Discussions By Condition: Anal/Rectal Conditions
Acute rectal pain
Posted In: Anal/Rectal Conditions
162 Replies
- Posted By: Anonymous
- November 29, 2006
- 10:21 AM
From time to time I suffer this severe rectal pain. It usually occurs late at night and lasts almost exactly 20mins. The pain is unbelievable. Then it just stops so when I see a doctor, I have nothing to show for it. Does anyone know what this might be? I have been told constipation but I have never had a problem there.
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I am 55 years old and have had this problem for MANY years. I put up with it for years and was pretty concerned. Usually I would wake up in the night with an uncomfortable feeling at my rectum. The uncomfortable feeling keeps getting worse and some times the pain is so bad, I would think that I was going to pass out. I found that when I feel it coming on, if I can lay in a tub of VERY warm/hot water, it seems to pass quicker and the pain is less. If I just relax, the pain gets worse (because it cramps more). I had an episode one day at my office and thought I was going to die! I had worried about what I would do if I had the problem during the day, because I would not be near a tub that I could soak in. I decided it was time to get this checked out. Went to specialist and he tells me that what is happening is a cramp in the sphincter muscle just inside the rectal opening. He indicated that one of the causes for this is STRESS. From that time on, when I would have an episode, I would think back in the last day or so, and sure enough, I would have been stressed/worried about something. I was told by the doctor that you treat it like any cramp, you need to massage it and work it out. I guess that is also why the heat from the warm water helps. He said that in a really bad case, you can digitally insert you finger and massage the muscle. Not my favorite thing to do, but I think it does help. I have two sons, one has the same problem. In fact the doctor that I saw has the same problem. He said he knew what my problem was when he went to check my lower colon and said my anal sphincter muscle was as tight as a banjo string!Knowing what my problem was seemed to help. I still have the problem during times of stress, but the problem doe not STRESS ME OUT like it did.Hope this is all that your problem is.Terrytdannar 1 Replies Flag this Response
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I was just diagnosed last week with these exact symptoms. (After having a colonoscopy and then a ct scan). My doctor told me I have a condition called Proctalgia Fugax. There is info on the internet. He told me it is rare, and not much can be done. It is hereditary and after speaking to several of my family members about it, sure enough, my father, 2 of my aunts and my grandmother have all suffered from this. (Wish I would have known earlier) It is VERY painful and I have been dealing with these pains for at least 15 years.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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Im a very young 55 yr old and hours ago just had my first acute rectal spasm. Oh MY GOD!!! thought I was going to pass out, had cold sweats, and really wanted to die. After reading about this, Im at least more educated on the subject. Thank God for the internet. tpI am 55 years old and have had this problem for MANY years. I put up with it for years and was pretty concerned. Usually I would wake up in the night with an uncomfortable feeling at my rectum. The uncomfortable feeling keeps getting worse and some times the pain is so bad, I would think that I was going to pass out. I found that when I feel it coming on, if I can lay in a tub of VERY warm/hot water, it seems to pass quicker and the pain is less. If I just relax, the pain gets worse (because it cramps more). I had an episode one day at my office and thought I was going to die! I had worried about what I would do if I had the problem during the day, because I would not be near a tub that I could soak in. I decided it was time to get this checked out. Went to specialist and he tells me that what is happening is a cramp in the sphincter muscle just inside the rectal opening. He indicated that one of the causes for this is STRESS. From that time on, when I would have an episode, I would think back in the last day or so, and sure enough, I would have been stressed/worried about something. I was told by the doctor that you treat it like any cramp, you need to massage it and work it out. I guess that is also why the heat from the warm water helps. He said that in a really bad case, you can digitally insert you finger and massage the muscle. Not my favorite thing to do, but I think it does help. I have two sons, one has the same problem. In fact the doctor that I saw has the same problem. He said he knew what my problem was when he went to check my lower colon and said my anal sphincter muscle was as tight as a banjo string!Knowing what my problem was seemed to help. I still have the problem during times of stress, but the problem doe not STRESS ME OUT like it did.Hope this is all that your problem is.TerryAnonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I'm 100% convinced that this is what you have:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proctalgia_fugax Thankfully, it's not serious. Though there is no "cure". What you're doing with the hot bath is a remedy though.irocktheguitar 6 Replies Flag this Response
