Fed up of rectal irritation / tickling sesation

Hello everyone. 

Having read the testimonies of some on this site I felt compelled to share my "issue" in the hope that someone has/is suffering from similar misfortune and has any advice as to what to do. I'm now at the end of my tether and getting serious depressed with the whole situation. 

In a nutshell, for the past two years I have been suffering with irritation in my back passage (internally) that follows the empting of my bowels. When I say irritation, i am not in any pain, and i don't have a desire to scratch, it is more of a very intense 'tickling' sensation per say.. To confirm, I am not suffering from hemmorhoids (ive had a colonoscopy), I am rarely ever constipated, and am generally in good health. Often I wake up feeling great, but upon emptying my bowels, whatever time of day, i will then be left with this sensation that will last the whole day until i go to bed at night. It will often be gone by the morning, but it is so intense during the day when I am sat down at work that i can barely concentrate. Interestingly the sensation decreases by about 80% when I lie down on my front/side, and is at its worse when I am sat down. Occasionally I do have it without emptying my bowels but this is rare, and i feel 'normal' whilst sat down until i feel the urge to go, and from then on i am left with an intense tickling. 

I have tried various over-the-counter topical creams, stopped using toilet paper (spray gun instead), stopped using potentially irritating shower gels/soaps etc, nothing has helped. 

I have a suspicion it may have something to do with a historic gym injury, perhaps aggravating a nerve(s) that runs close to my anal canal that is irritated every time i go, but this is pure speculation/desperation and i have no medical qualifications to back up this theory! 

If anyone else out there has suffered with such a bizarre complaint please get in touch, or if anyone has any ideas as to what could be the cause of the problem i'd very very intrested to hear your theory!

Many thanks in advance,

T

Did your colonoscopy reveal anything and what has your doctor suggested?

Hi,

Well the colonoscopy didn't reveal anything significant, certainly anything that could be attributed to what I am feeling. Whilst I was at the hospital i also had a full body MRI as after the colonoscopy I think the consultant was scratching his head to be honest.. The MRI revealed that a few of the disks (or around my disks - im not exactly sure!) in my lower lumbar region are lacking cartilage/ suffering from cartilage degradadtion. 

I was prescribed strong anti inflammatories to take for 10 days, told to take it easy (or not at all) at the gym for the next month and encouraged to take supplemements that boost cartilage growth for 6 months. I'll be reviewed again in 3 months time but to be honest im pretty sure they havent hit the nail on the head. This all happened a month ago. 

I can't imagine its anything to do with diet as im pretty healthy, lots of fruit, veg, fibre, and i drink lots of water, and as I mentioned, this sensation almost exclusively starts once ive relieved myself, and generally subsides having been asleep for 6-7 hours, only to repeat the next day. 

Very very frustrating - espically if i have to go to the toilet first thing in the morning! 

If discs in your lower back are lacking cartilage, maybe it is putting pressure on nerves close to your rectum.  If you are aware of previous injury, the scan may have shown it up.  I have historic injuries which are now causing nerve problems after many years.