HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Rant & Question

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/20/2008 11:55 PM (GMT 0)
Rant: I go to the rheumatologist today and he is a total creep. He says that UC might be caused by an infection or environmental factors, and I don't have arthritis unless my joints are major swollen for several days. He went on to say that I "just have joint pain" and if I do have the spondylitis or whatever in my back, Remicade is how they treat it and I am already on Remicade. He says that I am exhausted not b/c of my chronic inflammation but b/c I must not be entering the fourth stage of sleep each night and he wants me to take Ambien. I can barely stay awake until 9 each night and now he wants me to take something that makes me sleep. Grr... What a waste of my time. He was the crustiest funkiest doc I've visited in a long time!! eyes

So my question - my lower abdomen is hurting really badly tonight, almost like it's my bladder area. It hurts to walk and it hurts when I suck my stomach in (I know, don't suck in my stomach.) In the past I've had pain around this area when having a BM during a flare. I also know that I have a kidney stone in one of my kidneys but it's been staying put and I think that pain starts in your upper abdomen. Any ideas? I don't want to visit the ER on a Friday night if I don't have to but the pain is persistent and bad.

 

Posted 6/21/2008 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry your Dr was so rude!  I also saw a rheumatologist because of persistend lower back pain.  My Rheum. DID say that UC can cause arthritis, but did say that the severity of the pain would vary on whether I am flaring or not.  She said that during a flare the pain could be worse that when I am not flaring.  If you are flaring currently then that might be the pain.  I'm not sure about the kidney stones, though as I have never had one, thankfully!  Is the pain really low in your back close to your butt or a little higher where your kidneys would be?  If it is higher then it might not be the arthritis, but your kidney stone moving like you said.  Sorry I'm not really much help.  Hopefully someone with better advice will come along! :-)    I hope you feel better soon!
Posted 6/21/2008 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jasper. The pain is really low in my back so I doubt it's my kidneys. Funny thing tonight is that I had the pain in my lower front and now my back is killing me. Who knows. This disease always keeps us on our toes, right?? Thanks for the information!
Posted 6/21/2008 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
AngelTT, I have been having lower back pain since this current flare began and not before that!! All this back and joint pain is new to me. As for your lower "front" pain.. is it to one side or right in the middle like below your belly button?? I have had pain in my lower right side that sometimes moves to the left side with this flare. Then sometimes it moves to my lower back. When it's in the front it is almost like a menstrual pain... but I can tell it's not. I usually try a hot water bottle, I find it helps. A urine test could figure out if it is kidney problems or not...

Good luck.
Posted 6/21/2008 9:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi have you any fever as i had really bad back and lower stomach pains also had a high fever 104 turned out to be a kidney infection and now have 2wks antibiotis course get it checked out to be on the safe side yeah hpoe you fell better soon yeah
Posted 6/21/2008 10:12 AM (GMT 0)
yeah, ive had lots of lower abdomen, back, side pain. it doesnt stop in my case. i walk hunched over a lot of times.
ive made a flaxseed cloth bag. like a pillow case filled with them and put it in microwave for 5 minutes and it stays hot all night and it very pliable and forms to wherever you put it. works a charm (well as much as it can without painkillers)
i find it odd that i feel so much pain in my guts and colon when there are no nerves in there. weird. but i tell you what, its definitely not right that i can feel my organs all the time. you really take for granted whats going on inside when you cant feel it. but as soon as you can, you're very aware of it.

i also had arthritis that was 100% caused by UC. i had it in my knees and ankles and it ended up going away after 5 months. completely related to my UC. i couldnt kneel at all and at my wedding i couldnt wear my shoes cuz me feet were so swollen. sucky!
one doctor (bad doctor) put me on NSAiDs.. bad bad. i told my Gi the next week and he freaked out.
made my UC worse of all things. imagine that.

arthritis is one of many side effect diseases that UC can trigger/cause. i was told that they were temporary, as in only active or problematic while in a flare. and they go away once in remission. so far that has been the case for me.

so, i say find yourself another doctor!!!!
Posted 6/21/2008 1:25 PM (GMT 0)
Angel, one of my warning signs that I need to clean up my dietary act is a hard, dull pain all across my lower abdomen. For me that signals rectal inflammation and probably that I've aggravated it with something I ate. And yes, when I was in full flare, the first indication I needed to go was that I'd feel like my bladder was full - I'd go to urinate and have a big stool.

Sorry your rheumy was such a waste, but at least you know for sure what's causing the joint pain now.
Posted 6/21/2008 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
I get that same pain just below my naval. I also have horrible lower back pain when flaring. I told my GI about the pain near the naval and he checked it out. He said he felt "a lump" and asked me to visit the Gyno just to be on the safe side. I haven't visited the Gyno just yet so nothing to post about that at the current moment.
Posted 6/22/2008 1:31 AM (GMT 0)

Angel,I am very,very new to all of this.  My GI sent me to a rheumy b/c I kept complaining of joint pain.  The doc tested me for a load of stuff, I did get a positive on a type of arthritis associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease - HLA-B27.  I have not had my follow up appt yet - the reason I am telling you this is my joints had never been swollen only ached.  However yesterday my fingers and hands were swollen for the first time - go figure.  Did your rheumy take any blood tests?

Take Care

Posted 6/22/2008 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
No he didn't even feel of my joints. No blood work. He was a total waste of time. Last night I was in a lot of pain (it reminds me of the pain I had two years ago when my colon was in horrible shape) and tonight I am having the same pain.

My hands did swell up a few weeks ago for about an hour or two. The quack said they need to stay swollen for days but a lot of people have told me that isn't true. I just wish I would have seen a decent rheumy. Now I will have to decide if I want to take the time to see a new one and go through all the history again. Sigh. Was there anything that could be done for your arthritis?

Thanks for the information 2boyzmom!
Posted 6/22/2008 2:07 AM (GMT 0)

For now my rheumy told me to take Tylenol Arthritis - it helps some. Sorry I don't have anything more to tell you, hopefully i will know more at my next appt.  I hope you do reconsider and see another doc.  It  is a pain to have to go through all the history but it could be worth it if it can help with some of the pain.

  Before I went to the rheumy I told my husband I would be wasting the rheum doc's time b/c I my joints were not swollen just achey and at times throbbing. The joke was on me - i did test postive for one kind.  THis doc also took the time to do an examination and asked a lot of questions.  When I do look up the "arthritis associated with Inf. Bowel Disease" on the internet there is some information.  

sorry I could not be of more help

Take Care

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply