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Weird cramps lately?

Zachm

By Zachm
in Related Issues & Disorders

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Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted

Let me start off by saying, for about a year I had a dang near normal life. I went from using imodium quite often and being a hermit at some times, to having no problem being out all day. Last month however, I had a weird thing happen. The night was normal, but I woke up about 3 a.m. with an odd pain. Cramps really bad near my belly button. Somehow went back to sleep....for a good twenty minutes til it was a whole lot worse. Got my parents and went to the E.R. (I thought my appendix had ruptured or something). Got a CT scan and had colitis. Was in the hospital on antibiotics for three days and felt normal again. Left with 7 days of antibiotics and about 2 days after leaving the hospital I had the pains return. My blood work always showed normal white blood cell count. So, I go to my normal GI. He comes in kinda freaking me out saying I may have to go on chemo and he wants blood work done (I swear, nothing against the man but I feel he has always used scare tactics to upsell services), so I decide to go to a new doctor, who orders blood work (thankfully here though it was $17 instead of $280). Blood work comes back normal. Idk if maybe it was the antibiotics and the diarrhea, but I have bright red blood when I wipe (never see it in the actual stool, just when I wipe) so maybe it's hemorrhoids? The new doctor suggested a CPT scan. I am not going to lie though, I just graduated college this past spring and am trying to not exhaust every penny I have if it is for nothing because I am wanting to start graduate school asap, so I am not wanting to get expensive things done if it's not worth it, but I will use every penny I have if it could be something major. I went about a week with little problems (I cut out dairy and hot sauce) but strangely enough, I woke up with cramps this morning after putting texas pete on my chicken last night? I have never been sensitive to spicy foods, but wouldn't put that past it. Anyways, I appreciate any advice and apologize for being all over the place with my post. I just haven't got the slightest clue at all.

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trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

I wonder if you have IBS, especially since you state that before these latest issues you frequently had to use Imodium.

Seems like spicy food is not agreeing with your GI system lately. I suggest putting yourself on a bland diet for a period of time and see if the symptoms improve.

Do you have Celiac Disease and if so, are you being scrupulous about avoiding gluten? You make no mention of this one way or the other. Or are you just gluten intolerant?

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
25 minutes ago, trents said:

I wonder if you have IBS, especially since you state that before these latest issues you frequently had to use Imodium.

Seems like spicy food is not agreeing with your GI system lately. I suggest putting yourself on a bland diet for a period of time and see if the symptoms improve.

Do you have Celiac Disease and if so, are you being scrupulous about avoiding gluten? You make no mention of this one way or the other. Or are you just gluten intolerant?

Yes, I have celiac disease. I was diagnosed by blood test July 2015, which is when I started dieting very strictly (I have read up on this and adamantly avoid every possible way to get it and my doctor said I had no evidence of being exposed this past visit) and July 2017 the colonoscopy confirmed celiac disease (well, the biopsies rather).

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Could there be a stress component to this?

I remember how stressful the start of grad school was for me, and the gearing up for it. Stress manifests itself in different ways with different people but for it to precipitate GI issues is a common one.

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
32 minutes ago, trents said:

Could there be a stress component to this?

I remember how stressful the start of grad school was for me, and the gearing up for it. Stress manifests itself in different ways with different people but for it to precipitate GI issues is a common one.

That's what's weird to me, not too much stress in my life right now. I have been looking for a job doing the in between thing from undergrad to grad because I am wanting benefits to pay for a lot of graduate school and I would say these have been some of the least stressful months of my life. I wouldn't rule it out, but I'd still say this is one of the least stressful times of my life.

