Severe Pain
by MJohnston
(Canada)
I titled this entry severe pain because I feel that is all my life is wrapped around sometimes. I'm 25 years old, and have been living with this pain for 8 years now. I'm hoping this will help someone out there searching for a story involving severe or chronic symptoms associated with IBS.
It took me two years, so many doctors and test that required to put me out for in the hospital to be told that he wasn't completely sure what was wrong, just that there was inflammation found, and it was most likely IBS.
I don't know if anyone else feels this way, I've tried looking up story after story about what people go through with pain associated with IBS, and have found nothing similar, so if there is someone else out there with the same pain, please - Write about it!
I started getting this pain in my upper left side when I was 17. It started out as a twinge, to full out contracting pain within the upcoming months. Back than I have to say it still wasn't as bad as it is now a days. Most people talk about how embarressing it is to be out in public and they start to feel the discomforts of pain, and need to find the nearest washroom. For me it's much different. I've gotten to know how my digestion works just by where the pain is located. Sometimes it feels as if I can feel the entire process going through my bowels. I am guessing this is when I have inflammation.
What is embarressing is the crippling pain I get just before I have to use the washroom, or while I am going. It doesn't happen everytime, I take advantage of what I concider long period of time when I have no pain at all. Sometimes it last a week.. sometimes I get lucky and I can go three weeks without severe pain, discomfort is always a given.
I don't talk to people about what I go through, because being so young people don't take you seriously, and it surprised me to find out how uncomfortable people are around a person who is going through extreme pain. I got so well at hiding it from people. But the pain got worse, and came on more unexpected.
I am most afflicted right after I get up, so living with my boyfriend it got harder and harder to hide it. Very few people have seen me fall over in pain, but when it happens all I can do is hold my abdomin and cry. The contractions, or whatever my GI tract is doing is just so painful, it almost feels like I'm passing razor blades. As of lately I have a sneaking suspiction that I might be passing gullstones aswell. I don't have hemmroids, that was all cleared by my doctor. Its even difficult for me to try and explain how whenever my Gastrointestinal Tract starts to contract causes pain that radiates all the way through.
The worst thing I worry about is passing out from the pain on the toliet. I start to get really hot and nausious. Thats when I hold onto something and pray.
I can't drink juices of any kind now, nore soda's. Alcohol is out of the question, unless I have a full day off to recover. Tea, milk, and water is the only thing that doesn't worsen my condition.
I've never come across anyone talking about other symptoms associated with IBS, or read much about it, so I am wondering if anyone else out there may have arthritis type symptoms related to their IBS. I know malabsorbtion can cause this. My legs and hips are the most effected, making it difficult to walk for days, or more than a week. Thankfully it goes away with more rest I get, and if I stick to my weekely vitimin intake. If I didn't have my vitamins I wouldn't be able to function. I have a B-12, and Iron difficency.
Does anyone else deal with the same issues? I feel I need some kind of hope that I can get through this, and get better, because I am only 25, and I already feel like I am 50 on some days.
