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Misc A Pain I've Lived With Forever - What is it? - Does anyone else get this?

Druidus

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
598
Ever since I was young, I've had this pain/pressure/serious-discomfort that comes and goes and is located in my lower left abdomen. It is much worse in the morning, and it actually made me incapable of eating at several points in my life. Sometimes it feels like it's in my intestines (needing to defecate makes it much worse - but it also seems that this thing constipates me- and sometimes in the whole muscle region as well. Often, the pulse going through a large blood vessel in the area causes the pain to intensify each time blood pulses through it. It is a strange feeling, and I've never felt it anywhere else. I lived with it constantly, not knowing it was even out of the ordinary, until losing some 80 pounds due to being unable to eat. It's not nausea, but it just makes food completely out of the question, taking away my entire appetite. It makes me have trouble staying asleep, because I'll wake up because of it, and EVERY fucking morning is hell at first because that's when it's at its worst.

There are only a few things that alleviate this torment for me. Heat and pressure on the site seem to make it go away for the most part, but as soon as I remove the heat/pressure it comes back to taunt me again.

The reason I post this in Other Drugs is because drugs have an affect on this pain/discomfort, and I thought that maybe if I describe how different ones affect the sensation I might learn what it could be from other posters. Before I continue, I'll say now that I've repeatedly sought medical help for this, and not one Dr. was able to offer an explanation or treat it.

When I smoke cannabis, the sensation does not go away completely, but it is dulled to the point that it really doesn't matter. This lasts for up to three hours after smoking cannabis, even after the high is diminished. It was cannabis that saved me after losing those 80 pounds. When I started smoking it, the sensation was alleviated, and I could eat again.

When I take benzodiazepines, enough of them, then it goes away completely, or at least I'm able to completely forget about it. If I drink, though, it comes back, though not full force. Drinking without benzos aggravates it, but I'm usually smoking pot when I drink, so it's not so bad.

When I take opiates (I always IV my opiates), it is INSTANTLY obliterated. There is no pain at all when I use an opiate, no terribly uncomfortable sensation. The sensation comes back usually after a good 5-10 hours, depending on the opiate used and the dose I take. This was part of why I became addicted to hydromorphone for two years; I was sick of battling it with just pot, which didn't last long enough.

Psychedelics make the sensation fade and then come back, but with one difference. The sensation starts to feel GOOD. Mushrooms, for instance, will reduce the pain over the come up and then start to seemingly infuse the area with pleasure instead of intense physical dysphoria. This lasts for 2-3 days after the mushrooms, with the pleasure and goodness of the sensation slowly reverting back to the torturous norm.

Dextromethorphan makes it worse, especially the day after I dose it. Ketamine, however, did not have this effect, and seemed to just remove it from my awareness.

Tobacco has no effect at all, except it reduces the pain felt when shitting and makes the process easier, likely due to stimulation from the nicotine.

Amphetamine, by far, has the most positive effect on it (except for the days after mushrooms). When I take amphetamines, then I've got some 24-36 hours without the sensation, and even if it does arise, it's barely noticeable and recedes again rapidly.

So why do I feel the sensation in the first place? Does anyone else have anything like this? And why do drugs affect it like they do? I honestly have no fucking clue, and so I hope someone more knowledgeable than I will be kind enough to elucidate me on this matter.

If you need more details, I will post answers to questions posed. Please don't just tell me to go to a Dr., I've tried that many times, and they think it's either nothing or that I'm exaggerating it.

Here's another overview of the symptoms, if it helps:

It is located in the lower left quadrant of my abdomen, a small distance to the left of my naval. The pain increases whenever blood pumps through a vein/artery located around the sensation. The sensation constipates me, but also makes me feel like I need to use the bathroom, even when my bowels are empty. If I do take a shit, it gets worse while straining, then feels briefly better, before going back to pain (and making me feel like I still need to shit). It doesn't cause nausea, but it does cause anorexia. It dominates my perceptions when at its worst. I literally cannot function when it is too intense. At that point, I'm generally just moaning and rocking back and forth (the pressure from my abdominal muscles helps). Heat relieves it, and so does pressure, but heat is the best remedy. The pain itself is dull, throbbing, and goes up and down in intensity. It is accompanied by a sense of "cold" inside that part of my body, as if it is uncomfortably cold INSIDE my abdomen. It is most severe in the morning, after I wake up.

