Abdominal Pain with DD?

Dercum's Disease
#1

Me Again! I post too much in here! I hope I am not a bother!

I want to know if lower abdominal pain is common with DD members here. I get lower abdominal pain after I eat (really intense stabbing pain where I guess my intestinal track is). I also get those sharp pains when I push a grocery cart. The pain is similar to the lipoma pain except it is deep within my fat belly. I don’t know if my abdomen is full of lipomas or if I am having some other problem. When I push down and try to feel (through my fat belly) I sometimes find lumps that feel and hurt like lipomas… so I think it is a DD thing.

Does any of this sound familiar for DD? I feel like my entire body is full of lipomas on the inside as well as on the surface. AND it gets worse and worse… I find new ones every darn day… I wonder if I have them all around my intestinal track will they eventually cause a blockage that will burst and kill me? OH I hate to sound do dramatic, but I do feel like that sometimes. Sometimes when the pain is really intense I feel like I am at deaths door and they will all figure it out after my autopsy. (Oh there I go being dramatic again, LOL, I can’t help it, it does seem like I might die sometimes).

#2

Oh that sounds exactly like my pain.

I will have to try the clove cigs. I never heard of them before but will do a web search.

((thanks))

#3

I get horrific ‘cramps’.

I’ll go without eating for a day, and they get better.

Pressure on the intestines.

When it is real bad, try a liquid diet- it seems to help me at least.

When starving myself fails, I smoke clove cigarettes. The cloves seem to provide a certain numbness… Not enough to remove the pains, but definitely a more preferable state than before.

Please don’t get the wrong idea, when I don’t eat, food becomes painful. Reverse that. Eating hurts, so I don’t get hungry, and don’t eat.

I assumed it was part of DD normalcy.

#4

Suri,
That sounds just like me too. I have a lot of lower bowel type pains. I feel like I have blockage but have not be to see a doc about it yet, too many other more pressing problems. One thing at a time. I have the lipomas everywhere except my head. When I first got the pain from the shingles I thought I was getting another lipoma on top of my head, but the pain was so much worse than anything I had experienced with lipomas before. I am glad I caught it early, no telling how much it could have spread if I hadn’t. Its pretty close to me eyes, that is what scared me the most.

Brennie

#5

Hi Brennie and Suri,

Don’t worry too much about lipomas blocking your bowel. Its important to remember the intestines are very elastic, so the threat of a blockage is almost non-existent. Most of us have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) so abdominal pain is part of our daily lives. If the pain isn’t accompanied by any constipation or diarrhea, you may have some lipomas in your abdomen. I have some near the sites of a couple of hernia surgeries and sometimes it feels like something is tearing in there. That could actually be connective tissue tearing. We need to be careful with physical activity as it can cause tearing.

Hugs and spoons,
Pamela

#6

I have pain after eating or even drinking a glass of water but mine is higher, behind my left lower ribs. I have been trying to find out if it is lipomas putting pressure on my stomach and sounds like it might be after asking and researching. I too, would like to find a doctor, any doctor, in my area that treats DD. I did find one that knew what it was!

#7

kathieh
I have painful sensations under my left side right under the rib cage, I am guessing stomach area, I haven’t gone to doc to get it checked out yet, sometimes it flares in that area if I am badly constipated (not a delicate subject but the truth!) And then it will get so bad my lower back will get involved until I get relief. I go from one extreme to another with the IBS. Its miserable. I have seen photos of our some peoples colon that is so congested that it causes pain and the type of discomfort we both have. I want to find a doc that will scan me for the internal lipomas I know I have them but not where they all are. I would like to know for my own piece of mind.

Hugs,
Brennie

#8

Hi all, I too have pain in the abdomen and know that i have IBS too. I get to the point where I get somewhat constipated but not totally and I find i don’t want to eat but I do and it usually liquids, cereal or some other easy food, no meats, cheese, fiber etc. at this time. I also have adhesions from my appendectomy and my gallbladder removal and they are like cement and sometimes feel like they could tear…nasty things. I had some removed in 94 but the Dr. said she did all she could do they were everywhere and very difficult to remove…Does anyones belly bloat when this difficulty comes up and does anyone have a weight gain of 5 lbs. or so from morning to evening…I know then that it is IBS for me. Take care all, hope this helped some. Bev

#9

Brennie and Kathieh,

That could be a spastic colon. It goes along with the IBS, but hurts on the left side at about the waistline.

Hugs and spoons,
Pamela

#10

I do bloat up so bad sometimes I am so miserable I can’t stand it. It happens more often than not here lately.

Brennie

#11

We can’t even poop like normal people! IBS is one of the worst manifestations of DD. Part of the “fight or flight” thing…our autonomic nervous system tells our body to “hold it” it is not safe to remain in that position…and you know what position I mean. Then we spend all day in the little room praying to just die. A cold cloth on the back of the neck helps…and have something to lean on so you don’t faint on the floor. You can have the delight of a lower GI and as a result they will tell you that you have IBS…you knew that anyway. You can feel that your whole digestive system is raw…then you get the phase where you have to waddle quickly to the loo ten times a day. And at work you are not allowed to leave your desk. You can train your body to only be sick at night and on the weekend and of course on your hard earned vacation days…God forbid you travel away from your usual little room…you will bring all those vacation foods home with you! The only thing that help me is the Gas-X kind of stuff…It quiets some of the pain. I agree with the finding that some people just have a thin coating protecting their digestive system and everything irritates it. …it is a genetic thing and most of us have relatives with rapid transit…ulcerative colitis …ect…: ) Grandma Sylvia

#12

Brennie - I am glad you caught your shingles early! My mother-in-law had that start on her face. She went to the doc right away but it took a long time for her to heal.