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted

I was dia. with celiac years ago then almost 2 years ago with the return of pain, and bloody stool I got a colonscopy and found out I had developed Ulcerative Colitis. Different people have different triggers, spicy food is a trigger for me, but mine also flares with gluten, and sugars/carbs like glucose and fructose. I had to go keto to manage it, amusingly I recently learned that ketogenicgirl does keto to manage her Ulcerative Colitis also.
There are Rx that will allow you to keep eating spicy foods, and other things and not trigger but but they cost $690 for a months supply. I opted to take a herbal blend to sooth my stomach and intestines and a keto diet easy on the spices to keep it in remission. I think I have a post on UC treatment options somewhere.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Ennis is correct, you could have developed a new autoimmune issue like Ulcerative Colitis or you may not have knocked out the ER, diagnosed Colitis.  Microscopic Colitis can be difficult to eradicate if that was your diagnosis.  

The chemo drug might be because they suspect refractory celiac disease or something like IBD.  It sounds like two GI docs both suspect something more than celiac disease (assuming the hospital checked for antibodies).  

How much is your health worth?  

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Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
7 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

Ennis is correct, you could have developed a new autoimmune issue like Ulcerative Colitis or you may not have knocked out the ER, diagnosed Colitis.  Microscopic Colitis can be difficult to eradicate if that was your diagnosis.  

The chemo drug might be because they suspect refractory celiac disease or something like IBD.  It sounds like two GI docs both suspect something more than celiac disease (assuming the hospital checked for antibodies).  

How much is your health worth?  

That was a fear of mine (developing something else). Yeah, my initial doctor said he was worried about refractory celiac (I got checked for rashes and told to get a blood sample). I went to the other GI and got the blood work and he recommended a CPT would be probably next (but I got called 3 or so days later with "normal" blood.) So, for now I am kind of in limbo 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

If you and your doctors suspect refractory celiac disease (2 types),  your GI should order an endoscopy to see if you have active celiac disease.  Refractory celiac disease is RARE.  Some GI’s are quick to jump to that conclusion, but research has shown that many symptomatic celiacs are non-responsive simply because they are getting hidden amounts of gluten into their diet, despite their best efforts.  Consider the Fasano diet to heal (if your celiac disease is active),  if this applies to you (or before you try chemo drugs).

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I am not a doctor.  Just another celiac, like Ennis, who has developed another AI issue after being diagnosed with celiac disease.  In my case, I have Autoimmune Gastritis.  I did go on the Fasano diet and it did not help. I finally agreed to a repeat endoscopy.  My small intestine was healthy.  My GI took biopsies and photos (you could see the healthy villi)  Unfortunately, he found a gastric polyp and that biopsy confirmed my gastritis (no H. pylori).  

Zachm Contributor
Zachm
Posted
  • Author
12 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

If you and your doctors suspect refractory celiac disease (2 types),  your GI should order an endoscopy to see if you have active celiac disease.  Refractory celiac disease is RARE.  Some GI’s are quick to jump to that conclusion, but research has shown that many symptomatic celiacs are non-responsive simply because they are getting hidden amounts of gluten into their diet, despite their best efforts.  Consider the Fasano diet to heal (if your celiac disease is active),  if this applies to you (or before you try chemo drugs).

Open Original Shared Link

I am not a doctor.  Just another celiac, like Ennis, who has developed another AI issue after being diagnosed with celiac disease.  In my case, I have Autoimmune Gastritis.  I did go on the Fasano diet and it did not help. I finally agreed to a repeat endoscopy.  My small intestine was healthy.  My GI took biopsies and photos (you could see the healthy villi)  Unfortunately, he found a gastric polyp and that biopsy confirmed my gastritis (no H. pylori).  

Thank you guys both for replies Btw! It's just so odd to me how quickly things changed. I got comfortable for a while to the point where I'd eat McAlister's Deli and Chick Fil A (both of the non gluten stuff prepared by people who swore it was separate and in to go boxes and all that jazz, I honestly just got tired of eating alone) but I'd do that probably 4 times a month. What's funny is I'd always tell my family it was a bad idea for me to do that, but the hospital GI literally told me "I could eat a cheeseburger off of your plate right now while you eat that and you'd be fine" (I was refusing to eat anything they prepared that wasn't prepackaged)

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