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Pain or no pain with your UC?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/18/2008 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
I seem to be in a minority of people who actually experience no pain, even when their symptoms are at their worst. Even when I'm going about a dozen times a day, with loose, bloody stool I still experience no pain. I'm thankful yes, but also curious about others who may have a similar experience. Pain is such a primary symptom of UC that I'm a little confused by this and actually, so are my doctors. I can't help but wonder if this symptom (of lack thereof) might indicate the best treatment or maybe what type of UC I have or if I actually have something other than UC.

Any comments? Thanks so much.
Posted 4/18/2008 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
I most definitely have UC and am also fortunate enough not to get any pain,or at least only in one out of every so many attacks.
Posted 4/18/2008 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have different experiences with different flares....they each have their own 'personalities'
Posted 4/18/2008 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
It does seem a little different for me. My UC is either fully under control or I'm in a prolonged period of suffering, but I've never had on and off again flares. Also, regardless of how bad it gets it never is painful.
Posted 4/18/2008 10:44 PM (GMT 0)

Mellie said...
I have different experiences with different flares....they each have their own 'personalities'

I agree.  This current flare I'm having is more painful.  I don't usually have these cramps when in a flare.  Now I know why on the movie "Amazing Grace" William Wilberforce would fall to his knees in pain. :(
Posted 4/18/2008 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
Usually, I have no pain. Mine is more nausea
Posted 4/18/2008 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
When I was flaring my worst, going 25 times a day, bleeding and limp as a wet towel, I didn't have much pain. As I got better, the pain started. In a mild or moderate flare I had pain; in a very severe one no pain. Go figure, eh?
Posted 4/18/2008 11:42 PM (GMT 0)

I had severe disease which resulted in surgery and had no pain.  This always baffled my GI and he could never understand why I didn't have pain with UC.

Sue

Posted 4/19/2008 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Even with pretty severe bleeding, I've (extremely luckily) never experienced any pain. This always has made me wonder how the underlying organic cause of UC differs from patient to patient. To what extent are the symptoms we experience a function of our different genetic makeups, the trigger which initially causes the colitis, and other factors, such as the particular intestinal flora we possess or long-term dietary considerations? Certainly a noteworthy aspect of UC is the wide variation in symptoms and treatment efficacy between patients. If there was a better analysis of the underlying factors, would treatment be more specific to each person? Even the Prometheus test is not as specific a diagnostic tool as one might hope - though it still seems to be the best available - which suggests that there is plenty of room for improvements in diagnosis, to provide a more precise identification than simply 'ulcerative colitis' and, ideally, to provide better treatment.

Craig
Posted 4/19/2008 4:46 AM (GMT 0)

Mellie said...
I have different experiences with different flares....they each have their own 'personalities'

LOL  this is exactly what my GI said about uc flares!!  
Posted 4/19/2008 4:51 AM (GMT 0)
I had lots of pain
Posted 4/19/2008 6:13 AM (GMT 0)
I have gut spasming, painful gas and rectal pain/throbbing when flaring. Much of the pain is during bms...the white-knuckling pain while trying to expell a bit of stool or mucus that feels the size of a watermelon.
Before the rectal meds do their thing...I have the rectal throbbing between bms (dicyclomine helps a lot).

I much prefer to have diarrhea during flares than more formed stool. Easier going through an inflamed rectum and raw anus. But since I treat early at first symptoms....there is usually more formed stool than diarrhea.

My doctor stated that sometimes inflammation and pain don't match....remember that IBS has no inflammation but people can suffer terrbly with pain and discomfort. Many of us has IBS as well as UC.

Count your blessings.

Be well,
quincy
Posted 4/19/2008 8:45 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't have pain either at first, then it slowly crept in with time. I was in a constant flare for a year until I had my colon removed. The first 4-5 months, I didn't experience any pain at all. This unfortunately didn't last and became gradually worse to almost unbearable 9-12 months into the ordeal. It puzzled my doctors as well. Hope you never have to experience it.
Posted 4/20/2008 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
It really does seem that everyones UC manifests differently.  I had no pain with UC for the first 4 years.  In fact I also had no D, no urgency, no increased frequency trips to the bathroom.  My only symptom was blood.  I think my GI was shocked to find UC after my first colonscopy based on what few symptoms I had. He kept asking me are you sure you havent had any pain, or D?  But after 4 years of the disease lieing somewhat dormant I had a terrible flare - and did experience pain then for a few weeks.

Posted 4/20/2008 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
With my UC, I have pain, a dull ache, but no D and no blood, most of the time.

With my IBS, I have cramping and painful, loose BMs.
Posted 4/20/2008 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
This is very interesting. I always have severe constant pain during a flare-up.

Posted 4/20/2008 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
I have crohns-colitis (CD affecting my colon) with basically no abdominal pain in my entire 17 yrs of flaring to some degree (for the most part, severe to moderate)...I had issues with lower back pain but the bee propolis aided me with that, among many other symptoms of my IBD.

:)
Posted 4/20/2008 7:02 AM (GMT 0)
I too don't normally get any pain or ill feeling. The only side effect I get is the bloody diarrhea and feeling a bit tired.

When I was in hospital for UC the surgeon and gastro doc were recommending surgery I kept arguing that I felt fine.

We went round in circles every day with me saying "I feel fine, I'd be sitting at work right now if you'd just discharge me!"
and them saying, "you're not fine, you're very seriously ill!"

I was having ex-rays twice a day on my abdomen and blood tests four times a day checking my inflammation levels as they were very worried about the toxic mega colon.

I have acute pan-colitis so I don't think there's any relationship between the type or severity of UC and the presence of pain. I have no idea why though! :-)
Posted 4/20/2008 9:48 AM (GMT 0)
I've never ever had pain with my UC. In the midst of severe UC my colon and stomach were fine physcially. The doctors spent a day tapping my colon, eventually quite hard, and I felt nothing. I've never had cramps with UC either.
Posted 4/21/2008 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
My flares have all been different. The first one, which has been the worst so far, no pain, lots of blood, mucous and urgency. Second, the shortest in duration, I had the greatest pain. The current seems to be inbetween the first two.
Posted 4/21/2008 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
I have lots of pain. Usually just the left side but this flare began with right sided pain. That's originally what made me go to the GI lots of pain and some D. The right sided pain turned out to be pancolitis and the wornsening left sided pain was strictures. I have chronic pain. usually it's only a 3 or 4 out of ten (to me this is livable pain, i can still go about my day) but when in full flare (25x bms, blood,) i am usually curled into a ball unable to speak and end up throwing up from pain.
Posted 4/21/2008 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
I usually have very acute cramping pain.Especially around my lower abdomen and groin area.This flare i've had a lot of intense cramps and really bad backpain.
Posted 4/21/2008 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
I never have pain either, even when I'm bleeding like crazy and going 20 times a day.  Sometimes I'll have some bad cramping while I'm actually going to the bathroom but it goes away as soon as I'm done in the potty.  My GI always questions me like crazy about not having pain...go figure!

Posted 4/23/2008 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
The only time I had really bad pain is when I had an absess on my lower left side.
Sue
Posted 4/23/2008 12:07 PM (GMT 0)
No pain either. a little pressure on the left side. I think the poo is moving down to rectum, but that is all. I wondered why the dr. asked me how long I had been "sick"...I felt fine...except for the 20+ times a day in the bathroom with mucus and blood and urgency. I went for a year or more with just blood and mucus and bathroom urgency only after eating. I could handle that...but not the 20+ times. LOL
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