(If you’d rather hear/watch me instead of read, here’s the Youtube video!)

April is half-way over and I’m just now publishing March? That should be an indication of how April has been going! Ha! I received my second Covid-19 vaccination in early April and had some dental work this week…both of which had knocked me on my butt and I’m JUST NOW getting to writing!

Let’s see…how was March?

I ended up having an infected, throbbing tooth which led to some penicillin and over-the-counter pain meds. Ugh. More dental issues…

I had a few instances of burning pain near my mid-gut incisions and/or right colon-staples area. After talking to my colo-rectal surgeon, we believe it may be some nerves complaining from past surgeries. Luckily that pain is always minimal and passes quickly.

On March 12th, I had a quick instance of low-grade throbbing pain in my lower left abs; in the same area as my February period. I thought about it, wondered what the heck was going on, but it passed. So I let it go.

Then a week later, on March 19th, the throbbing lower-left pain returned (still low-grade at a 1-3 out of 10) and lower back pain. I tossed back two Tylenol in the hopes of killing whatever it was. I’m assuming it worked because I didn’t note any ongoing pain the rest of the day.

The very next day I started my period. While on my rag, that lower left pain ranged anywhere from a 1 to an 8 out of 10…and I continued to have lower back pain (from 1-5 out of 10). Ibuprofen kept the pain manageable. But of the entire six days of my period, only pain I had was on that lower left side (which was a place I had pain prior to my Oct. 2020 surgery) and my lower back. And the higher ranges of 6 and 8 out of 10 only happened once during my period, and both only lasted for a few minutes. I even had several pain-free days while on my rag. I can only hope that maybe my uterus is pulled out of whack by adhesions or something similar…and hope it’s NOT a new Endo lesion that is causing that left-sided pain.

I had a few instances of that lower left abdominal pain after my period as well, always in the 1-3 out of 10 range, and always quick. What. The. Heck. Is. Going. On?

March was also the month where I discovered that having a bit of fecal leakage throughout the day is not a normal occurrence in my circle of friends and family. Ugh. What do you mean you don’t have poo on your buttcrack hours after poopin’ and cleaning up very well? Ha. It’s something I’ve had for YEARS. In the spirit of hunting down answers and understanding it’s not normal: it’s something I’ve also begun tracking (farts, bowel movements, etc.). I’ll spare you any further details, but know that I have a consult with my colo-rectal surgeon and my gastroenterologist pending to discuss further. And, of course, there’s a lovely spreadsheet with all of that new data.

I will have my annual pap smear and transvaginal ultrasound in May, so can hopefully discuss and learn of what may be happening on that lower left side.

If you’d like to read my entier March pain & food journal, here’s the slideshow:

As is my New Norm: I’m super excited to report I still had ZERO pain with any bowel movements or even sex. YAY! Let’s hope that continues to last.

Speaking of poop…it’s that time! I pooped a lot in March: 75 times, to be exact!!! And super exciting: 74.7% of that was solid…which means less than 25% of my bowel movements were diarrhea. I have no idea what the “normal” ratio of poop-to-diarrhea is, but I’m always super grateful when my solids far outweigh my loose stools! TMI? Always!! And I repeat: ZERO poopin’ pain five months after my second bowel resection! YAY!

And if you’re really curious: here’s the data for my March bowel movements! So many!

Date	Time	Solid Pain	Diarrhea Pain	Type
1	7:33 AM	0	0	Solid
1	9:06 PM	0	0	Solid
2	10:09 AM	0	0	Solid
3	10:00 AM	0	0	Solid
3	8:54 PM	0	0	Solid
4	12:06 AM	0	0	Solid
4	12:40 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
4	1:08 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
5	11:26 AM	0	0	Solid
6	9:28 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
7	10:41 AM	0	0	Solid
7	12:10 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
7	12:48 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
7	1:18 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
8	8:08 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
9	8:45 AM	0	0	Solid
9	10:22 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
10	7:25 AM	0	0	Solid
11	10:25 AM	0	0	Solid
11	4:44 PM	0	0	Solid
12	6:13 PM	0	0	Solid
13	1:06 AM	0	0	Solid
13	9:46 AM	0	0	Solid
13	12:40 PM	0	0	Solid
14	11:56 AM	0	0	Solid
14	7:26 PM	0	0	Solid
14	8:15 PM	0	0	Solid
15	10:40 AM	0	0	Solid
15	7:45 PM	0	0	Solid
16	6:02 PM	0	0	Solid
16	9:37 PM	0	0	Solid
17	5:26 PM	0	0	Solid
18	6:35 AM	0	0	Solid
18	8:39 AM	0	0	Solid
18	11:00 AM	0	0	Solid
18	4:10 PM	0	0	Solid
18	5:38 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
18	11:26 PM	0	0	Solid
19	6:51 AM	0	0	Solid
19	10:12 AM	0	0	Solid
20	8:04 AM	0	0	Solid
20	8:22 PM	0	0	Solid
21	7:31 AM	0	0	Solid
21	11:19 AM	0	0	Solid
21	6:23 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
21	6:32 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
21	9:01 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
22	8:45 PM	0	0	Solid
22	10:53 PM	0	0	Solid
23	10:02 AM	0	0	Solid
23	10:57 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
24	7:49 AM	0	0	Solid
24	10:35 AM	0	0	Solid
24	2:12 PM	0	0	Solid
24	7:34 PM	0	0	Solid
25	11:00 AM	0	0	Solid
25	8:48 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
26	2:08 AM	0	0	Solid
26	8:12 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
26	5:30 PM	0	0	Solid
26	9:12 PM	0	0	Solid
27	9:04 AM	0	0	Solid
27	10:17 AM	0	0	Solid
27	10:44 AM	0	0	Solid
27	11:45 AM	0	0	Diarrhea
27	9:57 PM	0	0	Solid
28	5:07 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
28	7:17 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
28	7:38 PM	0	0	Diarrhea
29	2:01 PM	0	0	Solid
29	8:28 PM	0	0	Solid
30	9:34 AM	0	0	Solid
30	8:05 PM	0	0	Solid
31	4:54 PM	0	0	Solid
31	9:00 PM	0	0	Solid

And that’s all I have for ya for March! All-in-all, I’d say it was pretty darn good! And I seriously cannot believe April is half-way over already. So, I’ll be sharing another pain journal in a few short weeks!

Do you track your diet, beverages, bowel movements, pain, or symptoms? If so, drop a comment below with the system you use and how it has (or hasn’t) helped you.

Be well!

Yours, Lisa.