# Transverse Colon pain and spasm?



## Josef (Aug 19, 2012)

Hello,I have been lurking and reading this forum quite a bit over the years however thought it was about time I registered. I am 25 years old and was first diagnosed with IBS at the age of 13. I have had an Endoscopy (few years ago) and it showed "mild gastritis" of the duodenum. I have also had countless blood tests to rule out things like Celiac and Lupus (family history) - all negative.I had my IBS under control for quite a few years but then the Mebeverine stopped working. Anyway for the last week or so I have had a really tight feeling band going from just above my navel to between the sternum. It feels almost like a constant spasm which wont relax. I have also been nearly constantly bloated for around 5 months now, however I am able to pass gas (mostly using odd positions) and pass stool with the help of laxatives. The only thing I have found that helps is taking a very small amount of diazepam or codeine and this seems to relax the bowel and I seem to deflate (the distension goes down). I am quite tall (6ft4) and weigh 12 and half stone and normally have a flat'ish stomach but the pregnant look is sticking Any words of wisdom, advice or support would be greatly appreciated, it's making me mood horrible. If it helps: current medications are Ranitidine, Domperidone, Diazepam (for anxiety).


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## Josef (Aug 19, 2012)

Got an appointment with my GP this afternoon, will see what he says.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck with your appointment!! hope your gastro can help you with this.i have slow transit constipation and have had transverse colon pain, bloating and spasms for many years. it also feels like stool gets backed up right in that area. i also have a lot of pain and spasm in the upper left part of the colon, where the splenic flexure is.i mentioned this to my gastro's physician's assistant and she said some people have trouble in that area and mentioned splenic flexure syndrome.the only thing i do for it right now to try to relieve the pain is to lie down for a while with my trusty microwaveable heating pad and practice my relaxation techiques--slow breathing, try to empty my mind of all thoughts of pain etc. i massage the sore area of the colon through the heating pad. and when this doesn't work and the pain is severely intense, i take librax. that always helps.and i sure do know what you mean about that bloated pregnant look--the nurses all say i look like i'm 18 weeks p.g. not a good look when you're thin, gray haired and sixty---lol!take care--hope you can get some relief. keep us posted. wishing you all the best.


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## Josef (Aug 19, 2012)

Just saw my GP and he said that since I had blood tests (FBC, Electrolytes, Urea, Liver, Kidney etc) just over a month ago that it seems high unlikely anything else is going on. He did a physical exam and poked, prodded and tapped (checking for air?) and said that was all ok. He said that if diazepam and codeine are working at helping the spasms/anxiety then he is confident that it's an IBS flare and gave me more pills. What do you think of that reply? Is it even possible to have an IBS flare with just pain, loss of appetite, anxiety and bloating?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

bloating and pain are part of ibs and ibs tends to wax and wane so yes you can get flares that produce those symptoms. and anxiety can definitely bring on a flare and continuing anxiety tends to make that flare worse. and of course it does help a lot if you can manage to keep the anxiety under control so it doesn't make things worse.


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## Josef (Aug 19, 2012)

Cheers for the reply annie7. I know that I also haven't eaten much over the last week and I remember reading somewhere that not eating enough can exacerbate IBS symptoms, especially bloating.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes, you're right--not eating enough definitely makes ibs symptoms and bloating worse.hope you feel better soon.


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## ace ventura (Feb 25, 2007)

Josef said:


> Hello,I have been lurking and reading this forum quite a bit over the years however thought it was about time I registered. I am 25 years old and was first diagnosed with IBS at the age of 13. I have had an Endoscopy (few years ago) and it showed "mild gastritis" of the duodenum. I have also had countless blood tests to rule out things like Celiac and Lupus (family history) - all negative.I had my IBS under control for quite a few years but then the Mebeverine stopped working. Anyway for the last week or so I have had a really tight feeling band going from just above my navel to between the sternum. It feels almost like a constant spasm which wont relax. I have also been nearly constantly bloated for around 5 months now, however I am able to pass gas (mostly using odd positions) and pass stool with the help of laxatives. The only thing I have found that helps is taking a very small amount of diazepam or codeine and this seems to relax the bowel and I seem to deflate (the distension goes down). I am quite tall (6ft4) and weigh 12 and half stone and normally have a flat'ish stomach but the pregnant look is sticking Any words of wisdom, advice or support would be greatly appreciated, it's making me mood horrible. If it helps: current medications are Ranitidine, Domperidone, Diazepam (for anxiety).


Check out splenic flexure syndrome. Please note. Diazepam is a benzodiazepine (Benzo) and is highly addictive. The Benzo clonazepam is much more effective. In fact, it eliminated 80% of my symptoms when I first started taking it at 2mg per day. However, after three months, I had to double the dose to 4mg a day. After that you have to stop taking the drug and believe me, withdraw from this drug is bad. Worse, is your bowels withdraw symptoms. They will just stop working. The codeine will only slow down your motility and the laxitives are more addictive than the Benzo's. The only real relief I got from this condition was from Zelnorm, and it is gone forever. So, I guess you are waiting for me to say something good. Sorry. Splenic flexure syndrome is not recognized as a real condition in this country. China has recognized the condition for a number of years and surgercal removal of the splenic flexure has been determined to be the best outcome. You will likely get no help what so ever in this country. Doctors here are only interested in generating revenue. Most could care less about their patient. GI doctors, in my experience are the worst. They preform a few test and try different treatments (drugs usually) keeping you comming back for more of the same, milking your insurance for every dime they can. You might try a colorectal surgeon. A few actually try to diagnose your condition. Howevere, if you really want relief, you may want to plan for a trip to China. I am going in June and will report my results here and on the Splenic Flexure Syndrome string.


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