Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Is pudendal nerve pain/damage ever described as sickening, nauseating in quality? I often have a sickening, nauseating pain in the pelvis but I don't know yet if this quality of pain can be linked to still unidentified, but suspected, pudendal nerve problem or damage. I never throw up due to this pelvic pain but something not good and mysterious has been going on for a while now with my lower digestive system and maybe the sickening/nauseating pain is in there - I just don't know. I'm supposed to hear soon from my doc who's investigating why there's been a long-running problem with the university hospital doctors.

Hi Hugh,
Have you had a lower GI performed yet to determine the cause? Are you currently taking any medications that could be causing your nausea?
Warm regards,
Karyn

I know that a few who post on here who had had digestive problems and chronic constipation suffer similar symptoms Hugh but can not give any better help that that. I think Calluna will be able to however.

Karyn wrote:Hi Hugh,
Have you had a lower GI performed yet to determine the cause? Are you currently taking any medications that could be causing your nausea?
Warm regards,
Karyn

Hi Karyn,

No, I've not yet had any lower GI studies or testing. I hope to learn soon from my doc what's ahead for me in that area. I do have an appointment in the future with a gastroenterologist at the university hospital-- I just couldn't get one sooner even when I said I'll see any GI doc. The nurse said that's wise to put it that way-- but the appointment she made for me is Oct. 13!! I printed out last night the good comments I got from calluna in the thread I started in this same subforum--> "When do bowel, bladder, sex organs problems start?" I'm showing those comment to my doc and to the GI doc. [I hope I can somehow see a GI doc sooner than mid Oct.]

The only things I take are: fish oil (taken twice a day for some years now), nortriptyline (for 2 weeks now, but the lower GI problem has been going on for a long time before the recent starting of nortriptyline), a Vit D capsule (50,000 IU taken once every other week-- taken for months now), methocarbamol (taken now and then but not sure if it helps) and a tiny bit (10 mg/day) of simvastatin (but I want to stop this and try nicotinic acid -- niacin -- to lower cholesterol). I can't take any NSAID because that group of drugs gives me stomach ulcers. In the past with my pelvic pain problems, I had CRP (C-reactive protein, a sensitive test for inflammation) studied and I was told by my doc, who had the results of the CRP study, that "there's absolutely no inflammation anywhere in your body". If I have neuralgia, I understand that this means there's inflammation in nerves (but I know neuralgia means "pain in the nerve(s)"). Maybe CRP can't detect every kind of inflammation- I don't know.

I know that the words "sickening" and "nauseating" can be used to describe physical pain even when the stomach is fine and pain-free. I simply think that either all of the pelvic pain I suffer from is sickening/nauseating at times or maybe that pain is mixed with some other physical pain I suffer from (possibly or surely pain in the lower GI system). I also have that chronic rear, upper R leg pain problem (a high hamstring-tendon-sitbone problem or perhaps ischial tuberosity pain syndrome) which extends into the R buttock and that pain becomes mixed at times with the core pelvic pain.

On Monday I have to give blood so that the doc knows if I have the proper level of nortriptyline in me. The doc told me that if the 50 mg/day I'm taking now doesn't work then I'll have to go to a higher dose. But I don't think the nortriptyline is helping me one bit and that's because I suspect that not all of my physical pain is neuropathic pain. I was told on the day I got the nortriptyline that if that drug didn't help lower the physical pain, then I could try carbamazepine (aka Tegretol).

Even though I have an easy, pain-free, soft to softer bm of usually moderate volume nearly every day, I'm taking the Miralax to see if the lower GI pain goes down or away.

helenlegs 11 wrote:I know that a few who post on here who had had digestive problems and chronic constipation suffer similar symptoms Hugh but can not give any better help that that. I think Calluna will be able to however.

Thanks helenlegs 11 for that info. I'll certainly be tuned in to see if Calluna or someone else offers news or tips and/or helpful stuff.

Hugh, I have known people who had problems with nausea associated with their pain. One of them took marinol (oral marijuana pill) but only received minor relief.

Sorry about the delay coming in on this discussion, I am still catching up with recent posts - the forum has been so busy!

I think that our reaction to pain can vary a whole lot, and the reaction can indeed include feeling sick and nauseated. I remember when I broke my leg some years ago now, I felt as if I was going to throw up; this was simply because of the pain. However, I've also had this reaction from time to time with PN pain.

But many things can cause abdominal/pelvic pain together with nausea. When I had an episode of extreme constipation, besides bloating and abdominal pain, I also felt nauseated. I've had nausea with diverticulitis - a bit hard to miss that one, though, the pain was nothing like PN pain, and of course there was a high fever as well. And there are other things too, that can cause this combination of symptoms. So I think it is important that your doctor knows about all of your symptoms, so that they can be investigated appropriately.

With regard to nortriptyline - I am taking 25mg a day, and I am finding that I need to take Movicol to keep things moving - 1 sachet seems to be enough. TCA's do produce anti-cholinergenic effects and constipation is of course part of this picture, together with dry eyes and dry mouth. I am sure that you are doing a wise thing to keep taking Miralax, whilst you are on the nortriptyline.

With regard to your CRP being normal, this doesn't mean that PN can be ruled out. There may initially be a degree of inflammation when the problem with the nerve happens, but by the time scar tissue starts to form, there won't necessarily be any active inflammation going on - and so the CRP could be normal.

Calluna said:

"Sorry about the delay coming in on this discussion, I am still catching up with recent posts - the forum has been so busy!"

I noticed this too after returning from vacation. Isn't it GREAT?! This forum has been such a huge success especially in light of our condition.

Hugh, I don't have anything more to add to this discussion except that I do experience nausea from time to time, especially if I have missed my daily BM.