Do you mind talking about your symptoms?

I bet you all are probably tired of talking about it but I was reading some of you guys symptoms and kind of wanted to compare them with mine. I noticed a few mentioned left sided pain in the abdomen and was just wondering about my own pain in that area. Would you get that pain if you have proctitis only?

Anyway, Ill start...

*I have the left sided pain, was kind of surprised to hear others had it too (see my gripes in other thread I started for details).

*I am extremely tired just before and during a flare, a little tired when not flaring.

*I can eat just about anything, except tea and coffee, my achilles heal. I have been a lover of coffee since I was 12 years old but it has become my nemesis. Since moving to England 10 years ago I learned to love tea... and I miss it so! But its not worth the pain, it causes major flares.

*During a flare I have bloody diarreah, sometimes just blood, urgent need to go. Funnily enough I can go out and not need it, I was only caught out once a long time ago where I had to just pray I got home in time, lol.

*When Im flaring, eating is a pain in the butt. I feel bloated after eating or drinking a small amount. If I let myself go and eat a huge meal (proper size, as opposed to a kids size ) I really suffer with such incredible pain, its more like extreme bloating isntead of cramping.

*I get cramping and painful gas when needing to go.

*Its rare that I feel well or not suffering any symptoms.

eta: * I do suffer constipation from time to time.

I cant think of anything else at the moment.

over to you's

gen

I knew once others posted Id remember other symptoms. I do get lower ab cramping, it feels like period pain but a bit more severe and sickly feeling.

During a flare I have bloody diarreah, sometimes just blood, urgent need to go. Funnily enough I can go out and not need it, I was only caught out once a long time ago where I had to just pray I got home in time, lol.

When I read about people saying they were able to hold it until they got home or got wherever I think back just a few months ago and for me there was no "holding it". There was little notice, no heads up, just WHAM and needing a toilet in seconds not minutes. There was no predictability, no control.
I wonder what percentage of UC'ers were as bad as me because it felt pretty extreme and really p***'d me off that doctors seemed clueless and unempathetic to how miserable my life was. One time I actually cried and the doctor (female) couldn't wait to get me out of there. I'm sure she wrote something like "overly emotional and anxious". Hell who wouldn't be.

Dear SoIgotIBD
I am not minimizing your condition, it is real and bad. But if I was only as bad as you were I would have thought "Hallelujah" if I could hold it. And yet there are people much worse than I was as well. I am in remission for the first time but the memory is so very with me every day.

In answer to your other questions:
I had/have left-side UC but never had any pain which confused many different doctors. I have a low threshhold for pain (meaning I feel it easily) but not from UC. Weird.

SoIGotIBD said...
I knew once others posted Id remember other symptoms. I do get lower ab cramping, it feels like period pain but a bit more severe and sickly feeling.

Yes, it feels like that at times. I have had that all last night and today but I havent had a period in 2 years and it's not that.
Sometimes it's hard for me to explain the way my stomach feels when I have the bleeding. It's like I'm rotting inside there. That's no real description and doesn't make sense but it's just a yucky, icky weird feeling

Somehow it makes me feel better to know others have some of my symptoms - not that I want any of you to have my symptoms, of course.

One things Red mentioned was chills.  I have never had fever but sometimes feel hot on the outside and cold shivers inside.  Must be from the inflammation.

Little urgency when really flaring with blood and mucous mostly mornings.

night sweats

period-like cramps (I am 70 but remember)

nausea in morning only

tired

gas (LOTS OF IT)

D but no constipation

thin BMS from inflammation

Yes, I have left sided from discomfort to pain - doctor said that was proctosigmoiditis - up 30 cm. of the sigmoid!

ElaineNY

Symptoms I get when in a bad flare:

1. Urgency - chills that run right up and down my spine right before I have to go, sometimes only 3 seconds to make it to the toilet.

