Comments on: Proctalgia Fugax Is A Pain In The Butt

By: simon

simon — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:52:56 +0000

Hi guys..

I have just had an attack yesterday and was looking on the web on what are the causes. So glad that I am not alone. I have tried doing a couple of things but nothing seemed to work. Thanks for the different methods that I could experiment with. I tried something yesterday that worked for me. I drank 2 glasses of cold water, and had two asprins just in case the cold water didnt work. The pain was gone in less than 5 mins. I think different methods work for different people. Maybe you could try this after trying everything out. I only tried it once so I guess I have to try it a couple more times to see whether it was really the cold drink that helped.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:43:41 +0000

Male, now 53, probably could be characterized as a somewhat driven somewhat up tight professional. I have had the pains associated with Proctalgia Fugax likely for 20 or so years. I found the breathing regimen recommended for childbirth helpful in reducing the intensity of the muscle cramp, and perhaps shorten the ordeal. I used to get it more when there was more stress in my life. But i can still get it shortly after orgasm, spontaneously in the middle of the night and randomly (sitting, standing, walking). If needed I will excuse myself to the bathroom, settle down and breathe. Last night’s episode lasted for 20 minutes, with the pain increasing and decreasing several times. A few mini-movements seemed to help everything relax.

It is assuring to know I have plenty of company, that I don’t have the knife in the butt pain many have described, and there are some approaches providing more immediate relief, namely coffee, baby aspirin taken sublingually and hair dryer… except we have not got a hair dryer and I hesitate to use a heat gun.

I have had the colonoscopy and gastroendoscopy (lower end was pink and healthy, upper end showed ibuprofen caused early stage lesions and irritated esophagus) so no causes for the PITA.

I wonder if this relationship to orgasm has any connection to the severe headache I sometimes get after a really good orgasm. Yes, I have had my head examined (including and MRI) and the good neurologist concluded there was nothing there. >:-| That is supposedly related to the Vegas (or maybe Vargus?) nerve and is associated with low blood pressure. Hydration seems to help so I try real hard to drink plenty of water (not very exciting).

By: Leeann

Leeann — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:31:21 +0000

Maan-oh-man!..thank god for this..I was so scared that I had something serious. This pain is/ was so unexplainable. It’s the worst pain I have EVER felt in my life. Just like everyone says, like a knife pushing something in and out at the same time. I get this wave of fear,anxiety and start sweating, begging god to help me! Ive been going thru this for about 15 years on and off. But the frequency and painfullness has got worse.. I use to think I had a high pain threshold.. But as the pain has gotten worse and the duration is longer I may just pass out from the pain because the episode I just had was unbearable. I WANTED to pass out just to exscape the pain, which led me to the internet determined to find out what this is! THANK YOU SO MUCH….

By: the anser

the anser — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:32:39 +0000

K ive had this for ten years im 35 and a dude in perfect health. I have found a way to push the pain back where it came from as is randomly shows up and and quickly raises its volume. I suck my anus in as the pain comes. The best way to do this is to pace this action with the speed of the on coming pain.(if that makes sense). For me by sucking in my asshole as the pain tries to stab me it muffles it. Then i begin a short back and forth anus flexing tug o war lol. (I’m serious). I get a small hint of the pain that could set in, but i never allow it to really stab me good.(only people who have this problem will understand this). I just won a war with it while i typed this and its over i think now. I havent had this happen in about 3 months btw and sometimes it will go away long enough for me to forget about it(6months or longer). Learn to flex your anus the right way and u can naturally fight this thing off. lol I’m serious but this sounds a bit strange

By: JoeL

JoeL — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:39:11 +0000

Very helpful article. I guess I am the minority male sufferer of this condition. I had hemorrhoids for over 2 decades, I always thought this pain was caused by my hemorrhoids. I had the hemorrhoids removed couple years ago and the pain still wakes me up in the middle of the night a few times a year. My doctor told me about this term proctalgia fugax and your webpage put my mind at ease. Thanks.