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I've experienced this as well, although it hasn't come back in a long time (6 months). I took high doses of Magnesium which helps relax muscles in the body. If you can, try to get Magneleuvres from a company called Seroyal. Highly absorbable. I also meditate and avoid stress.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I was just diagnosed last week with these exact symptoms. (After having a colonoscopy and then a ct scan). My doctor told me I have a condition called Proctalgia Fugax. There is info on the internet. He told me it is rare, and not much can be done. It is hereditary and after speaking to several of my family members about it, sure enough, my father, 2 of my aunts and my grandmother have all suffered from this. (Wish I would have known earlier) It is VERY painful and I have been dealing with these pains for at least 15 years.This is just exactly what I was diagnosed as having -- Proctalgia Fugax. When it happens to me, it wakes me up and I learned not to go into the bathroom because I break out in a cold sweat and feel like I'm going to faint. It's an awful pain and I can compare the severe pain to the xanthine kidney stones I have passed -- but the pain is just in a different area of my body. I know my dad used to faint several years ago but don't know if this is why. I have been diagnosed with a primary muscle disease also which causes every muscle in my body spasms at some time or other... even my throat muscle! That's freaky when your throat closes on you not from choking but from a muscle spasm. It's not nice that you have this but it's nice knowing other people have the same problem as I. I too thought I was going to die from the pain!Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I have suffered this problem for 10 years . It often wakes me just after going to sleep, is more likely to occur post sexual activity. At worst it prevents urination during the attackI find releif in a hot tub with 2or 3 cups Epsom Salt ( magnesium) and the Shussler Tissue Salt MAG PHOS taken well chewed with a glass of very warm water Doctor dont seem to know muchAnonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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Wow.... I didn't realize that others too had cold sweats and possibly will faint. I thought it was just me. I have a high threshold for pain, but these episodes almost always will make me faint if I don't get in a hot bath IMMEDIATELY. I posted my original story here:http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=3633&page=2and my follow-up is on the last page:http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=3633&page=4Doesn't sound like much can be done to prevent it. I wish that I would NEVER have another attack. But hopefully some of the measures I'm taking will help (hot bath, massage). I read somewhere that an asthma inhalant called Salbutamol can take away the spasm almost immediately.I literally FEEL YOUR PAIN guys. It's gawd awful, and no one understands because they have never had an attack.irocktheguitar 6 Replies Flag this Response
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I have had this for several years. It wasn't until after a colonoscopy was done last week that the pain became so bad i that I passed out. It felt like I had a hot curling iron being inserted into my rectum. I was then finally diagnosed with it. My doctor prescribed Clonidine HCL and Albuterol. An asthma inhaler for pain in my **s? I said, You've got to be joking. And no you don't use it directly onto the area of pain.I'm still not sure if the Clonidine is helping at all, but the inhaler seems to give me almost immediate relief. Sometimes not for very long, 10-15 minutes later it returns. Any relief from this type of pain is helpful.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I thought I was the only one, I feel much better now that it has a name. I'm in excellent shape and I'm in my mid 20's I get these from time to time also and always at night. They come as fast as they go, but ***n during an episode it feels like there is a hot coal inside of you it's unbearable! 1 aleve and a glass of water always makes it go away for me within 15 minutes. I can't draw a bath at 2:30am when I got work in a few hours although it seems that it would work. Just go for the aleve... Poking and prodding is really the last thing I need to be doing in the middle of the night.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM WEEKLY Proctalgia Fugax ATTACKS FOR 30 YEARS. THE PAIN CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD BY THOSE OF US WHO HAVE IT. I RECENTLY WAS PRESCRIBED LYRICA 75 MG CAPSULE 1 TIME A DAY FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM, AND I HAVE BEEN FREE OF Proctalgia Fugax ATTACKS FOR THE ENTIRE 8 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN USING IT. I WOULD BE INTERESTED IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD SUCH AN EXPERIENCE? IT WAS, LIKE I SAID, NOT PRESCRIBED FOR THIS PROBLEM! IT IS LIKE A MIRACLE THAT IT WORKS. I WONDER WHAT PFIZER THE MAKER OF LYRICA WOULD THINK OF THIS! I SURE WOULD LIKE A STUDY DONE FOR THIS OTHERWISE UNTREATABLE HORIFFIC PAIN.FYI.... A WARMED UP FLEET ENEMA IS A GREAT HELP FOR SUDDEN Proctalgia Fugax PAIN!Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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Thanks for all the input. I want to share some information about proctalgia fugax and the more common but related chronic proctalgia. You may also refer to http://www.chronicprostatitis.com/spasm for some more enlightened reading.I am a chiropractor, and I've been sufering from this problem for about a year. The drug approach is nearly useless, and the side-effects aren't worth the risks. The article discusses the use of electrical stimulation using a device called an anuform. I'm going to try the regimine for a 30 day period, and I'll pass on any information about its effectiveness.Take care, and let me know if there's anyhting I can do to help.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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Hi,I wanted to share my experience with dealing with Proctalgia Fugax in the hope it may help someone else. I wouldn't wish this condition on my worse enemy!I have inflamed, bleeding haemmorrhoids and a fissure and then the proctalgia fugax came along. I would go to bed then one hour later the pain would start - as if a very sharp stick was poking up my behind. Lying down and sitting made it worse so all I could do was pace the floor. Sometimes all night. The pain would last for about 12 - 14 hours then subside slowly. This would happen about once a week. My specialist (Australia) gave me a nitroglycerine ointment to use but this only gave me pounding headaches. I took myself off to a naturopath and started taking magnesium supplements which didn't really help. I then turned to homeopathy and used MagPhos 6x which help some. Then the naturopath gave me a powder developed by Health World, an Australian company. The powder is called UltraInflamex and is for inflamatory conditions of the body. I have been taking the powder now for 3 weeks and the haemmorrhoids have shrunk and settled down considerably. There is next to no bleeding and the fissure is healing well. This powder is fantastic stuff. I took it about 9 yrs ago after a car accident and couldn't take painkillers for my whiplash injury. I ended up with inflamed nerves in my neck and back. Instant relief. Cleared up the inflamed nerves and killed the back pain.The other thing I have been doing is pressing a pressure point on my heels. This is a reflexology point for the anus and relaxes the spincter muscle which is where the proctalgia fugax pain comes from. Have a look on the net for a reflexology foot map.Hope this helps someone. I am 3 weeks without pain and counting!CheersTrouts8 1 Replies Flag this Response
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OMG I had my first episode of horrific rectal pain last night. Fell asleep about 1am, and the pain started just after 2am. I have read all the posts .. I don't remember having any particular stressful days recently. I also have 3 levels of disc herniation from L3-S1, and am going tomorrow for a shot in my tailbone because I've been having rectal pressure. The doctor thought it might be some kind of nerve issue. He prescribed me Neurontin, which I had an allergic reaction to. When the pain started last night I went immediately to the bathroom. I passed some gas, and a couple of fairly loose stools. The stools were extremely difficult to pass. The only way I can describe it is I was trying to pass a matchbox car, and could feel it move every inch of my colon. I spent about 20min in the bathroom, went back to bed, and the pain was worse! So I returned to the toilet, and spent about another 1/2 hour there. My right leg went numb from sitting there so long, and as soon as it did, the pain went away. So maybe it is a nerve issue? Each time I left the bathroom was in a cold sweat, and the 2nd time I visited the toilet the pain was so bad I was sure I'd pass out. All in all the entire episode lasted just under an hour. I am praying that I NEVER have an episode like that again! But all of the information posted has been extremely helpful. Thank you all!Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I have been having these very same painful episodes for about 6 years and have actually passed out with them. I have been through natural childbirth and it's nothing like these pains!!! When I went to the doctor 6 years ago I had an exploratory laparoscopy exam and my left tube/ovary removed. The doctor said my tube and ovary had signs of cysts which had hemorrhaged and that was what was causing my pain. Within 2 weeks I had another "attack", was sent to OB/GYN who felt it came from my retroverted uterus resting on my anal canal....so at the age of 29 I had a hysterectomy. Hopeful that this would take care of my pain I just knew I was cured....well....I still have attacks at least once a month if not more....I appreciate the posts I have read on here tonight, I was thinking I was the only person who experienced this!!! I will definitely be trying the suggestions I seen on here, because I am at the point I'll try just about anything!!Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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Why do the vast majority of incidents of Proctalgia fugax present while asleep and not while awake? It seems to me that a contributing factor is that we are warmer while asleep. However we don't get it every night so I have a theory that there are variables that generate extra heat and trigger an attack. Examples are warmth from a sleeping partner or their hot water bottle or a late meal or late exercise or a long sleep. Therefore, I try to avoid getting hot during the night and when I have an attack, I try to cool down the affected area rather than heat the area up as some people do with warm baths. It may be this theory or just good fortune but I only have attacks once or maybe twice per year (touch wood).Maccgsb 1 Replies Flag this Response
