I'm So Sick Of This

[ouchmyintestine]

I am a 25yo male with long standing digestive issues, i always just thought it was because i ate nothing but junk food, I never really brought me to my knees just occasional D, pale, floating stool and upper abdomen pain. About 6 weeks ago i awoke to the most painful feeling in my waist band area this pain was excruciating, I rushed to the ER had a CT scan of my abdomen with a barium swallow, and nothing came up,I asked repeatedly to be tested for celiac none of them knew what it was, then I was told my primary care would do that, I was told it was colitis and was given antibiotics and pain killers and sent home. A week later i was still not improving i suspected gluten as my brother was recently diagnosed with celiac. So I did the gluten free thing and was eating ok, then one night my intestines started spasming out control the pain goes from one side of my upper abdomen to the other, i went back to the ER and they were acting like i was looking for pain meds, they did nothing but put me on a stretcher in the hallway for 4 hours, then the nurse came over to talk to me about my marijuana use and how there's stuff being laced with crack going around, I looked at her like i was going to kill her and said GO AWAY NOW!!!!! She didnt and said i was going to listen. I was just being truthful when they asked about drug use i haven't used in 2 months btw. finally the doc came over and asked so what do you want me to do? I said I need help to figure this pain out, he prescribed me Zofran and Oxycontin and sent me home. The very next day I say my primary and she did a physical exam and bloodwork, she prescribed me omeprazole and set up an appointment with a GI doc, A few days after this my chest felt like there was a rock on it and something in my thought,along with the regular abdominal pain. Again back to the ER and had the works done to me to rule out my heart, again sent home, few nights later chest pain something in thought, back to the ER and nothing came up!! They told me it was an anxiety (YEAH anxiety from my dam stomach killing me),they told me the er is for emergency's only and i cant keep coming for non-emergency's. and told me to see my primary. The whole night i was having chills, shaking uncontrollably, hyperventilating, sweating right through my cloths, chest pain, something in thought, and the usual crippling abdominal pain. I sent up an appointment to see my doctor the very next day, when i got there i was sweating though my cloths, shaking, and hyperventilating. She said I have to go to the ER right NOW!!! WHAT THE HELLL, I told her NO they suck balls, right then my hands,feet, and abdomen curled right up and i couln't move the at all so she called 911 and an ambulance brought me to the er. Once again in the hallway for 4 hours half dead, they gave me Adivan and a prescription for adivan and sent me home, I have another appointment with my primary tomorrow and the GI on Wednesday, Ive been waiting 3 weeks for the dam GI its the longest 3 weeks of my life I really didn't think i would make it that long. So here I am I crippling abdominal pain all Drugged out on the stupid bad adivan, I've lost 100 lbs YES ONE HUNDRED POUNDS not on purpose. I cant eat anything at this point I feel like i am going to die, I am afraid to go to sleep. sorry for the rant i'm going to go curl up in a ball and die.

[Katie B]

Wow - I can sympathize - although my situation is somewhat different. Sounds like you could have a variety of things which only the GI doctor could diagnose. My GI told me if I had to go to the ER again and it was severe that I should ask for a GI consult (person on-call) because the ER doctors just don't know.

I've gone through several bouts of small intestine bacterial overgrowth, was prescribed antibiotics and then got c. difficile (from the antibiotics) - ended up in the hospital for a couple of weeks twice. So frustrating. Just when I think things are getting better they somehow get worse?!

Anyways, this is my pep talk. If you think something is seriously wrong then maybe try going back to the ER and asking for the consult.

What may help in the meantime is a low-residue diet that won't stress your intestines. I'm currently eating white rice (in 1/2 cup amounts spaced 2 hours apart), chicken, light fish, lactose-free milk (1/2 cup at a time and only 1 cup total per day), cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup zucchini, 1/2 cup sweet potato and I've found a supplement I can take called Vivonex T.E.N. It has all of the nutrients that you need to survive with 300 calories per package. I can't tolerate Boost or Ensure and this one is quickly absorbed in the intestine so if it's damaged it doesn't have to break down complex sugars (as found in Ensure). It doesn't taste good but it's not bad and if you've lost a lot of weight then that becomes a higher priority.