By: charlotte jessie

charlotte jessie — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:05:42 +0000

i have what is called proctalgia fugax and if you ever had a bee sting imagine having hundreds sting you in your rectum a one time constantly.and feel like they are crawling around thats what it is like it will make your nerves on end it is the horrilest pain you could imagine .i have been on muscle relaxers pain killers nerve pills and all they do is make you drowsie .if anyone knew anything else .i go through this aleast eight hours aday i have used everything there is .to no avale.

By: Rove

Rove — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:05:58 +0000

I’ve had these excruciating pains since I was about 7 or 8, all my life (I’m 62). I have them at night, and during the day (when something stressing happens or something very irritating).

I found a fool proof method to almost instantly get rid of the pain (well it works for me when I can manage it). The trick is to get your self to the toilet and pass faecies, even a little bit will fix the pain. Sometimes just passing wind will do the trick. I’ve found that even the process of ‘straining’ whilst seated on the toilet will relieve the pain as you do that.

If you can’t manage that sitting on something like a tennis ball can relieve the pain. Someone (writing above) suggested sitting on the edge of a bath.

It’s a terrible pain and in me comes and goes in waves for 20 minutes to half an hour if it were to go its full course. But I haven’t had to let it run it’s full course for a good 20 years.

I found out the name today. Only my oldest friend and my brother has admitted to experiencing this. Why the silence?

By: Johnny

Johnny — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:40:56 +0000

Male, 37. I have suffered from these symptoms for 19 years now, over half my life. I have more or less ruled out food by keeping a very strict log of everything ingested and eventually ended up with no discernible pattern. Like a few previous mentions, my bouts seems to occur during times of heavy stress and when I allow myself to become dehydrated. My bouts typically last exactly an hour, most often waking me from sleep or occurring after an orgasm. I have learned to recognize some warning signs before a bout and I can usually lie a different way or hop out of bed and pace, allowing me to skip a bout. Attempting a bowel movement usually brings on more pain, but there have been a few times that I managed it and the bout duration ended early. What I do to avoid a bout… always try to sleep on my back and if I do sleep on my side, I don’t bring my knees up in front of me at all. I have actually successfully reproduced a bout on purpose by pulling my knees up close to my chest and sleeping on my side. I can do this almost anytime I want, which is never, but it can be done purposefully. Also, if sex with my partner doesn’t happen, I masturbate. I have found that the stronger the orgasm, the more likely it is that I’ll have an attack. And to keep strong orgasms infrequent, a daily orgasm tends to do the trick and it’s good for my prostate anyway. The good news is that as I get older, both the bout frequency and pain levels are greatly decreasing.

By: chris

chris — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:44:41 +0000

I had one of these excruciating episodes last night that lasted about 20 minutes. I’ve tried hot baths, sitting on the toilet etc & have found no relief!This only happens to me while I’m sleeping. So happy to find this website & understand this awful condition!Not sure how to say this tactfully but here goes……i was in such pain I felt that I needed to push the knife stabbing pain to release the pressure. I had my husband put his finger in my rectum. He could feel that it was actually in a spasm. Great news….after about a minute of the pressure he appliedI hopped in the hot tub & it completely went away! Over the past two years I haven’t found anything that significantly helps. Hope this can help thers!

By: fellow sufferer

fellow sufferer — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:42:06 +0000

Phew! I’ve been having similar ‘episodes’ for about a year now and in fact, the past three days have been almost unbearable due to the sharp pains! Just when I decided to finally go ask my doc about it, I found all this info. Sitting, standing and walking, everything seems so difficult. I need to ride a bike to work and that half hour ride makes the entire day extremely uncomfortable. Even right now I can feel intermittent spasms that seem like they’ll make me pass out. I just pop a painkiller to try and feel like I’m doing something about it (not always effective). But I’m beginning to understand the ‘pressing down’ option and it makes sense. Thanks a bunch for this. Feel loads better!