Welcome! =] When I first joined DS I wrote a lot of posts so don't feel bad! If you didn't ask questions or look things up, you would never learn anything =] Umm I've been in a on, off (more on) flare for about 15 months. For my stomach pain (don't know where you are in the world?) I use Codeine Phosphate (also helps with diarrhoea), Ibrubrofen (only when it's really bad) and Paramax which has a relaxant in it as well. I used a hot water bottle on the most painful bit, or put a hand towel in some warm water and hold on my stomach if its all over. I find drinking juices (the ones you mix with water, cordials?!) help instead of plain water as that just goes straight through me. Tea instead of coffee, small meals, I'm quite lucky that I can eat most things apart from pastry and alcohol, which is a big shame as I come from Cornwall in the Uk and we are famous for pasties. So sometimes I just grin and bear it for my pasty! Also lots and lots of ice lollies. They seem to really help my stomach calm a bit and good for dehydration. Also, have you not been to speak to someone, like you doctor or the hospital. As I know every person with Crohn's/Colitis has a flare, but sometimes its not good to grin and bear it. I would go back and ask him not to help with the stomach pain pains, but to help you with your crohn's/colitis instead! (haven't been on in awhile so no idea which awful one you have, while I'm writing this!). Hope I helped a bit!

Hi, welcome to the group! I came here when I was first diagnosed because I was 19 and just confused and lost and isolated. For stomach pains I have narcotic pain relievers (vicodin, lortab, morphine, dilaudid), but when it's not quite severe I drink peppermint tea and ginger tea (separately!)-both have anti-inflammatories in them and help ease indigestion, nausea, cramps, and spasms. I use heating pads, and lots and lots of sleep!

hey Chelpie.....welcome.......and feel free to ask anything, there is alot of very insightful people on here.....im not one tho lol ...and heres my suggestion for the stomach pains..i smoke the good ole mary jane...plus it increases your appetite

good luck

to be honest i almost cried when i read your post. Last year i had the worst flare in my life and pretty much lived on this website... since then not so much but for some reason this post hit close to home... My pain in unbearable.. and currently on my period i feel like im going to faint and i do throw up from the pain... its terrible and the worst part is since people cant really see that your sick NO one understands!!! they pretend to understand but no one without colitis will ever know that feeling.....
anyways the only thing that has ever helped me is Tylenol 3.... but slowly im becoming immune to it and im so scared whats going to happen once it stops working...
when im on the toilet it helps me to grab a big towel or a pillow and put it up to my tummy and like lean over it.. i dont know why maybe the presure? but it really helps. also if i put somthing under my feet like a stool puts you more in the squating position and helps.... when my bf rubs my back and trys to make me smile that can work...
alot of people use heating pads but for some reason for me ice works? i put it in a bag then put a towel around it so its no to cold and try to watch tv or do somthing to get my mind off of the pain.... the worst thing to do is sit there and think about it and feel sorry for your self beacuse then it gets worse... although somtimes a good cry really helps... also to tell the truth somtimes pot does work...

sorry for the rambling hope this helps a bit!!

I'm in a very bad flare right now. Stayed home today from work due to the pain. Finally got an appointment with a pain management dr. tomorrow, I asked them if they treat chronic pain, and people with colitis/crohn's, to be sure. My GI won't give pain meds, don't know why, he says they are a band aid, whatever, I will still go to him to treat the disease, and go to a pain doc to treat the pain. hopefully it will work out. If not, I don't know what to do. I use a heating pad too. in the bathroom I squeeze a towel or toilet paper roll. I usually have upper left hand side abdominal pain. It really, really annoys me when people or doctors downplay my pain. If they can't see it, they think it doesn't exist. I tell them, let me take something sharp and jab you in your side and twist it for several hours a day, let me know how you feel after that. Sorry if this sounds a lil maniacal, but I am fed up with the pain! Fed up with people who don't "SEE" it.

Thanks everyone. I also use a heating pad on a daily basis. I sleep with it everynight because without it I wouldnt be able to sleep the little bit that I do. My friends call lt my boyfriend because I sleep with it and take it everywhere. My doctor doesn't like to give out painkillers either. He says that they just cause more digestive problems. One time I was in the hospital and I got something not sure what it was called but something like toxic narcotic syndrom where my bowel quit working because of pain meds. So my doctor doesn't like to give out pain meds and I don't like to take them if i don't have to. But sometimes I feel like they are a must. The few times I have received them they helped greatly. They not only helped with the pain but made my bm frequency decrease. So for me I don't see whats wrong with them every once and a while when the pain in intolerable. I wish there where a way to get rid of the pain without taking anything but sometimes I think its necessary. I feel stupid when I ask doctors for things for pain...because in the past doctors have sort of made me feel like i'm just a big baby. Like its really not that bad. But a lot of times when i get these terrible bouts of pain I have to go to the er because its so bad...then sometimes I just get sent home after a few hours then its back. It costs a lot of money to be going into the er so often so I'm kind of torn at what to do about this problem. Do i just power through the pain?

It really is the worst thing about having this disease. You are in agony, but can't take over-the-counter meds beyond Tylenol or you will flare worse. Your GI is worried about addiction and making things worse, so he/she doesn't want to deal with pain meds. So, you are supposed to power through it without help. It's really cruel if you stop to think about it, but I would suggest going on a strong drug like Remicade to get the disease under control if you haven't. I'm on Imuran and Remicade and still having a problem, so I'm starting prednisone (per the doc). Maybe you can start a course of steroids and that could calm things down? I would definitely march into the doctor's office and say, "I have a f'in problem. Fix it!" :)