I'm working with a dietician to meet my caloric intake and how to space everything out so there isn't a huge load on the intestines. I'm also following a low FODMAP diet. All this means is small portions and spaced out timing of things that take longer to digest - such as rice and lactose-free milk. If you eat a huge portion of rice then it sits in your intestines (especially if they're damaged) and bacteria then has a party with it creating bloating, pain and damage. I tried the specific carbohydrate diet earlier and it worked but this time it didn't work and that's when I found out about fructose intolerance and all of these other fermentable foods. It's based on scientific studies done in Australia so it's not just a fad diet.

Anyways, I could go on and on if you want more info. on the diet then let me know but I suspect that seeing a GI will answer your questions.

Good luck and you're not alone! I'm off of antibiotics on Aug. 9 and am terrified about getting c. diff. again - it's too bad we can't control everything.

[cassP]

omg i feel so bad for u!!! too much pain & hours in the ER for anyone to deal with... i really hope your doctors visits this week give u answers and help!

anyways- i am NO doctor- but you need to make sure your GI runs a complete Celiac panel in addition to everything he does... especially if your brother has it!

let us know what happens... you're gonna be ok

[Skylark]

OMG. That sounds awful. I hope your GI gets it sorted out. This sounds like more than just gluten, though with a celiac brother going off gluten was a good idea. Good luck.

[ouchmyintestine]

thanks guys

I just woke up and vomited a bunch of bile with a small amount of blood, its 4.39 am here and my stomach is killing me, i don't know what to do, I'm freaking out, i don't want to take an ativan to calm me down because my body is telling me something is obviously wrong this is NOT anxiety, I'm scared to go to the hospital this just sucks, i want to cry.

I'm going to call the hospital and see what they say.

[cassP]

thanks guys

I just woke up and vomited a bunch of bile with a small amount of blood, its 4.39 am here and my stomach is killing me, i don't know what to do, I'm freaking out, i don't want to take an ativan to calm me down because my body is telling me something is obviously wrong this is NOT anxiety, I'm scared to go to the hospital this just sucks, i want to cry.

I'm going to call the hospital and see what they say.

OMG- you definitely need superb medical care.... maybe you have a bleeding ulcer on top of everything else?? def. get to your GI SOON- they need to help you

maybe call your GI- see if they can take you before Wednesday!! im pretty sure throwing up blood warrants it.

[Zeb]

Is any of this related to some previous emotional condition you have? I'm just wondering. Your symptoms seem serious but it sounds like the problem cannot be diagnosed even though you've been to the er multiple times and visited your doctor and they can't find anything. A lot of it sounds like it's emotional-centered and your body is freaking out because of a serious emotional condition. Do you feel this may be what's going on?

[ouchmyintestine]

I'm not sure emotions could turn my stool every shade of the rainbow, or vomit blood. I think a lot of my emotions are being stirred up for sure and I did indeed have a panic attack in the doctors office,and i may be a bit neurotic. But I know something is really wrong with my GI. Emotions don't wake you up out of a sound sleep stabbing you in the gut. I had my primary visit yesterday, every thing went well, i will see the GI doctor for the first time tomorrow.

[ouchmyintestine]

forgot to add the doctor told me I had elevated protein in my urine?

[Looking for answers]

I'd say it's condition causing emotion and not the other way around. Demand to be thoroughly checked and don't let them discount it as an emotional issue. My uncle just had the same diagnosis "it's all in your head", "we've checked you up and down" and it turns out he has a tumor growing in his intenstine that didn't show up on the CT scan. Don't let them shrug you off.

[ouchmyintestine]

I saw the GI today, he wants to do a endoscopy and colonoscopy, its scheduled for next Friday,

I'm feeling better today, I haven't eaten much more than jello and white rice, my stool is still pale but at least its solid now and the anxiety isn't an issue....it seems when I'm in pain the anxiety is a level 10.

he asked me if i want to try eating gluten for the tests, but I'm not so sure i want to experience that kind of pain, i don't know if i have celiac or not but if there's even a chance of feeling like that there's no way............ I'm going to rule everything else out before i glutenise myself

[ouchmyintestine]

I had the endoscope and colonoscopy done yesterday, they found I had Gastritis biopsied ,found congested mucosa in the sigmoid colon(nonspecific finding) this was biopsied, Diverticulosis in the ascending colon, the ileum, rectum decending colon,transverse colon ascending colon are normal looking, all were biopsied, normal looking duodenum biopsied and the z line was regular. Also my tonsils are enlarged for some reason maybe thats what was causeing the thought sensation.

