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Mesenteric adenitis

lorilu

lorilu

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Woke up almost screaming in pain Friday night. I just thought it was very bad gas though I couldn't think what might have triggered it. Spent the rest of the night trying to alleviate the gas, specific exercises, massaging my abdomen, went out walking in the yard at 1 a.m, hot ginger tea.......

....searching the internet to find out what it could be, appendicitis, gall bladder, etc...but nothing quite matched, no nausea or vomiting or fever...

I couldn't lie down or sit, the only time I wasn't in agony was when I was walking. After taking care of Queen Eva's needs Saturday morning I headed to the ER. Long story short, after lots of expensive tests, including a CT scan with contrast, Mesenteric adenitis, viral, was the diagnosis.

What this means is the lymph nodes in my intestines are all inflamed causing agonizing pain. It's a viral infection, idiopathic (no known cause). No real treatment either except diet limitations and I was prescribed an antispasmodic, which I take every 6 hours, but the relief only lasts 5 hours.

It can take "a few days to a few weeks" to go away. Walking is really the only thing that helps when the pain is bad. so when the pill wore off before it was time to take another in the middle of the night, I was out walking in my yard again. Beautiful night at least!

I did manage to get some rest in between though, and I've had a few little walks today too, but it's too hot to be out for long.

Anyone else ever had this? Isn't it crazy the kind of things our bodies can do to us to cause us pain? I have a lot of pain, chronic pain but I've never had pain like this before, geesh.

The positive focus is on "thank goodness I am retired!" I still think that and say it out loud every morning and every night.
 
lorilu said:
Woke up almost screaming in pain Friday night. I just thought it was very bad gas though I couldn't think what might have triggered it. Spent the rest of the night trying to alleviate the gas, specific exercises, massaging my abdomen, went out walking in the yard at 1 a.m, hot ginger tea.......

....searching the internet to find out what it could be, appendicitis, gall bladder, etc...but nothing quite matched, no nausea or vomiting or fever...

I couldn't lie down or sit, the only time I wasn't in agony was when I was walking. After taking care of Queen Eva's needs Saturday morning I headed to the ER. Long story short, after lots of expensive tests, including a CT scan with contrast, Mesenteric adenitis, viral, was the diagnosis.

What this means is the lymph nodes in my intestines are all inflamed causing agonizing pain. It's a viral infection, idiopathic (no known cause). No real treatment either except diet limitations and I was prescribed an antispasmodic, which I take every 6 hours, but the relief only lasts 5 hours.

It can take "a few days to a few weeks" to go away. Walking is really the only thing that helps when the pain is bad. so when the pill wore off before it was time to take another in the middle of the night, I was out walking in my yard again. Beautiful night at least!

I did manage to get some rest in between though, and I've had a few little walks today too, but it's too hot to be out for long.

Anyone else ever had this? Isn't it crazy the kind of things our bodies can do to us to cause us pain? I have a lot of pain, chronic pain but I've never had pain like this before, geesh.

The positive focus is on "thank goodness I am retired!" I still think that and say it out loud every morning and every night.
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When I was doing my paediatric nursing placement we had children admitted with this.They would come in with suspected appendicitis which was discounted and treated with pain relief , fluids and restricted diet usually making a quick recovery.
I hope you soon feel better.xx
 
That sounds awful, I've never heard of it but I really hope you feel better soon.

Lymph glands (I think) catch and clear infection so could it be secondary, from an infection elsewhere in your body? I'm not medically qualified so I may be way off base though.
 
Owch, poor you! I hope it disappears very soon and doesn't come back.
 
SuzyJay said:
When I was doing my paediatric nursing placement we had children admitted with this.They would come in with suspected appendicitis which was discounted and treated with pain relief , fluids and restricted diet usually making a quick recovery.
I hope you soon feel better.xx
Click to expand...

I did read that this is more common in young children and young adults. In fact every time I research another food item to find out if I can eat it, the answers are focused on children.
 
JoanneF said:
That sounds awful, I've never heard of it but I really hope you feel better soon.

Lymph glands (I think) catch and clear infection so could it be secondary, from an infection elsewhere in your body? I'm not medically qualified so I may be way off base though.
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Yes, that is what I read, that the cause is often a previous infection, especially respiratory in nature. I did feel unwell, not this past week, but the week before, for a few days, I wasn't sure what was going on and felt better by Saturday. Then the smoke moved in and that has been very bad all week, until yesterday. The smoke was slightly lessened on Friday and I mowed and worked in the yard, I knew I shouldn't, but I was just desperate fro some outdoor time and exercise. It's possible my body was fighting something I didn't know about the week before, and this is the result.
 
JudyN said:
Owch, poor you! I hope it disappears very soon and doesn't come back.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I've had two little walks today, and even managed to do a little weeding. This is all while in the middle of the antispasmodic med of course. I am really working hard on restricting my diet. And I learned something new!

Like @SuzyJay mentioned, restrictive diet is important to recovery.

Rice and applesauce are one of the two most recommended foods to eat when you have this. Well I love rice, but I only like it with tons of butter (and salt) and butter, fat, is a big no-no. I always have cooked chicken ready to go in the freezer. I have applesauce too, but my home made applesauce is made with brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice. All things I am supposed to avoid for now. So I bought a jar of applesauce at the store, just plain. I made a pot of rice, and thawed three ounces of chicken. I put the chicken in the rice, lightly salted it, and much to my surprise it was delicious. The applesauce wasn't great but I ate it anyway.

Today I made the same meal, and again, the rice and chicken was good WITHOUT BUTTER. I also had a can of green beans for veg.

I am missing my milk, but milk has the potential to be inflammatory so I am skipping it for now.

I think I might be starting to feel a little better. I've put my desk in the standing position so I can be on the computer with out agony.

But I do wonder how long I will have to eat so skimpily.
 
SuzyJay said:
Have you tried Almond milk? I love it!
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Bletch! lol It's organic milk from cows or nothing for me. Preferably nonfat, but sometimes I can't get skim, and have to settle for 1%. Which is annoying because I am counting saturated fat these days, the goal is to stay under 13 grams. To the point I am using a tablespoon measure for my salad dressing, and actually weighing the cheese among other efforts.

I do eat raw almonds almost every day, in my regular diet. I actually have a pretty good regular diet, though most people would probably find it unbearably repetitive.

My biggest drawback regarding healthy eating is my sugar addiction. It breaks out every now and then and once I do give in to it, it takes awhile to get off it again. I think about cake, candy, cookies, ice cream every day. The cravings never leave me. But as long as I have no sugary treats (fruit doesn't count) I manage to resist the constant craving. Then something happens, usually when I eat at someone else's house and they have prepared a dessert, and it would be rude not to accept it (or so I justify it to myself lol). Or sometimes I just can't take it any more and I buy the Haagen Dazs or a stack of candy bars. Either way, when it happens, it all starts all over again. I haven't had a binge in a long time thankfully.
 
I feel your pain!
As a type 2 diabetic I have to be very careful and unfortunately have a sweet tooth. it's a constant longing and so hard to fight. I'm on 7 tablets a day to keep it under control.
 
SuzyJay said:
I feel your pain!
As a type 2 diabetic I have to be very careful and unfortunately have a sweet tooth. it's a constant longing and so hard to fight. I'm on 7 tablets a day to keep it under control.
Click to expand...

I am often very thankful I am not diabetic for this reason.
 
Ouch! Sounds horrid and quite scary being alone at night with it too 🙁

Glad you’ve had a diagnosis and it’s not serious, and should clear up with time.

Oat milk can be made with just oats and water so it can be organic and healthy if needed ☺️
 
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