Pain - when to complain

Not a subject I had ever thought to blog about - physical pain, that is.

Having read a few articles/posts about pain from some of the bloggers whom I read regularly and whose approach I approve and appreciate, I thought perhaps it was time for me to use my normal open and frank attitude to describe my current state.

Generally not a self-indulgent individual and also a fairly private one, it has been 'normal' for me to skirt round physical difficulties, but this latest bout is sufficiently severe I think, to warrant an airing.

For the past forty or so years I have had diverticular disease.  For anyone unfamiliar with the term, may I suggest you Google it.

Prone to bouts of fairly fierce pain in the early days, I responded to the then perceived wisdom and changed my eating habits totally.

A vegetarian and I think, a pretty healthy eater, I nevertheless took the available advice and made further adjustments to my diet and for years suffered little or no pain and very few serious bouts of diverticulitis.

Since late last Summer however, things have changed and there have been a number of incidences of pain and bloating, which culminated in January with my having to be 'taken home' from St. Mary's by a lovely caring lay pastoral lady.

I saw my GP and was sent to see a consultant at the local hospital who examined me and said I needed a scan to find out what was happening.

This I had in April and since then the number of attacks of pain have increased at quite a rate and recently have included vomiting as well as pain.

While I wait for the consultant to advise me on treatment my GP has given me very strong pain-killers and anti-vomiting tablets for any attacks in the interim (the appointment is not until 9th August).

Last Friday I was unable to make the choir rehearsal and again on Sunday, the service.  Walking round and round in dizzy circles, unable to sit or lie.  Groaning aloud, not my choice of behaviour, and trying to talk normally to neighbours (the Jubilee shindig), while hanging on to the last shreds of dignity has given me a whole new perspective on what constitutes pain, but not alas, on how to cope with it.

Today I started without pain, drank two coffees then felt the usual alarming stabs which herald the arrival of the pain and decided rather than suffer in (comparative) silence, I would blog it.

If there is anyone out there with experience of this very distressing complaint who can maybe give me a tip or two on other things I might try, I would be very very glad to hear from you.