Thanks for all the input here, it is very helpful to me. I guess I have IBS or some other wonderful colon problem. What a thrill :slight_smile: I suppose it will have to wait until I meet with the pain doc. “One pain at a time, sweet Jesus” (I am singing that one day at a time song with new words)

Seriously, I do believe the “One day at a time” attitude is a good one.

I LOL at the line “We can’t even poop like normal people!” from Sylvia. SO SORRY, I know it isn’t funny… it just struck me as funny for a moment. I know that the pain is nothing to laugh at. I too have thought I would pass out with the pain. One time I looked down at the linoleum and just knew any moment it was going to come flying at my face when I passed out. It is amazine how much pain the body can endure without shutting down.

I had an appointment with a gasterenologist but I cancelled it. I was feeling better in that area at the time and was so sick of doctor after doctor. I put everything on hold until I see this pain doc.

I am going to buy some gasx and have it handy for next time. I will give that a try, thanks :slight_smile:

OH - I almost forgot to say that I do have the bloating (ladymary asked about). I look pregnant with bloating sometimes.

#13

The abdominal pain was the first reason I went to the Dr before the DD started getting really bad…I had such pain they thought I might have an ulcer…It turned out that I have a large lump where the pain was located at. I have had IBD for many years but never had that kind of pain before.The lump is still there and confused the first Dr I went to about it.On top of that I found out I had a hernia where they had removed my gall bladder from as well.

I have times when the IBD is severe including the pain and bloating is horrible after eating.The bloating sometimes causes me to rapidly get out of breath when trying to do a mild walk after dinner…I have all but given up that exercise.But the bloating isn’t the only reason…I have serious lower back and neck issues. The lower back is so painful. I have no one to help e so vacuuming is horrible task…Sometimes its weeks before I get around to it because it is so painful…I have had bone scans , MRI and x rays and all they see is white areas(I am assuming these are lipomas)… And my neck at the base of my skull is really painful. So I think all the pains are DD related and every one must have them in some form or another…I go to my new Dr Friday who has told me he can treat DD…I’ll see…I am praying he can help me…

#14

We can’t even poop like normal people!

I love that line, struck me as funny too!! But unfortunetaly very true. I have had bowel problems all my life. Mostly constipation. But every once in a while my body will detox and I will have really bad dirreaha sp? too. THe constipation is a serious and extremely painful problem for me. One reason is because of the meds I take, the tagemet actually helps that alot. But my so called diet is not very helpful. That is why I thought I might have a problems with lipomas in my lower bowel area. Another reason and another doctor to see on my long list. I just don’t like going, I am a procratonater big time. I always put things off until the last minute then I rush like a madwoman! Here it is almost at the end of another year and I haven’t done very much for myself as far as getting the answers I need for DD and whether or not I am ready to apply for SSI. I know it will be a huge stressful experience and I am just not up for that fight right now.

Sounds sad and pathetic doesn’t it?

Love and Hugs to all!
Brennie

#15

You’ve been through so much EJohnson… you are a strong person to get through all that. I can relate to much of your pain but you have experienced much more than I have. (so have many people here) I think I draw strength from you all - If you can do it then I can do it too. Knowing you all have made it this far and can still laugh and enjoy life gives me hope and strength.

I can’t vacuum either and put it off for weeks because it hurts so bad. When I do vacuum I will be on the sofa for the rest of the day with leg and abdominal pain. I even have a self propelled Kirby and it is a chore I avoid until it has to be done.

#16

We have a lot in common, Brennie. I hate going to the doctor and always have. I need to get on the stick and see some specialists so that I will have some ammo for SSD. I want to work till I just can’t, and thought I had a few years but lately I’m thinking I might not make it through this year at work. I am on a downhill slide right now and I fear the landing.

BTW, I am almost never constipated. I have had diarrhea nearly every day of my life since childhood.

Hugs and spoons,
Pamela

#17

Very well put, Sylvia. You described my life! I actually have my body trained to only have diarrhea early in the morning, during my mid day break and after work! Sometimes it rebels and acts up at inconvenient moments but, for the most part, I am only really sick with IBS at home.

Hugs and spoons,
Pamela

#18

I’m telling you Pam…sometimes when your body holds it too long you get a baseball size and I mean a hardball size impaction that almost makes you go to the ER. With IBS you never know what the heck is going to come next. It is just too much to have the DD pain and IBS also. I think mine both started at the same time. When my kids were little I remember having to go lay on the bed between spasyms and being afraid I would pass out. Since they are almost 40 this has been going on for thirty some years. It stays about the same miserable all the time but it has not killed me yet. My father died of colon cancer so I do have some concerns in that area and I have had some cancerous polyps removed. Be sure and get colonoscopies sp? as that is how mine were found and removed. Hugs, Grandma Sylvia

#19

Hi Sylvia,

I do have my colonoscopies. Ug! I am 54 and have had two of them. The last one was in 2004, I think. No polyps.

HUgs and spoons,
Pamela