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Where's your pain, how do you describe it?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/15/2008 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have an appointment with a new doctor on Friday and they always ask "Where do you have pain and what does it feel like?" so I've been thinking about it, because often they ask me and if I'm not having pain right at that very moment, sometimes it's hard to verbalize.

This is what I've come up with, from the mouth to the rear end:

For the past month or two I've had at least one mouth ulcer at all times; right now I have three but luckily they're all healing up and don't hurt anymore.

My throat has been on and off sore for two weeks and feels scratchy when I eat or breathe. Plus the occasional GERD burning.

Frequent surprise chest pains that happen randomly and I have to hold my breath/take tiny shallow breaths for a few minutes until it goes away because it hurts too much to inhale normally.

Burning in my stomach right under the ribs and pain when I press above my navel. Also frequent nausea.

Dull aching pain in the right lower quadrant, in line with my hip bone.

Sharp stabbing pains in the left lower quadrant. Hurts here mostly when I'm having urgency.

Sharp stabbing pains in the retal area that radiate so it feels like it could be in the pelvic/vaginal area but definitely coming from the rectum.

Also lately been having pain in my left hip joint and lower back (which is where my osteopenia is) and I've been walking with a limp because it hurts most when I extend back. I didn't think having osteopenia caused pain though so I wonder if there's arthritis associated with it. Who knows.

What areas do you mostly have pain in when you're flaring?

Posted 7/15/2008 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Other then the obvious joints aching like mad, I mostly have a constant pinchy-burning type pain on my upper left side, sometimes the same on my lower right; not sure what that could be from - ovulation maybe, gallbladder or liver issues?? But then when I use the bathroom it feels like razor blades are coming out while shaking from the pain. Also when I do go, I can feel it scraping in there and it causes a cramping, stingy, burning type of pain from the upper left all the way to the exit.
Posted 7/15/2008 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
My doc reminded me this week that I described "razor blade days" when my lower abdomen feels like I ate razor blades for lunch and they are making their way through my colon. I also have a rumbling that is very similar to having a virus or food poisoning. It makes noise and when the noise comes it feels like the rumbling of being very hungry. Ick. And even when I am in remission my bottom gets really sore and feels like the same razor blades are trying to come out. Right now I am getting back into remission but my bottom is feeling chapped for whatever reason and is just plain irritated.
Posted 7/15/2008 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I've definitely used the razor blade reference... Or saying "Well, it kind of feels like my large intestine is slowly being fed into a meat grinder at the moment". Sometimes I get this weird warm stinging feeling too and I always wondered if I was actually feeling the bleeding, that's how it felt.
Posted 7/15/2008 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
I think you have done VERY well in describing the types of pains !! It is hard to explain.. and sometimes I feel like they don't believe me !!! I have the "Dull aching pain in the right lower quadrant, in line with my hip bone" pain almost everyday now.. since March any way. The joys of Colitis.....
Posted 7/15/2008 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
Jenn- that's one of the ones I have every day as well, which I always felt was weird because colitis is supposed to have mostly left sided pains but I guess since we have pancolitis we'd have pain all over. I don't know why that one spot is always sore though.
Posted 7/15/2008 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
I sometimes have throbbing and "heavy" (I don't know how else to describe it) pain all over my lower abdomen. However, sometimes it's only on the left side. I have some sort of pain (usually mild) every night, as well as lower back pain.
Posted 7/16/2008 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hey. :) Sometimes the pain moves to the left but mostly it is always on the right. My lower back pains have subsided <thank goodness> since I have gotten my flare under control.

ediekristen- I know what it is like having to wait soooooo long to see the GI. I hope you feel better soon !! And don't take this the wrong way.. but I am glad you have the right sided pain often as well... :O( I mean, I start to think I am crazy every now and then. Especially since I had my scope last week and there was little to no sign of disease. She said what ever I was doing for the last 4 months (lots of rest, fruit and veg diet) to keep doing it because I am healing on my own. BUT.. I still have that nagging right side pain!! Anyways, thanks for sharing.. and again.. feel better soon !!
Posted 7/16/2008 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
I refer to it as a "turkey claw" because it feels like a large multi-pronged talon twisted sideways and persistently scraping my abdomen.  Sometimes I have one "turkey claw" on the left side and other times I have two "turkey claws" on the right and the left. 

Posted 7/16/2008 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
My pain is always very low and below the belt line and its always in the same place. It's very intense pain, though it isn't sharp or burning. Actually it feels like menstrual cramps, which is probably why I run to the bathroom thinking I'm going be sick when its not my colon! tongue
Posted 7/16/2008 7:45 AM (GMT 0)
The only pain i ever get is on the left hand side just above my hip. Apart from the obvious pain it also feels like its burning.

Never had pain in any other place although i have pan colitis according to the c-scope.
Posted 7/16/2008 11:32 AM (GMT 0)
well, a bit ago i was on the can in agony trying very hard not to puke at the same time since i just ate and didnt really want to waste my dinner cuz eating is a bit of a pain in the ass...
while there, i was thinking about the kind of pain cuz of this thread and it feels like a jagged rock the size of my fist with broken glass all over it and it is slowly scraping through my insides from the upper left side and down and then across the bottom of my abdomen and sits right under my belly button and just freakin aches and cramps and hurts and doesnt let up.
omg!!!!
i sound like im having a baby in there.
Posted 7/16/2008 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Omigod.. there are times when I am certainly glad I am in the privacy of my own bathroom rather than a public one... sometimes I gasp and squirm and sweat... I haven't had a baby <yet> but am pretty sure I will be able to tolerate the pain, lol !
Posted 7/16/2008 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
I never had any UC-related pain. Only stomach cramps w/D.

My pain is 3 inches above my belly button and 1 inch to the right. I used to wake up every night in horrible pain. It can feel like burning all through my entire abdomen, too. Ediekristen, it sounds like you may be experiencing something similar?

I've recently decided I have a stomach ulcer. My GI said I can take Zantac and when I do, I don't have pain and sleep through the night! What a difference! I go to the GI next Tuesday, so hopefully she can test me for an ulcer and get me on some antibiotics to make it go away.
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