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stomach pain when eating anything!

mpflynn

By mpflynn
in Related Issues & Disorders

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mpflynn Newbie
mpflynn
Posted

Hey everybody, so I have a friend (female, 20 years old) who has NOT been diagnosed with celiac and does not think she is allergic to wheat but is having severe tummy issues.

symptoms and factors:

shooting stomach pain immediately after eating anything

nausea and pain for almost 40 minutes after eating

unintentional weight loss (30 pounds in 1 month)

high stress environment

on medicine from doctor (to coat her stomach throughout the day)

long term, 8 months...

Whenever she eats anything, for almost 8 months now, she experiences nauseating shooting pains that go through her stomach immediately whenever she eats anything. Her doctor put her on a medicine that coats her stomach throughout the day, so she takes it every morning before she eats, and it is the only way she is currenty able to eat. Since this began she unintentionally lost 30 pounds in a month and continues to loose weight. She is in college and taking many hard classes so stress could be a factor. She has not had a scope to look at her stomach to check for ulcers because she can't afford it right now. I got her to start trying kefir and see if that helps. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions!? It would be super appreciated, any imput is really awesome! Thank you!!!!

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Maddi Community Regular
Maddi
Posted

Hello,

It's very nice of you to be worried about your friend. However, I really think your friend should see a gastrointerologist. I know you said she saw a doctor so I don't know if that was a specialist but if she's worried about Celiac she should start off with a celiac panel (blood tests). I'm sure others will post about the specific blood tests required (there's about 4-5). Make sure she asks for the FULL panel that way she has a higher chance of the test being accurate (also make sure she doesn't get off gluten until all tests are done). If she's in such pain she really needs an endoscopy or a colonoscopy since it's impossible to diagnose over the Internet. It could be many things causing pain like IBS, crohn's, celiac, or small intestinal bacteria overgrowth.... or a lot more things! It would be a good start to request a celiac panel. Your friend seems lucky to have such a caring friend! 

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Your friend needs to see a GI ASAP. If money is an issue for more testing most hospitals will work with her for payment or in some circumstances may even cover the cost of testing in part or completely. 30 lbs in a month is a lot and she could have something very serious or even fatal. I hope she can get some help soon.

lgregg Newbie
lgregg
Posted

Hey everybody, so I have a friend (female, 20 years old) who has NOT been diagnosed with celiac and does not think she is allergic to wheat but is having severe tummy issues.

symptoms and factors:

shooting stomach pain immediately after eating anything

nausea and pain for almost 40 minutes after eating

unintentional weight loss (30 pounds in 1 month)

high stress environment

on medicine from doctor (to coat her stomach throughout the day)

long term, 8 months...

Whenever she eats anything, for almost 8 months now, she experiences nauseating shooting pains that go through her stomach immediately whenever she eats anything. Her doctor put her on a medicine that coats her stomach throughout the day, so she takes it every morning before she eats, and it is the only way she is currenty able to eat. Since this began she unintentionally lost 30 pounds in a month and continues to loose weight. She is in college and taking many hard classes so stress could be a factor. She has not had a scope to look at her stomach to check for ulcers because she can't afford it right now. I got her to start trying kefir and see if that helps. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions!? It would be super appreciated, any imput is really awesome! Thank you!!!!

She needs to see an gastroenterologist asap! it sounds like she may have gallstones or an obstructed intestinal problem. I would not wait another moment, really.  I'd take her to the ER, she can pay out a bill.  Her health is the most important.  And if she does not want to go to the ER, make an appointment asap with a gastro.  Have them put her on a wait list. 

Rebecca Newbie
Rebecca
Posted

I agree with the others.  I have a teenage son with Celiac, but there are many other things that this could be.  Our daughter was recently told she has low B12 and is anemic.  She has been losing weight and although she tested negative for Celiac, she's been told to see a GI doctor.  The condition that her neurologist believes she has is called pernicious anemia.  It can cause some of the symptoms you mentioned. 

There are so many other things it could be and it is not a good idea to wait, especially when rapid weight loss is involved.  The doctor could decide to start with some simpler tests besides endoscopy.  Also, seeing the psychiatrist or psychologist at your school may be an eventual help (after medical help is sought).  College can be tremendously overwhelming and sometimes the stress can cause major health issues.  Seeing a professional will help your friend put things in perspective.  I currently have two children attending college and both have needed to seek counseling.  It is a sign of strength to know when to get input from a professional. Not getting help is neglecting one of the most important parts of our body - the part which is responsible for how we live and react to our environment and relationships in it.  

It's so caring of you to take time to help your friend.  As I said before, I have two college students and although they are wonderful people, I'm not sure either has a friend that would seek help for them.  Please keep us posted.

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      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
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