There's ONE more thing that alleviates the sensation. Apparently, orgasm works like a charm, and leaves the sensation reduced largely for up to 20-30 minutes. At the point of orgasm, it's almost as good at dramatically relieving my pain as the rush of an IV opiate.

That's about the best I can describe it. Please, any ideas are good ideas, I really need to figure this out. I'm sick of my only real relief coming from drugs that cost me money and are potentially hazardous to my health. Hopefully someone else has similar symptoms, or knows why drugs seem to affect it (which would point me in the right direction). It feels like I want to fucking tear that chunk of my abdomen out to get rid of this, it literally feels that bad.

Thanks, OD Bluelight posters.
 
I used to get this when I was in high school. try eating a light breakfast and avoid drinking coffee. fresh fruit for breakfast could help. oh yeah and see a doctor, if thishas gone on for forever like you say than theres no reason not to see a doctor. it sounds like your getting cramps probably from stool sitting around in your bowells. you might have an impaction or chrons disease or ibs, but only a doctor can tell you that. I think web md is a better site to get info on this, since it doesn't appear to be directly related to drugs. if you use opiates than it could be gastroparisis, which basically means the opiates have slowed down your g.i. tract.
 
i used to have this problem a lot. my doctor told me it's something called "colitis" which i have done some reading to a degree. check it out on wikipedia or other sites. it sucks and i hate it. mine went away when i stopped drinking so much liquor. once i got a scrip for promethazine, it was smooth sailing.
 
I second Tricomb - see a gastroenterologist. They see all kinds of these problems. Have you been seeing your Primary Care Doc (GP)? I am really surprised that you have not been referred to a specialist if you have lost 80 lbs. If you have, and they've given you a colonoscopy, endoscopy, or that thing where you swallow a tiny camera, and were still unable to correctly diagnose, they should refer you to another Doc.

I have Crohn's disease, and from what I've read, symptoms can vary dramatically. My symptoms at first were mild but chronic, it wasn't properly diagnosed until 12 years later when I had an acute episode. So don't give up, or give into to a cynical "fucking doctors" attitude. All disease states respond best, and have the best outcomes, when treated early.

If you've been getting pharms illegally, that could be a touchy issue, because GI docs prescribe opiates for worst cases, and they tend to only hear "drug seeker" when you mention that sort of thing. But they will not prescribe opiates until much later, and you may be referred to a pain specialist. Also, going down this road really is a last resort.

I am prescribed a biologic drug called Adalimumab. This greatly slows the pro-inflammatory response, and works pretty well. It is very expensive and could never afford it if I did not have health insurance. Your docs should be able to narrow your symptoms by various tests and medications, and if they can't figure it out, you should be referred to another doc.

I must admit, your symptoms are unusual. The pain in the morning, is that upon waking, after coffee, or after eating? Or going to a situation you find miserable(like work)? GI problems can cause constipation, and you may have a need for a bowel movement, but are not able to go.

I must say again, please see a GI doc, and don't give up and go see another one if they say nothing can be done.
 
I am really surprised that you have not been referred to a specialist if you have lost 80 lbs. If you have, and they've given you a colonoscopy, endoscopy, or that thing where you swallow a tiny camera, and were still unable to correctly diagnose, they should refer you to another Doc.

The loss of weight was years ago, I'm relatively stable now. And yeah, I've had scopes at both ends.

I must admit, your symptoms are unusual. The pain in the morning, is that upon waking, after coffee, or after eating?

The pain is what wakes me up, often without enough rest. I rarely drink coffee in the morning. And the pain usually makes eating before it dies down a bit an impossibility.

Or going to a situation you find miserable(like work)?

This can make it worse, I find. All my life it's been worst in the mornings, and functioning at school/university/work is dramatically impaired by this.

have you sought medical attention, if so, what diagnostic procedures did you have done?

Scope down my throat into my stomach, scope up my rear to see my intestines. There was merely irritation of the stomach, according to the Dr., and nothing serious there. And when I got my endoscopy done, I was unable to drink all the indigestible liquid they wanted me to drink to clean out my intestines; it was making me seriously ill. So when they got the scope in, there was still feces impeding their view of my intestines. Nonetheless, he said it looked fine.

Thanks for your help so far. I will try to get referred to a gastroenterologist, when I can afford the ridiculous 100 dollar missed appointment fees they slapped me with. All because I forgot my health card, and so couldn't be processed and seen by my GP.

One more thing that helps is milk. It seems to calm the sensations down a lot.

