Hi Everyone- Thanks so much for this resource.

I've had the pouch for over three years and have had occasional blockage issues that the doctors say are related to scar tissue - but that's about it. Just last week though I started to have different symptoms - stomach distension after I eat, bearing down, and urgency but nothing coming out. It feels like I never completely empty - however no blood or abdominal pain. I've also had bad gas - which I've never had before. The bearing down seems to have caused what i think is a large hemorrhoid - it's a big ball/protrusion inside (approximately a quarter-sized ball) but its position is high up my right side (inside) bordering my vaginal wall. It hurts when I walk or stand. I've been taking pain killers for about a week because it gets really bad at night. I am scheduled for my pouch scope in two days.

My question is what could this be and should I consider the ER? I've read various forum postings about abcesses, fissures, cysts, etc. - but I don't know what those are or how to ID them. Is my use of the pain killers masking a more serious issue?

Thanks for any insights.

Could be your bartholin gland. Perhaps get into see your GP or Gyno.

I don't know - it seems to be closer to my butt than the vaginal opening/lips. I'm thinking the bearing-down caused it - so probably a bad and inflamed hemorrhoid.

The week started out with the bearing down and urgency (pouchitis?) - now it's just in this one side/location and keeps getting worse. Walking is now difficult. Anything other than laying down is difficult (anything that causes pressure). So, I'm taking painkillers regularly now just to be somewhat comfortable...

???

Thanks for the suggestion though. i didn't even know what the bartholin glands were!

Well, after my scope - which showed everything as fine, it turns-out that it WAS a Bartholin Cyst! My GI sent me to the ER to have it drained. What a relief! The thing that's crazy about this was that the symptoms were so 'pouchitis-like' or at least what I thought would be pouchitis - the gas, the bearing-down, the constipation, the distension. The only thing missing was the fever. And I waited all week (for the scheduled scope) while the cyst just kept getting bigger and my pain worse. Next time I'm not waiting...

Thanks for the insight Cataja! You called it!