Butt doctor for the butt pain?

[Wolf]

Anyone seen a colo-rectal doctor for their butt pain? Do these guys know anything about CPPS? What tets do they do? The strange thing with the evolution of my illness is I started with terrible frequency which has now gone completely away but has left me with TERRIBLE pain in my butt and perineum. I still have the occasional post-pee sting, but that's not as bad either. What is making life miserable is the butt pain. Other than when I'm asleep or medicated, it's unrelenting.

[timberdoodle]

I have had a similar evolution of the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome pain and wondering much the same thing. I am seeing Dr. Potts in Cleveland this coming week and plan on asking that question. My guess is that the answer continues to rely on dealing with muscle tension in the anal sphincter and surrounding area.

[frogger]

I recently visited a colon rectal surgeon to assess my rectal pain. He did a colonoscopy and pelvic CT scan. Both were normal. He then prescribed Lidocaine cream (which I can't apply to the painful area). That's it. I can hardly sit down by noon each day. It would seem my docs knowledge is very limited. He couldn't figure out why I am seeing a PT.

[LightningTree]

That's a fairly typical situation, Frogger. I had the same thing happen. I expected it, and I get the feeling you did too. But still, it is dissappointing. I can understand them being entirely clueless as to the PT thing. But it is another thing entirely for them to be so dismissive of it.

Its almost as if doctors only recognize pain being as being a macro-problem if it has a particular acronym, like TMJ.

I've decided I am going to call this syndrome that doctors suffer from as Treatment Advances and Alternatives Detachment Disoder, TAADD. Its a strange diagnostic pathology that affects a large population of medical professionals. Its primary symptom is one of associating lack of knowledge of a treatment with the treatment's lack of worth. This syndrome closely cohabitates with Specialized Subcatagorical Syndrome, in which a doctor claims to be , say, a Urologist, but acts more like a Proscar vending machine.

There is some evidence to suggest that TAADD may be a form of PCIFGP disorder (Palliative Care is For General Practicioners Disorder), in which specialists believe that palliative treatment of the organs in their specialty is beneath them.

Do you feel ok when you wake up in the morning?

[frogger]

Thanks for your reply. It is too true. My doctor and uro both are dealing with chronic symptoms of TAADD. I'm going through Headache in the Pelvis protocol with some minor improvement. At this point I'd try just about anything.

[LightningTree]

Hey frogger.

I know how you feel. When I read "A Headache in the Pelvis" I thought to myself, "well, maybe, but who knows."

All I can tell you is that I really really did the stretches 3 or four times a day, and really really did the moment-to-moment relaxation (I had a 15 minute timer on my computer at work) and it took 6 to 9 months for me to see significant improvement, and roughly 1.5 years to get to the point where it is now just a nuissance problem. Was the natural healing 1.5 years long or was the protocol part of the healing? I doono. But my brother had it for 4 years and only started to get better with rigorous adherence to a stretching and relaxation protocol. Furthermore, the correlation between my occasional symptoms and my anxiety stressors is almost comical at this point, there is so much correlation. So I think the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol is a big lifesaver.

Its a long haul approach but
1) You feel like you are contributing to your future health and
2) The stretching can really reduce the pain after the first few months
3) The stretching becomes a maintenance thing as you improve
4) YStretching provides temporary relief as time progresses, but won't really make any progress until you learn to feel when your pelvic muscles are tensed, and this takes time and guidance. Unfortunate, but true.
5) It is possible to avoid expenses. In the last year, I have spent less than $500 and I am doing good.

Think of stretching as like rubbing your temples when you have a stress headache. It helps, but if you still have the chronic tension, you still get the headaches again and again.

6) Antidepressents help you cope: Its just a fact. Chronicpain sucks and can bring you down. Reducing depression reduces anxiety which reduces tension.
7) Avoid sitting: I don't care what anybody says. My brother and I notice a correlation between sitting in the mornings and pain roughly 5 to 6 hours later that starts with profuse sweating.

When you sit, use an adapter seat (commercial cushion varieties suck, in my opinion, my family designed our own, its a hard-form) or sit with your legs crossed (when you have less perineal symptoms over time.)

In fact, a co-worker just asked me if I was fit enough to fly across the USA, and I said, "sure, no problem". It took a long time to get to this point.

[frogger]

I am working through stretches each day now and that does bring gradual improvement. Driving, attending long meetings, and sitting through church the most difficult circumstances for me. You're absolutely right about prolonged sitting bringing on an increase in pain. Did you notice any relationship to your diet and your symptoms? Also, my PT keeps pushing my URO to prescribe a muscle relaxer, but so far none has been prescribed. I really appreciate your input.

[LightningTree]

A muscle relaxant IS a good thing for your condition when taken in moderation.

I only take them when I am having visible muscle spasms, and it has been over a year since that has happened.

In any case, they can provide pain relief.

Tell the leaders of your Church that you need to stand up from time to time. They will understand. Same thing for at work.

Try sitting on one hip or with your legs crossed like a girl. People around me have gotten used to my legs being crossed, and if they look at me funny I just laugh. (maybe I should titter and bat my eyelids? )
If crossing your legs still hurts, don't worry. My pelvis felt swollen/numb inside and I couldn't cross my legs because of perineal pain for the first 6 months after my big flare up. Later it became not only easy but comfortable.

As my symptoms improved, and started only occuring while I was under social anxiety stress, my wife started trying to get me to drink red wine, on Friday nights to relax. Unforunately, this causes me bladder irritation that I would rather avoid.

I also have IBS, particularly after sports events in back in high school, largely stress driven, but now due to my food intolerance: GARLIC.

I am chronically intolerant of Garlic. Within 20 minutes of eating the Alisin compound (the smelly part of crushed garlic) from fresh garlic I am voiding not only all feces, but also the slush that comes out of the stomach. Not pretty, but you do get to smell what pancreatic salts smell like. Very educational. Anyway....




I decided to pursue the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol after my brother told me about his PT who advised a very similar protocol.

Hit PT had this problem and got better by doing this, and has devoted her life to being a PT to help others.

The Psychologist Dr. Wise does the same thing.

I thought they are on to something. I am certainly doing better now.

Hang in there and get to work! You've got relaxing to do!

[LightningTree]

Wolf wrote:

" I started with terrible frequency which has now gone completely away but has left me with TERRIBLE pain in my butt and perineum. I still have the occasional post-pee sting, but that's not as bad either. What is making life miserable is the butt pain. Other than when I'm asleep or medicated, it's unrelenting."

Wolf, this is a good sign! Your symptoms are progressing from the largely urological to the deep droning muscle pains that are quite common. This change in where your symptoms are at is condusive to relaxation therapy and stretching, which you can provide yourself.

I experienced the same shift from the stinging urethra and penis towards more and more perieneal and butt pain.

It was about 9 months from there until I experienced more regular relief from those symptoms.

I urge you, from the moment you wake up on the morning. Try really really hard ot relax your pelvis. Its paradoxical, but you gotta do it. Do the stretching. It could take more than half a year for you to notice significant improvement.

Stretch and relax, buddy!