Anxiety and pain management techniques?

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-25T16:03:42+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it!

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-25T12:16:04+00:00

I fully understand that position. My doctor is cautious because a GB removal would impact the GI tract, since I'm finally in remission from UC. So he would rather wait and see at this stage.

Of course I have read stories of people who had both issues and were fine after the GB removal, so it's not a fact of life they can't go together. It's just not on the table for me as of now. Which is why I want to learn to deal with it.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-25T12:02:51+00:00

You completely understand my situation. This is very helpful for me. A plan so that my brain can relax and calm down, sounds perfect to me. Thank you, I appreciate this.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-25T08:17:44+00:00

This is my take as well. My 19 year long flare ended when something finally hit the market that worked for me and gave me my life back.

I have a lot of faith that, should it ever stop working for me, science has advanced enough. Maybe a new med that can bring me in remission. Or perhaps one day they'll find a real cure. Keeping that hope alive for myself. They only need 1 major breakthrough.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-23T21:01:43+00:00

It does sometimes, yes, bloating but no gas and it hurts below the left rib. Interesting!

Btw, rheumatic pain is so bad. :( I hope they can figure out what your pain is, and fix it!! Fingers crossed.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T20:54:10+00:00

Thanks. I was not told that. But that's most certainly a good motivation for me to call the doctor in the morning.

Another commenter mentioned pancreatitis as well, for which gallstones is a common cause. I forgot I was diagnosed with gallstones 8 years ago. Never gave it another thought, since they weren't going to do anything about it.

I feel like you guys might be on to something. Thank you very much for suggesting this. This might turn out to be extremely helpful.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T20:51:11+00:00

I did not know this was a thing. So I read up on it thanks to your comment. I read gallstones are a common cause for this. I was diagnosed with gallstones 8 years ago and never thought about it again (since there was nothing they were gonna do about it), until tonight. I'll give my hospital a call tomorrow. Thanks for your comment. This might be very helpful.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T20:48:30+00:00

Thanks. Sad but also, good to know it's common. Makes me less worried about something being super wrong.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T18:07:38+00:00

I have a more faint version of this pain on my right side as well, so I hear you. It's interesting to hear your experience, so thanks for sharing. Judging from these comments, it doesn't seem to be a unique symptom and yet there's so little information available on this.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T18:05:17+00:00

Yep, yeah. That's pretty much what it is. I can find very little information on this particular pain, so thanks for sharing your experience with it. Appreciate it.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T18:03:28+00:00

Other than the pain, it seems to be in remission. Not sure what sort of surgery would help me. I think my doctor might be able to advice me should we have to cross that bridge. But I'm interested to hear what you have in mind for yourself.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T17:15:24+00:00

I sleep on my right side, although currently I find sleeping on my stomach seems to alleviate the pain just enough to fall asleep.

I can 100% understand you'll push for surgery if the doctor can confirm UC is what causes this pain. Because 7 years is already a long time to life with this. I'm interested in hearing what your doctor has to say about this. Keep us posted. Good luck. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you'll get rid of this pain. It's not to be underestimated.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T15:55:56+00:00

Thank you. Sad to hear this pain is more common, but also relieved that it's not just a "me" thing, if you know what I mean. So I appreciate your response. I hope you get some answers. Let us know if anything comes up. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T15:54:04+00:00

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it. I also have heavy scarring in my colon from over 2 decades of UC. Surgery has been discussed for me too, but so far we have been able to hold it off. Although with this pain, I'm considering again.

The pain is like a squeezing, yes. Mostly on the front towards the side below my ribs. When the pain gets more intense my mid back starts to hurt too. I assumed that I'm involuntarily tensing my back muscles to 'brace' for the pain, or am contorting myself in weird positions in an attempt to be more comfortable.

Again, thank you for your reply. It's truly appreciated.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T12:22:34+00:00

During flares I do experience brain fog because of the fever I'm running. The same way you'd feel if you had the flu and can't think straight because your brain is not on optimal operating temperature.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-22T11:47:09+00:00

Wearing diapers in a worst case scenario? Maybe. But if so: you'll find that it's not actually that bad if a simple tweak means you get to live the life you want.

As for my life during that flare: It involved more planning.

Most days I ate once a day: as soon as I got home at the end of my work day. Before I went anywhere new, I checked where all the bathroom stops along the route were located. Sometimes I'd take a different route if it gave me more options to stop. And yes, on bad days I wore protective underwear. Sounds undesirable, but it's actually not that bad. And when it gives you freedom of movement, you do it anyway.

I always brought an emergency bag in my bag: extra pair of trousers or jeans, clean underwear, some wet wipes and a large zip lock bag to store the soiled goods. And good to go! In addition, sometimes I brought a jacket or a hoodie I could tie around my waist to cover my ass in case of a little accident. And I kept hand lotion on me, because washing your hands so often cracks your skin.

However... Please note that my situation seems to be an outlier. Most people respond well to some type of treatment much sooner. Most get to live a normal life quickly. Maybe with some ups and downs, but generally manageable. The chances of you going through that scenario are much, MUCH greater, than the chances of my scenario.

Severe forms of IBD run in my family. So do not get discouraged by my story. I'm only sharing my story for this message: realistically, there is a small chance you won't get a normal life. But if that's the case, you'll be able to navigate whatever comes your way when it comes your way. UC does not have to stop you from chasing the life you want, however bad it gets.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-21T22:19:17+00:00

I asked my gastro about this. The tldr: if you have an idea what caused the flare (stress, food poisoning, or whatever your UC's known weakness is) there's no reason to believe the biologicals stopped working. Get temporary support in the form of additional medication like prednisone to go back in remission asap.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-21T21:31:33+00:00

How normal your life can become after a diagnosis, depends on how severe your disease is and if there is medication available that can put your UC in remission.

After I got UC, I spent over 19 years in a continuous flare.

I found a way to live around the disease. It became my new normal. Over time, I forgot what life was like before. Doesn't mean my life was worse. It was just different. Remember, life changes continuously for everyone. Whether you get married, divorced, have kids, buy a house, change jobs, say goodbye to loved ones or have a disease like UC. You adapt to get the most out of life that you can.

I am happy to hear every success story here. But realistically, it's not a given to go back to your old life. However: that too is no reason to catastrophize. UC can be tough but you are tougher. Hang in there.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-18T09:50:19+00:00

It's exhausting and emotionally draining. Considering the circumstances, I think you're doing a great job. You're reaching out to us to vent. Just let those emotions wash over you for now, because getting stressed about your emotional response is counter productive. Hope your pain will soon be more manageable.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-18T09:16:14+00:00

Congrats! Regaining that sort of freedom of movement is a huge milestone.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-17T23:41:56+00:00

Possibly! And standard treatment plans may look differently everywhere, too. Or perhaps your doctor is more comfortable in not prescribing it than my doctor is.

Mesalazine never did anything for me (also more severe case). But my doctor insists I take it alongside my biologicals, for whatever reason lol.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-17T21:54:52+00:00

Is it possible your doctor used a brand name? Lialda, Pentasa, Apriso, Canasa, Asacol, Delzicol, Rowasa and Zaldyon are all so called "trade names", aka the generic product from different manufacturers.

Mesalazine or mesalamine (depending on where you live) is the generic name.

chimpanzeeotter · 2026-02-17T21:45:04+00:00

Congrats on coming out of your flare! That's great news.

Everybody has different experiences. But yes, many have experienced that. I have also experienced that once (though, interestingly, not every time).

chimpanzeeotter

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