My anxiety/ panic attacks have been a level 10, the doc put me on zyprexa and 1 mg of adivan

So I guess it will be a week or so of waiting for the results.

[ravenwoodglass]

I had the endoscope and colonoscopy done yesterday, they found I had Gastritis biopsied ,found congested mucosa in the sigmoid colon(nonspecific finding) this was biopsied, Diverticulosis in the ascending colon, the ileum, rectum decending colon,transverse colon ascending colon are normal looking, all were biopsied, normal looking duodenum biopsied and the z line was regular. Also my tonsils are enlarged for some reason maybe thats what was causeing the thought sensation.

My anxiety/ panic attacks have been a level 10, the doc put me on zyprexa and 1 mg of adivan

So I guess it will be a week or so of waiting for the results.

I am glad you got through everything okay. Keep in mind that any celiac testing will likely be negative if you have been gluten free. I hope the results of all the tests are good and that you are feeling better soon.

[cassP]

I had the endoscope and colonoscopy done yesterday, they found I had Gastritis biopsied ,found congested mucosa in the sigmoid colon(nonspecific finding) this was biopsied, Diverticulosis in the ascending colon, the ileum, rectum decending colon,transverse colon ascending colon are normal looking, all were biopsied, normal looking duodenum biopsied and the z line was regular. Also my tonsils are enlarged for some reason maybe thats what was causeing the thought sensation.

My anxiety/ panic attacks have been a level 10, the doc put me on zyprexa and 1 mg of adivan

So I guess it will be a week or so of waiting for the results.

WOW.. Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis? is a big deal- no wonder u feel the way u do- hope this alleviates some of your anxiety- u KNOW your body was telling u something- it's not "all in your head".

so glad u got those tests done....

we're waiting to hear about your biopsy

[Marz]

Ah geez, I don't know what to say to help, but I can definately sympathise. I really hope going gluten free will clear things up for you.

To share my experience, which sounds like it wasn't as bad as yours, but it truly felt like hell. I came down with a stomach bug or something, after a trip to Mozambique. Constant excruciating nausea, the big d, stomach pain and then to top it off panic attacks. Everything started pretty much out of the blue. I was terrified I had malaria, which didn't help the panic attacks.

Went to the ER in the middle of the night, and they tried to give me meds but nothing helped for the nausea. Tests came back negative for malaria. It lasted around a week of not being able to eat anything and feeling sick as a dog. Literally didn't sleep for several nights because of the endless discomfort.

Shew, anyway... after all that, it got a bit better. I was "only" suffering from nightly bouts of chills/fever and D. Doctors just thought I had a nasty bug (colitis) and prescribed antibiotics (which did help a bit, so it probably was a bug). I do believe gluten didn't help though. The endoscopy showed gastritis, colonoscopy was clear.

All symptoms went away after going gluten free (including nausea and the nightly fevers thank goodness). Hope that gives you some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully you get some super antibiotics (if it's a bacterial infection) that sorts it out. Do keep on trying the gluten-free diet after getting tested for celiac, because with a brother with celiac there's a chance you could eventually develop it. Diverticulitis and microcolitus also is linked with gluten intolerance.

[cassP]

Marz:

it sounds to me like u had a virus or a parasite that triggered Celiac or gluten intolerance...

[ravenwoodglass]

I'm not sure emotions could turn my stool every shade of the rainbow, or vomit blood. I think a lot of my emotions are being stirred up for sure and I did indeed have a panic attack in the doctors office,and i may be a bit neurotic. But I know something is really wrong with my GI. Emotions don't wake you up out of a sound sleep stabbing you in the gut. I had my primary visit yesterday, every thing went well, i will see the GI doctor for the first time tomorrow.

Sorry I missed this before but your right emotional issues do not wake you up sick. Celiac can though as one of my GI pointed out. It can also mess with your brain chemistry. I do hope you continue on the diet. As I said in the previous post I am also glad the GI got you right in for a scope and hopefully now that they have seen that something really is going on they will be able to help you. Do stick with the diet and hang in there. I hope your feeling much better soon.