Painfull bowel movements

[KB1987]

Hi everyone. Has anyone experienced sharp stabbing pain under right rib during a bowel movement that also comes with razer sharp feeling when opening your bowels? This started last Friday unfortunately and its been like this every day with a bowel movement. My period came on Sunday but is away now. This bowel flare up only used to happen once a month prior to my period but this is the longest it has lasted. I'm praying it's not IBD or something more sinister. It's always flaring up my stabbing pain under right rib which I always get with periods. If anyone has experienced this please reach out xx

[madtabby]

yes i used to have this and was due to the endo on my bowel hence why it started before my period & lasted for days after.

There was nothing i found that helped other than eating very lightly during my period.

I also used to get uncontrollable bowel movements which pretty much ruled my life.

I now have the merina coil & that has been a game changer & given me my life back

Hope that helps

[KB1987 in reply to madtabby]

Thank you so much for the reply. Have you had surgery to treat it on the bowel? My gynaecologist recommended the coil as I have the implanion but I said I wanted to try the mini pill first. Only been on it from November so I think I have to give it more time. I drank two liters off water yesterday and took movical and increased my fibre intake and thankfully I had two pain free bowel movements this morning. I'm actually thinking off going vegan as I know alot off red meat etc can flare up the bowels unfortunately due to underlying health conditions xx

[madtabby in reply to KB1987]

Unfortunately its all trial & error as everyone is different.

No they couldn’t operate as id have lost quite alot of my bowel as its infiltrating endo so inside the bowel wall now . The idea was the coil made the endo inactive instead till after the menopause.

Good luck hun xxx

[KB1987 in reply to madtabby]

That's awful. So glad the coil is working for you. If my symptoms don't improve I will consider it as I've been waiting so long for diagnostic surgery for Endo. I'm not 100 percent certain I have it yet. It's just so strange the symptoms start from ovulation then last right up to my period and during period xx

[madtabby in reply to KB1987]

No that sounds about right , u probably have whats called chocolate cysts which is basically endo on ur ovaries, i know i have them too .

Yeah just remember any surgery will cause its own issues (ie) scare tissue so be very cautious about surgery.

Good luck its not a nice thing to constantly have to go thru

Xxx

[KB1987 in reply to madtabby]

My last scan in November only showed 1 cyst on my right ovary but the gynaecologist didn't think it was anything to worry about. I'm only getting the surgery for diagnostic reasons although I'm thinking off going private to even get an MRI as it can be good for showing Endo xxx

[madtabby in reply to KB1987]

Yes i had ultrasound scans external & internal & an MRI scan so no surgery & no extra issues of internal scarring

[LME5]

Hi kb1987, I've been experiencing very similar symptoms to you with my more recent periods. Exactly where you've described (right side under my rib cage) where I imagine my stomach is. It comes on when I have a period (naturally - I'm not on any hormonal treatment). I experience it throughout the day, but it worsens when I eat and digesting. It alleviates somewhat after a bowel movement, but I stay typically bloated and sore. The pain radiates down from my rib cage to my hips. It was even becoming painful to breathe.

Personally, I've put it down to 1 of 2 things -

1. having endometriosis on my bowel and painful bowel symptoms (including constipation and difficult bowel movements) putting pressure on my digestive system and so affecting my stomach, and/or

2. I have endo on my diaphragm (which is more common than you think) and that is causing the pain.

I've had MRIs, none of which have showcased any evidence to what I'm saying. Then again, the only thing an MRI has shown up in my case was fibroids and cysts - surgery revealed I have endo on my bowel, bladder and rectum. FYI most gynaecologists (including endo specialists) can't properly read MRIs anyway.

I would say, if your symptoms persist, keep note of them in your diary, including what you've eaten. Try to maintain a low sugar, high fibre diet. Request an MRI from an endo specialist to investigate. If nothing comes of it and symptoms persist, you may want to consider a laparoscopy

[KB1987 in reply to LME5]

Hi thank you so much for the reply. I really want a MRI but the gynaecologist just wants to go straight to surgery for diagnostic Endometriosis. I'm so sorry to hear your struggling with this symptom as well. Yes I upped my fibre this past month and thankfully I only had 1 painful bowel movement on first day off period instead off a full week like last month. I really im starting to think I've Endo in my diaphragm as I also feel like I've been beat up under the ribs while on period. Do you feel surgery has helped you? Xx

[KB1987 in reply to LME5]

I also forgot to ask do they check your diaphragm during laprocosopy? I'm meant to be having surgery sometime in March for diagnosis xx

[LME5 in reply to KB1987]

Diagnostic surgery is one way to have your symptoms taken seriously, so it's a good decision. It will at the very least allow them to make a case for further surgery if need be, with relevant specialists on hand (typically gastrointestinal ones).

Beat up under the ribs definitely resonates! It feels like the area is injured and that there's inflammation. It's both distressing and painful.

With regards to diaphragm checks during laparoscopy, I can't say for certain that all surgeons check. Therefore, the next time you speak with the doctor/surgeon pre-surgery (or even on the day of), I would make a note to ask them and make a point that you want them to check your upper abdominal too due to the pain with your ribs.

The surgery I had was back in 2016, so a long time ago. It was mainly diagnostic too, though they claimed they managed to remove "some" endometriosis. Without a bowel/colorectal specialist on hand, there wasn't much else they could do. Since then I've managed my symptoms with the combined contraceptive pill (several brands until I landed on one that suited), exercise and diet. I stopped the pill December 2022 and was doing pretty well. With mild abdominal symptoms I was able to manage with magnesium malate alone. But, a recent MRI showed I have 3 new ovarian cysts including an endometrioma and the scan also finally proved that I have adhesions between the back of my uterus, cervix & rectum. So in my next app with my gynaecologist in March I'll be asking for excision surgery and I hope I'll finally have an up-to-date accurate diagnosis and a healthier pelvis!

I wish you the very best of luck with your laparoscopy next month. Do let me know if you have any questions about the surgery Keep us updated!