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I get severe rectal pain a few minutes after completing a long run of 5 or 6 miles. It occurs intermittently once every 3 or 4 months or so and I never know when it is going to happen. It lasts only about 5 minutes but is excruciating. Contracting the muscles that usually stop a bowel movement helps some and the opposite - trying to have a bowel movement makes the pain more severe. The first time it happened I thought I was dying. Now I know it is self limited and will stop soon. I don't have a uterus so it is not that. I eat a high fiber diet and have no other problems with my rectum or bowel movements. This is extremely irritating. At least I am awake when it happens. I wonder if it could be a potassium deficiency or something like that. Janice BrooksAnonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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investing into a hand held shower head is worth the time. turn the shower head onto the fast flow and hold it where it hurts the most with the hottest water you can stand. better than a long soak in the middle of the night . it works fast.ruth08 1 Replies Flag this Response
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Wow...the internet is getting better and better for this type thing! I have been having the same pain with same additional symptoms for 20 years now. I have stumbled upon some info, but these posts are the best so far! I have asked many, many doctors over the years about it and all acted as though they had never heard of such a thing. It is great to know you are not crazy!My pain almost always occurs during the night, with rare, milder flares during the day. I also get a very weak, shakey feeling along with the pain, as though I might pass out. I would say I average getting the pain about once or twice a month...sometimes having episodes twice a week and then not getting another for 2 months. It is excrusiating, and for years I just endured the pain until it stopped...laying on the bathroom floor or bed writhing until the pain finally just ended as quickly as it began.I was telling my gynecologist about this about 15 years ago and although he didn't know what to think about it, he suggested I try a FLEET ENEMA next time it happened. So I did, and got INSTANT RELIEF!! So now I always keep a couple of boxes on hand at all times. I even keep one of the smaller glycerin type ones in my purse in case the pain happens during the day. Whether it is related to a nerve, muscle or stress thing are all probably relevant, but I have noticed it happens more often when I am dehydrated, so I try and drink lots of water. I have also noticed that it can happen when I am constipated or have loose stools, so I don't think that has much to do with it. The one thing I think is kind of interesting is that almost always after the enema (hold it in as long as you can), I usually will release one or two small plops of fecal matter that may have been stuck somewhere that caused the pain?? (Just a theory.)So, trust me - TRY the FLEET Enema Saline Twin Pack (you can get them at Walmart or any drugstore) next time you have an episode and hopefully you will have the same instant relief as me - you will be amazed! On rare occasions I have had the pain recur and had to do another enema shortly afterward, but one usually does the trick. I'm sure warming the enema would probably feel better, but when you are in that kind of pain, it's hard to wait. Good Luck out there in rectal pain land!Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
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I too have experienced these pains where I awoke in the middle of the night and endured the intense pain for sometimes up to an hour. I finally discovered that if I downed two full glasses of water, the pain would go away within minutes. That led me to believe the problem was caused by some type of cramp due to dehydration.About a year went by when I suddenly discovered that it occurred after drinking milk, or soda, or coffee shortly before going to bed. This even includes having a bowl of cereal with milk. Since then I've learned not to have milk, soda, or coffee soon before bed but if I do, I simply down my water before going to bed. This does mean I'll wake up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom but it sure beats waking up due to intense and antagonising pain.Now when I wake up in the middle of the night feeling the pain quickly coming on, I drink my water while remembering that I did indeed have a tall glass of milk after supper but forgot to drink the water afterwards like I should have.Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
