaries out...  I have been on hormone replacement for about 4 years...  I am going off this week to see if it is causing some of my stomach issues...  It is weird when I put a hormone patch on I feel like I am going to get my period crampy and yucky...  That lasts for about a day..  Then when the hormones are wearing off I feel like I am going to get my period again..  So I am playing doctor myself..  I know I need the hormones but if it helps my stomach I am going to stop...  I am going to try to convince a doctor to go in and take a look around..  Maybe I still have endo on my bowel or something.. There is know way I have this much pain everyday and it is nothing..  I do have anxiety but that is because of the IBS...  I would be find if my gut was!!! haha lol...  Thanks again..

Hi Keriamon- thanks for the head's up.  I actually did see my MD (PCP) yesterday as they thought it might be my appendix (I was pretty sure it was not, but just to be safe. . .) Anyway, he checked me up and down and told me that I was fine, but never to go that long again without going.   I felt sort of foolish!  It's normal for me to not go for a week.  Then I have the big D and other times, I drink Citrucel and go normally.  I did absolutely ask about the possbility of a blockage and he said no, I did not have one.  I see my GI this coming Monday.  I can't wait! haha. I am having my very first colonoscopy.  I'm going to try to make it into a little adventure if at all possible.  Again, thank you for pointing that out- I learned a valuble piece of info.  Take care all of you.   

Just a patch? My mother takes serveral pills including one made from pregnant horse urine, LOL.

You know, I'm beginning to wonder if osteoporosis isn't the new "high cholesterol" scare. Because it seems to me that suddenly every woman has it, yet we really don't seem to be seeing a lot more breakages than before. I think everyone's in panic mode and don't know enough to be telling people what to do. Just like when they discovered cholesterol and they told everyone to stop having any and that eggs were satan. Then, after noticing that a lot of people were having strokes, they figured out that there are two kinds of cholesterol and that only one kind is bad and that if you have too little of the good kind you will have a stroke. Whoops. Sorry about that tiny little piece of misinformation. Oh, and eggs are balanced good with bad, so you can have them again.

I think we're probably seeing a repeat of that disaster with osteoporosis. The fact that studies are now showing that calcium doesn't seem to make much, if any difference (albeit that study was flawed on so many points as to be completely useless--a 7th grader could have organized it better) and that hormones after menopause don't seem to lower risks of either heart disease or cancer, as originally promised, I'm disinclined to believe anything they say about the whole subject. My grandmother's supposedly eaten up with osteoporsis, yet she's fine. She did break her hip, oh, about 13 years ago when she took a bad fall, but she recovered and seems fine for an 82 year old woman who's been smoking since she was 14 or so. What's it matter if you do break something? It's not like you're going to die from a broken leg or hip either one. You just have to keep on plugging on. If you're the type to lay down and quit, then that's not the bone's fault, that's yours; the bone is just a ready-made excuse to be an invalid.

Every woman of age in my family has osteoprosis, but I'm not worried about it. I'll "get it" just like every other white woman on the planet and I will promptly ignore it and get on with my life. The best thing you can do for your bones is weight-bearing exercise (they have found that fat women have better bone density and when they do fall, they are literally cushioned by their fat and less likely to break something). I walk a mile and a half every day and weigh enough to make that qualify as work, so I'm not fussed. I'll be kung-fu fighting when I'm 70, even if I end up with osteoporosis.