Thanks. I'm still persevering with the Qufora IrriSedo mini - it's equivalent to taking a water enema every couple of days. It does make BMs easier, and it empties the bowel*. The only drawback for me is that the area is so raw and inflamed, and the pressure of the cone tip seems to make it worse - I'm awoken every night around 2 am with the pain, and it doesn't really die down until morning. I'm due to have a telephone consultation with the physiotherapist this week, and I will have to ask her about this problem. I'm also mildly constipated, which is not so good.

But I need to think positive. After all, my general condition has improved a lot since 2015, and I'm able to be reasonably active and do most everyday tasks. It's just that the inflammation has not really gone, ever - it seems that once there's a problem 'down there' it's very difficult to find an effective cure. In a way one just has to put up with a level of discomfort that one wouldn't have accepted as tolerable before.

* Not everyone seems to think that this is a good thing. In an article in today's Telegraph, for example, I read;

Colonic irrigation, though, is not helpful. In the hands of a trained practitioner you are safe from bowel damage, but gut bacteria are important to bowel health, and washing out the colon depopulates the bacteria levels.

It's hard to know who to believe.

I'm still persevering with the mini irrigation system. I've been using it daily, and sometimes find that it helps. More often, though, after using it I feel it has irritated the skin of my anus, so I'm not that keen on continuing with the treatment. I still have considerable amounts of pain at night, enough to wake me up several times, and as the pain gets worse towards morning, I tend to get up very early.

Next week I have another PT appointment at the pelvic floor clinic in London. I will show the physiotherapist the 'bowel progress' diary that comes with the mini irrigation system - I've filled in entries for each day of use, but on looking through the six weeks or so since I began I can't really see much sign of improvement. Too many of the entries are things like 'still in pain', or 'not sure if it worked'. On the other hand, I still feel in general a lot better than I did this time last year - my overall health is better, and I'm able to concentrate on work-related things.

So - we'll see.

One week ago I had another session with the PT specialist - this time she demonstrated breathing and muscle exercises, partly for the upper part of the body and partly for the lower part. The pelvic floor exercises look difficult, but I can do the breathing without too much trouble.

I'd complained about pain, so she examined me digitally, but the examination turned out to be too painful, so I had to ask her to stop.

I'm still using the Qufora hand pump (mini irrigation) daily, and have tried some aqueous cream on the advice of the PT, but found that it seemed to irritate the area.

In general I feel quite a lot better, but still have some fairly un-ingnorable discomfort, especially at nights and when walking.

I'm now waiting for my next appointment at St Thomas's on July 6. I can't say that the discomfort has lessened very much in the past few weeks. As an experiment, I stopped using the Qufora device for a few days, but that didn't seem to make much difference, either. The pain is worst in the early morning, and usually subsides during the daytime. I have tried doing the breathing exercises as instructed by the physiotherapist, but find it hard to make them into a daily routine. Guess I should try harder.

Living with this thing is difficult. I bad a visit from my daughter who lives in the U.S. (I'm in U.K.), hadn't seen her for a year and a half, we managed to have a decent time during her short visit, went to a garden centre and bought plants for my garden, did some gardening together. But during the visit I found that my inflammation started to get worse, and after she had gone I had pain and burning, and this morning the burning is still there, it feels like a sore that has become irritated.

I'm due to see the physical therapist on July 6, not so long now. I spoke to her recently by telephone and told her about the recurrent pain. She said I should discontinue the rectal irrigation for the time being, and I've done so. Hope she has some suggestions as to what to do next.

I haven't updated this diary for a while. After discontinuing the irrigation system I haven't really noticed much improvement in the symptoms. I still have burning and pain, especially at night, though during the day it's often not too bad, and I can concentrate on work and writing. I haven't done many PT exercises - somehow without any guidance it's hard to make myself do them. Feel somewhat guilty about this. Will see the PT specialist next week (my previous appointment was cancelled due to a scheduling mixup on the part of the hospital).

I went for a medical checkup after getting a letter from my local hospital advising me to do so. This has resulted in a great many checks for high blood pressure - my BP is quite high, on average about 155 over 90, and sometimes even quite a lot higher. My GP said she is concerned, and told me to take readings at home for a week, which I did. Am now taking 5 mg amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) daily, and it does have a few side effects, especially drowsiness but also increased burning in my rectum, which is a nuisance. It's early days, though - I am supposed to get a call from the pharmacy this week to check on my progress, and will tell them about this.

I never had blood pressure problems before, and wonder if my AF could have contributed to the trouble.

Have you considered chronic pain treatment? Sorry if you've already looked into it in the past, but I was just wondering if this is no longer a musculoskeletal issue but more of an increased sensitivity to pain, leading to a vicious cycle.

dmcff have you had any blood work done recently?

I hope your BP isn't related to other underlying health issues.

patience_and_healing wrote:Have you considered chronic pain treatment? Sorry if you've already looked into it in the past, but I was just wondering if this is no longer a musculoskeletal issue but more of an increased sensitivity to pain, leading to a vicious cycle.

Well, I've been on pregabalin for the past three years or so, and that's the only chronic pain treatment that I've had. It does help a bit, I think, though I believe that over time one's system grows accustomed to it and its effects are maybe not all that significant anymore. I have wondered about the vicious cycle aspect of this, but don't really know what to do about it, and neither do the medical professionals whom I've consulted. Mostly they just express exasperation, and don't offer any solutions.

mike1971 wrote:dmcff have you had any blood work done recently?

I hope your BP isn't related to other underlying health issues.

Yes, I've had several blood tests recently. My cholesterol readings were apparently quite high, but the BP issue is the most significant result of testing so far, and that is something I can check at home. I'm not aware of any underlying health issues, but obviously with advancing years (I'm now 73) one can never be entirely sure.