Mystery Stomach Illness

moran73 · Newbie Joined: 19 May 2006 Posts: 1

i am new to this forum and have searched it out from desperation really - i have suffered daily with my stomach for over 10 yrs now - when my symptoms first got bad my doctor diagnosed IBS but since that was made it stays on your record as an excuse for doctors to ignore anything else i say. There was one occassion this year when i saw a GP who kept saying my problem was IBS even though i was telling her about changes in my habits etc and new pains. They look at your file, see IBS listed and just tell me to eat more fibre.

My problem varies all the time and just when i think i have it sorted something kicks it off again. Basically i am bloated almost all of the time, i can't lose weight even though i exercise regularly and walk 3 1/2 miles to work each morning - no matter what i eat i get pain, bloating, gas, constipation, feeling of being full of air, gulping sensation, blood in my stools, variations in the consistency of my stools, burning in my chest, headaches. Later i have found it hard to take the deep breaths i normally do to relax myself.

I can't eat foods rich in fibre, can't eat brown bread etc, all of the medicines/tablets designed for stomach problems make my symptoms worse. Fruit hurts me, vitamin supplements make me worse, i get a metallic taste in my mouth daily that tastes like blood.

I am desperate for advice on what it could be or what i can do to allevaite my pain - i stopped smoking 5 months ago and have cut down on alcohol but there is no change.

I have had an endoscopy to rule out an ulcer as they run in the family but nothing was found at the time - i feel trapped with this because whenever i see a GP they just say that the symptoms of IBS can vary and that this is all it is.

Can anyone help, please?

Jannie · Gold Member Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 424

Hello! I don’t want to disappoint you but your doctors are right. IBS is the most annoying thing one can suffer from and you rarely get permanent relief.
My husband also suffers from IBS and he has been through numbers of treatments with his doctor. I think it is best to work with just one doctor who can follow your development and what is going on with you, how you react to different treatments and not see a lot of doctors who only read from the paper.
In the end, my husband had behavioral therapies and was put on antidepressants that may act as painkillers.
So, although it may seems so, you are not the only one who is going through such devastating symptoms and problems. The only way is to learn as much about it and try to control it or fight it or whatever suits you best.
I hope you will manage to solve some of your problems soon. Good luck!

sicktummy · Newbie Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 1

Hi there,

I have some similar symptoms that you have, so I thought I'd put this out there. Have you been tested for mycoplasma penetrans? That's what I have. We are not sure if it is the cause of my stomach problems, but we've been treating it in the hopes it will help.

I relate to not being able to take the meds that are supposed to help heartburn. I use the prevacid soluable tablets because the casings of the regular capsules give me heartburn. If I have to take a capsule med, I ask the pharmacist if I can take the medication out of the capsule and take it mixed in applesauce. Also, any hard pills give me heartburn, even vitamins, so I take children's chewable vitamins. Hope this helps.

-sicktummy

ranchlady · Newbie Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 2

I have a friend who suffered you exact issues. FINALLY they discovered Hep C from a sugery before they started checking blood for this. Hep C can reside completely undetected in your body for 15 year or more.
She also has a rare form of Lupis.
Make your doctor do a PET scan. They HATE to order these tests because they are very expensive. A PET scan checks for metabolic issues. It is very different than an MRI. If you have a metabolic problem, like enlarged liver or lupis, cancer.... it will high light the problem.
Since being diag'd, my friends life had gotten much better.

peoria92 · Newbie Joined: 05 Jul 2007 Posts: 1

I'm suffering as well ,, I have symptoms in my stomach for the past 3 years and all the doctors I have seen told me its IBS , i'm just not convinced this is IBS and I think there is an underlying cause that is not organic" means is not accute or life thretening" yet its ultering mt life quality. I have done endoscopy,colonoscopy, MRI,CT scan, Xrays blood tests for all possible reasons all turned out just find , but I get pain in the upper right side of abdominal that leaves me exhausted and annoyed most of the time.
finally last week I went to a Dentist , thats right a Dentist who told me that all my suffering could be beacause of the amalgum filling I have in 11 teeth. when I went under some stress i started to grind my teeth while sleeping which causes abrasions in my teeth that causes Mercury to vapor and he told me that mercury is very bad to nerotransmitters in the brain which is also related to instines . I was happy to hear that and told him to change all the filling to composites if that what it takes I will spend my life savings on that to get my life quality back.
i will do that next week and keep you updated on my progress
Smile

Guest · Guest

I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FOR OVER7 YEARS NOW. 12 DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS-2 SURGERIES WITH THE LAST ONE TAKING OUT HALF MY STOMACHE. STILL CANT EAT MANY FOODS W/OUT GETTING SICK-FEEL FULL ALL THE TIME AND NOW WHEN TAKE PILLS GET SPASMS THAT ARE DIBLITATING !!! WISH THERE WAS SUCH THING AS STOMACHE TRANSPLANTS, I HAVE ASKED, NO IT WILL PROBABALY NEVER HAPPEN. JUST KNOW YOUR NOT ALONE

smitty01 · Newbie Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 2

hi, i am having the same issues currently, i have had stomach isssues since i was a baby, and now at 25 i am worse, since december i have been in and out of the hospital and had all of the generall test. they did find that i have what is called a fructose intolerance (malabsorption). they test this by doing a hydrogen breath test, and most people are diagnosed with IBS but really have this. and fructose is in mostly everything, so the diet is hard but works. but my issues have continued eventhough i am on the diet, i have lost 45 pound in 2 1/2 months, and am extremely weak. the doctors just take there time and don't understand i am sitting at home sick and knowing they are missing something! because of this i developed severe anxiety on top of everything else. anyway i hope the fructose info will help you out, it is a newly found disease by iowa university so there is not much research on it, but it is getting better and better. ask your doctor, and if he does not know, the cleveland clinic does!

Mystery Stomach Illness

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK