when first diagnosed with IBD or Crohns did any of you ever have a niggling right sided pain low down before diagnosis?

[mistygrey]

I’m waiting on a colonoscopy. The right sided low down niggly pain seems to be there mostly before a no2 and sometimes lingers just after it, it’s annoying. Had it for awhile now and waiting for the colonoscopy still

[4someone]

I get that niggle too, but I have a kefir culture that stops that discomfort for me completely, however it does tend to make me feel invincible and I get carried away feeling normal, delaying preparing my kefir, then forgetting it until bedtime when I’m too tired. Then after a few days, the pain is back and my jar of kefir looks very smug!

Another thing that helps me is the right type of exercise. While having physio to strengthen my hips, one exercise nearly made me faint it was so painful but it freed up the scar tissue caused by successive surgeries and has eased my stomach pain. The physiotherapist said this was common in IBD patients and if I carefully persevered it would strengthen my insides. I have spent the last 20 years on lactulose (7 tablespoons a day) when a physio could have given me this exercise instead. It would have had a massive benefit on my family life. I’ve been free of lactulose for over a year now, it is brilliant.

So for anyone who wants to try this exercise designed to help your hips but has done wonderful things for my guts, this is what you do.

Lie on your back on a flat surface (you can use your mattress if need be). Keeping your head, shoulders and spine straight, slide your legs up so that your knees are bent but your feet are still on the floor. Then keeping your head, shoulders, spine and hips as straight as possible, roll your bent knees to the right as far as possible, keeping your torso as straight as possible on the floor. Count to ten, then repeat on the other side. My physio suggested I repeat this 3 times once a day. This one exercise has helped my Crohn’s enormously as well as my hip.

[mistygrey in reply to 4someone]

Hi what is the kefir you used? Thanks x

[4someone in reply to mistygrey]

I bought my kefir grains from a company called Happy Kombucha, they posted them out to me, and I grow them in a large jam jar, empty the grains into a sieve each day, give the jar a quick rinse with cold boiled water, pop the grains back in and feed it some milk, screw the lid on and let it do its work. I either drink the kefir as it is or make it into a smoothie. Shop bought kefir has to be pasteurised to extend the shelf life so you miss out on all the helpful bacteria. I make mine using pasteurised milk and my gastroenterologist is happy with the effect it has had on me over the last 6 or 7 years. It was especially good during the pandemic when I couldn’t have my regular checkups.

[UmaDaisy]

Hi Mistygrey,I was diagnosed with Crohn's a couple of years ago. I also have had a pain on my RHS that is there in some form most of the time. I find it worse when I go to bed and try to sleep on my LHS my RHS is heightened. I turn over and virtually always sleep on my left nowadays.

I have mentioned this to both GP and consultant and neither seemed particularly concerned so interesting to hear about your pain.

Can I asked if you experience any pain if laying on your side ?

Thanks,

James.

[Be12345 in reply to UmaDaisy]

Hi, I have ulcerative distal colitis but only ever get pain on my right hand side...when really it should be on the left.I also find it hard to sleep on my left as the pain is heightened on the right. I think the pain I get is radiating from my hip...any chance it could be the same for you?

[UmaDaisy in reply to Be12345]

It definitely sounds like quite a coincidence that we both have digestive conditions and suffer from the same pain location wise. I would say my pain is closer to my hip area than my rib cage so sounds pretty similar.