This pain is so intense in the mornings that I have to sleep with a pillow constantly putting pressure on my abdomen (I'd use a heating pad too, but when I inevitably take it off, the return of the sensation is very unpleasant). I wake up hours too early every morning, as a direct result of this sensation. The only way I get adequate sleep, to be completely frank, is to masturbate when the pain wakes me, which, upon orgasm, relieves the problem and allows me to go back to sleep. It's not even masturbation for sexual pleasure, it's just to fulfill a purpose, to mitigate the pain and allow me to sleep longer. Weird, I know, but I'm not getting up at 0500 every morning because of this pain, and masturbation gives me a few more hours.

I suspect, as well, that my anxiety level is connected to the sensation, too, at least in some manner. My anxiety, both generalized and social, manifest primarily as physical symptoms, and when I feel these symptoms to be strong, the sensation's intensity is also increased.

If I could get a medical cannabis prescription, I think I'd be "cured". But I can't afford it from the black market to use for this purpose.
 
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I had the same thing but it was in my head! Every day of my life from 8am to 2 pm, I was feeling a cool mint burning sensation in my brain combined with tachichardia and overwhelming fatigue. I got diagnosed with ADD and the following medication provided % relief:

dextroamphetamine: 100%
codeine: 70%
nicotine: 30%
pseudoephedrine: 30%
caffeine: -10% to 20% depending on days, made me feel better or worst.

It's a misadjustement of the organs, like...your heart or your lungs is not created to suit the need of your body, like it's not properly engineered for you, it's randomly made and in the gamble when you are made from scratch, some organs can grow in disproportion.

I also come from a nation of drunk people...everyone was pissed drunk from baby to father. God damned alcoholic country. Eastern Europe...
 
I had the same thing but it was in my head! Every day of my life from 8am to 2 pm, I was feeling a cool mint burning sensation in my brain combined with tachichardia and overwhelming fatigue. I got diagnosed with ADD and the following medication provided % relief:

dextroamphetamine: 100%
codeine: 70%
nicotine: 30%
pseudoephedrine: 30%
caffeine: -10% to 20% depending on days, made me feel better or worst.

It's a misadjustement of the organs, like...your heart or your lungs is not created to suit the need of your body, like it's not properly engineered for you, it's randomly made and in the gamble when you are made from scratch, some organs can grow in disproportion.

I also come from a nation of drunk people...everyone was pissed drunk from baby to father. God damned alcoholic country. Eastern Europe...

I really don't think that's it......
 
I'm no doctor but, many of your symptoms seem similar to what I experience daily. I suffer from gastroparesis, which is basically stomach paralysis. You should go to a gastroenterologist and do a full spectrum of tests.

Gastroparesis does seem very similar to my symptoms. Thanks a lot, LivingintheAlps.
 
@ Druidus: are you male or female? I've heart this strange pains often from women.

Sometimes there isn't a particulair reason why you have the pain. And it can also be caused by psychological trauma.

You need to go to the doctor and undergo a lot of tests. If nothing comes out, try searching for psychological reasons. If you deal with that, it can help alot.
Also exercise seem to help.

If you want to stick to medication, i think tramadol would be a good option, also TCA antidepressants are often used for "unidentified pains".

But try to find the reason/source of your pains, if you know whats causing it, makes it easier to treat. Good luck!
 
Another question is what is your age? I had scopes done in 1990 and again in 2008. The gastro doc could only say IBS most likely. I kept going to see him and he prescribed different stomach meds because my symptoms didn't improve. He told me then it was "gallbladder sludge." and said we were running out of options, clearly frustrated with me. I never got a concrete diagnosis. Have they checked you for possible hernia?
 
@ Druidus: are you male or female? I've heart this strange pains often from women.

Sometimes there isn't a particulair reason why you have the pain. And it can also be caused by psychological trauma.

You need to go to the doctor and undergo a lot of tests. If nothing comes out, try searching for psychological reasons. If you deal with that, it can help alot.
Also exercise seem to help.

If you want to stick to medication, i think tramadol would be a good option, also TCA antidepressants are often used for "unidentified pains".

But try to find the reason/source of your pains, if you know whats causing it, makes it easier to treat. Good luck!

I'm a male.

Another question is what is your age? I had scopes done in 1990 and again in 2008. The gastro doc could only say IBS most likely. I kept going to see him and he prescribed different stomach meds because my symptoms didn't improve. He told me then it was "gallbladder sludge." and said we were running out of options, clearly frustrated with me. I never got a concrete diagnosis. Have they checked you for possible hernia?

24, and no, I haven't been checked for a hernia.
 
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