Hello and thank you to all of you who take the time to share such personal stories. I have been reading this forum extensively the last couple days and have learned so much.
I would like to share my story and ask for any kind words of support or advice. I feel very alone and hopeless right now. I will try to be brief. In May I was put on penicillin for strep throat. Days after I developed hives all over my legs (apparently I'm allergic to penicillin). Then I was given oral steroids to get rid of hives which worked. Days later I developed yeast infections in various areas of my body. In June just when I thought it was over it all, my butt started itching. I thought it was yeast and just ignored it. Thru June and July I ignored it and it came and went. I would feel burning after swimming or intimacy with my husband but mostly it was ignorable. Starting August, I began a daily palates exercise program which included lots of leg and thigh and butt tension and stretching and admit I went overboard trying to get the thighs and butt firmed up. By the end of August I was feeling pain when I would sit especially on hard things. It started to occur to me that I had hemorrhoids (previously diagnosed with hemorrhoids and ulcerative colitis) acting up or colitis? but never had colitis symptoms or hemorrhoids like this. No bleeding. Some pain when pooping and passing gas. Lots of pain when sitting. The first week in September I realized I must stop exercising for a while but STUPIDLY ate some very spicy food a couple days in a row. After the second day of eating the food I realized what I had done but it was too late.
Once this food passed thru me my pain became unbearable. My anus became very swollen and everything hurt and burned beyond belief (I have had a few surgeries in my life, two babies and flared up ulcerative colitis and they don't even touch the pain I was in) walking, sitting, laying on my back, pooping, passing gas, bending over, was crazy pain. Felt like a knife was being stuck in my bum. The only relief was laying on my side not moving (even then I would get sharp knife like pains when my bottom puckered/contracted). I starting using cortisone cream and p.h. inside and out and swelling reduced after 4 days and pain also came down some notches but did not go away. Met with my gastro's assistant (apparently I didn't rate a full fledged doc) and he thought my colitis was flaring which irritated hemmies so put me on a low residue diet and told me to stop all creams ect. I did as he said but nothing changed. Pain still when sitting or any real movement other than laying on side.
After a week of that I asked to have a colonoscopy to see what was going on which I had on sept. 28th. Dr said colitis was fine and only thing he could see was a mild internal hemmie which shouldn't cause my pain and sent me on my way. So for a week I told myself everything was fine and I should just act like a normal person and get over it. That same week my dad went into hospital with heart condition and I went into hospital for 3 days to sit with him. (first time sitting like a normal person in over month---i had just been laying around until then). Second day no bowel movement. third day at hospital painful bowel movement and blood. Started using vicks soothers suppositories and after 4 days blood seemed to stop. Still all the pain though. By the 11th I went back to gastro to talk about pain and an external hemmie(i thought). I have had a skin tag for years but lately getting much worse. Assistant told doc and doc did a external exam and pushed on skin tag which wasnt painful. He said again there is no reason for your pain and maybe you bruised your tail bone with all the palates and gave me motrin and sent me home. I wanted to believe it was tailbone so I was happy for the first time in weeks. Motrin made poop harder and bleeding started again 3 days later. With me doing lots of butt and tailbone examination I know now there is nothing wrong with tailbone and all pain is coming from butt. Still believing it was hemmies I started an herbal treatment of oral horse chestnut and diosim which research has shown to improve 90+% of hemmies in a week. I knew I would get better. Well it's been 10 days with herbs and I'm not better.
Current symptoms: Pain when passing gas. Pain when pooping. This morning pooping started OK but ended with a sharp pain and blood. Also my skin tag seems to have developed a new round pink bulged that emerges after a bowel movement or bending over or stretching. With rest it goes back into the anus. I noticed this a couple weeks ago not sure how long it's been like this. I believe this is causing my pain with movement but I don't see many of you mention this pain throughout the day with movement so I worry most about what this pain could be (could it be the tag?) Have had pain with movement for 2 months now. do you think I have a fissure?
Also I have mad anxiety over all of this. I have 2 small children and haven't been able to be a good mom to them for almost 2 months now as all I do is lay on couch and try not to move in hopes of healing. Also I havent been intimate with husband for 2 months either and that will cause trouble at some point. The guilt and sadness from how I am treating my family is depressing me tremendously.
I have lost 21 pounds since Sept 1st because I don't want much to pass thru in hopes of healing. I am eating fruits and veggies and oatmeal and metamusil and just started 8 oz. of prune juice all to keep stool soft. I am not sleeping much. I do not leave house unless no other option. dad is very sick and this adds lots of stress.
I have an appt with GP on tuesday and plan to ask for a nitro (is that right?) med and maybe antidepressants and maybe oral steriods?. She is a wise Christian MD so hopefully will get good advise. Also have an appt with CRS on Nov 8th. Not sure if he is a good one though because I found him on my own and my insurance limits me.
Sad,sacred and hopeless are my worst symptoms. If anyone managed to read this book...thank you for your time and I hope I did not make anyone feel worse due to my negativity. Normally I am a happy person who is fun to be around. I am no longer that person. Don't even recognize myself and sometimes feel like I am in the twilight zone as the last 2 months seem truly unbelievable and like a nightmare I will wake up from at some point but I never do.
Thanks again to anyone taking the time to listen. Sincerely, Deb