Phantom Rectal Pain

Hi all! I still have what my doctor calls "Phantom Rectal Pain" and I am 9 months out from my LATVH/BSO. The pain still wakes me up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason. I have to get up and walk around or push against the area of pain. But I do use my labor breathing techniques until the pain passes. My doctor tells me that they do not know the cause of this phantom rectal pain for sure when patients get it. The bad thing is that it comes on without warning---the good thing is that it does pass eventually. In the meantime it's bothersome to say the least! ANY ideas or comments? Best wishes to you all!

Sandy
10/20/08 - Surgery

I had that same pain. It took several painful years to get help. I kept going to different gynecologists and finally one sent me to an internal physical therapist who specializes in women's pelvic pain, bladder, rectasl, and abdominal. The diagnosis was pelvic floor dysfuntion. Please look it up on google. This causes all sorts of pain and problems and to treat it, you need physical therapy. In addition, I was diagnosed with Sacroiliitis which causes pain in the same area. This was caused by the positioning of my body during my TAH/BSO. The other diagnosis was adhesions that were pulling my bowels every time I moved by body, etc. I had to have a repair laparoscopic surgery. Your type of pain can also be nerve damage. Unfortunately, from experience, doctors don't really like helping patients with these types of pain and they dismiss it as normal part of post op healing that you have to learn to live with. Bunk! They also think it's just psychosomatic. Get a correct diagnosis and treatment because if not fixed promptly, the pain will become permanent. I will now live in pain for the rest of my life. Pease don't just accept what doctors say. Pursue a diagnosis.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your great advice and for letting me know I'm NOT CRAZY! I will seek additional advice on treatment along with googling the subject. God Bless you for being there for me!

Sandy

	Quote:
Originally Posted by 7sassy googling the subject.

What in the world did we do before "GOOGLE"? LOL

Next time you are having it, and not having found the right treatment yet, try sitting in a tub with a bit of warm water so that your area below can relax. I have had this pain (it is some sort of cramp or spasm) since I was a teenager, not very frequent, but yes, very painful, and it helps me a lot. Never knew it had a name though

Thank you again! I will give your advice a try in a pinch (no pun intended)! Smile, Sandy

I've never heard it called phantom rectal pain... my DR told me it's a levator ani spasm (involuntary contraction of the levator ani muscle in the pelvic floor that doesn't want to relax). I get them occasionally, usually in the middle of the night, when they wake me up. I have to go sit on the toilet and 'push' for a while until it passes; nothing else helps at all. I get them much less frequently since my hyst than I did before, but they are still bothersome because they result in lost sleep, already a precious commodity!

s,
-Linda