2. Blood - tons of it, many blood clots.

3. Diarrhea - like brown water.

4. Anemia and fatigue from loosing so much blood.

5. Stuff that looks like and probably is skin in the toilet after going.

6. Cannot fart without sharting.

OO OO, how about this one... anyone else get this??

Sometimes after a particularly exciting bm I feel very tired and have to go lie down... sometimes I feel like this after eating too.

subdued said...
Cannot fart without sharting.

Lol, you've seen 'Along came Polly'. I get that too.

Malkavian said...
Extreme cramping and pain while defecating. It feels like my intestines are trying to crawl out of my butt to go die somewhere.

I feel like that too! Just like that.

Anyone also get joint pain from time to time? I get aches and pains all over out of nowhere.

imagardener2 said...
When I read about people saying they were able to hold it until they got home or got wherever I think back just a few months ago and for me there was no "holding it". There was little notice, no heads up, just WHAM and needing a toilet in seconds not minutes. There was no predictability, no control.
I wonder what percentage of UC'ers were as bad as me because it felt pretty extreme and really p***'d me off that doctors seemed clueless and unempathetic to how miserable my life was. One time I actually cried and the doctor (female) couldn't wait to get me out of there. I'm sure she wrote something like "overly emotional and anxious". Hell who wouldn't be.

Dear SoIgotIBD
I am not minimizing your condition, it is real and bad. But if I was only as bad as you were I would have thought "Hallelujah" if I could hold it. And yet there are people much worse than I was as well. I am in remission for the first time but the memory is so very with me every day.

In answer to your other questions:
I had/have left-side UC but never had any pain which confused many different doctors. I have a low threshhold for pain (meaning I feel it easily) but not from UC. Weird.

Ya know, if I could say I didnt have any pain Id be like "Hallelujah"!! To be honest tho, I do have days when I cant hold it, but its not all that often, and I dont go out much these days. I manage to get my kids to and from school every day (some days with the exhaustion, it is a struggle, but I make myself do it... no one else will!) and I do volunteer one day a week at a charity shop, but if Im not feeling well I just dont go in. A few months ago, must have been the beginning of this rather long term flare, my girls had a friend spend the night. The next morning the same thing happened to me as you described, for the first time in a long while I couldnt hold it and I had to run to the toilet *I cant remember how many times* in the space of five minutes. We have one toilet in the house . I kept thinking 'What a spectacular time to get caught out!!'

pam said...
It's like I'm rotting inside there. That's no real description and doesn't make sense but it's just a yucky, icky weird feeling

Thats exactly how Id describe it, like Im rotting inside. Thats about how it smells too... great fun!

Post Edited (SoIGotIBD) : 6/9/2010 3:26:12 AM (GMT-6)

i HAVE RIGHT NOW:

cramping on the left side and up a bit

very loose stool..not quite full out D but very very loose


Thigh pain- does anyone else get this???

very tired during and after the bm

and of course..the blood..

Biggest thing with me is bleeding whether its just a little or more, have a hard time getting it to stop completely even when I don't feel that bad or go any more than once a day. Also keeping a consistent soft normal stool seems like a constant battle. Little pain in left or right side along with gurgling feelings and noises.

I experience the rectal spasm thing too. Forgot about that one

I have no pains due to IBD, thank god alls well, except migraine that is side effect of Azathioprine (suspected).

As and when I get flare -
1. Usually no pains in Stomach (as soon as I suspect, I start Bentyl)
2. Bloody stools. If I visit more than 5 times a day, I start Bentyl
3. Nausea
4. Tiredness

Over the period of time, I carefully studied medicines I am taking, my daily routine, my eating habits and its connection to IBD and developed a lifestyle. Since 2 years I very rarely had a flare. Except this march while traveling, I miscalculated the Colazid dose and missed dose for 10 days and started bleeding. It got worsened due to 18 migraine attacks in April. Neproxen I took to counter migraine worsened the flare.

Long story short, Migraine has compromised quality of life way more than IBD.