Abdominal pain/constipation

@melina21
Have you seen a gynecologist for pelvic exam and transvaginal ultrasound? Have you had an ultrasound of your abdomen or MRI of pelvis/hips?

You may want to investigate issues with ovaries/uterus, endometriosis, pelvic floor, etc. If you do not find anything after this investigation, you may want to pursue an orthopedic doctor to do MRI of your lumbar spine/sacrum/pelvis to see if you have compression impacting your spinal cord/nerve roots/nerves. This may be a source of your pain.

@melina21
I was also reading about abdominal adhesions and that could possibly be an area to look into further.

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/intestinal-obstruction/symptoms-causes/syc-20351460
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15254-abdominal-adhesions
3. https://www.medicinenet.com/abdominal_adhesions_symptoms_and_treatment/views.htm

Linzess takes longer than two weeks to be fully effective, so I would encourage you to hang in there on it for a month or two before making a choice to stop it for constipation. But it seems really unlikely that this is the root cause of the pain, doesn't it? Given all you have done?

I would second both of the prior recommendations concerning an ob/gyn and the possibility of adhesions, which I'm guessing would require consulting a surgeon who has experience with these. Unfortunately, medicine is pretty siloed at the moment, which means sometimes possibilities don't occur to one physician even if they might be entirely obvious to another. Especially if your symptoms are not typical for whatever the problem turns out to be. I recently had exactly that experience -- the process of hunting it down was not fun, but it was a great relief to finally have a diagnosis.

Hi @melina21. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Glad you're connecting with others who have some thoughts for you from their experiences.

I've had abdominal pain that was like menstrual cramps x 10, but it was my appendix and my gallbladder, which are on the other side. I get that you are in terrible pain.

Also tagging a few more members who may have insights on abdominal pain and constipation @susanh824 @delicht @adlttl123 @cconnors @cherriann @epvb @bakingchick @hopeful33250. Hoping they can provide some support and guidance from their experiences.

Hi! Yes actually I’ve gotten 2 ultrasounds and they didn’t really find anything just 2 small cysts on my right ovary but that’s not what’s causing the pain

Hi! Yes I actually got A CT scan also and it wasn’t appendix or gallbladder.

I've had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) for years. I experienced many of the symptoms mentioned and tried many different things seeking relief. IBS isn't always easy to diagnose as it's symptoms can be part of quite a few other illnesses/disorders. Through trial and experience, I eventually found some things that helped me. I eat 4 oz. of yogurt with live and active probiotics every day, and mix in a serving of psyllium. I also take one probiotic cap daily, eat a serving of oatmeal, and seldom drink coffee. Highly spiced foods and those that tend to cause gas (including drinks and foods with high concentrations of artificial sweeteners), I've mostly eliminated from my diet. Abdominal pain decreased over time and I now only occasionally have diarrhea/constipation issues. When I do have abdominal discomfort now it happens only periodically (a flare-up), and most intense pain is at night when laying down. I've followed this regimen for a number of years and it's worked very well for me. As mentioned by others, adhesions are also something to be considered as a cause for some of these symptoms, and may be worth talking to your doctor about. Good luck and hope you find relief soon.

I am going through exact same thing at the moment! Endoscopy, abdomen CT, esophagus test, miralax. Following your post and wishing you well ❤️‍🩹.

I had the same problem and tried Linzess and Amtiza.. taking Trulance and Miralax now and it helps.. praying for you to get relief!!

Hi, @trishwrite1 - that sounds like a lot of testing to undergo. Has the polyethylene glycol 3350 (Miralax) or any other treatment helped you at all thus far?