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Ongoing Digestive Problems- Long Story
Alright my story is a long one, it's been occurring for almost 2 years now. I am a 17 year old male, 6'2" and 185lbs at the moment.
It all started two Thanksgivings ago, so the Thanksgiving of 2010, I came down with a bad case of stomach flu that lasted about 3 days; so I had vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, etc. Following this period my mind was constantly thinking about this and I was consistently feeling full and nauseated. Then in December I started having bad indigestion and heartburn, so my doctor put me on 2 weeks of Zantac 150. My symptoms following this period turned into constant feeling of bloating, indigestion, heartburn, feeling of fullness, fatigue, unable to eat much, burping, and I would go to the bathroom 3 times a day with a constant feeling to go.
Eventually we were led to an allergist and he had done tests and we figured out that I was allergic to soy, all nuts, sunflower seeds. So we had eliminated that entirely from my diet. I also had a blood test done to test for Celiac, but at the time I was not eating any wheat( thought I may be allergic to wheat). I had the test done and it came back negative. So we figured that the cause of all my problems was the food allergies. There was a point where I started eating soybean oil, lecithin because I felt it would give me no problems and when I reintroduced it I had no new symptoms.
Eventually I had a blood test for vitamins and it came back saying my ferritin was low, but the rest of my iron was fine, so the doctor said it was okay.
Considering i was still avoid my food allergies and still having symptoms, I thought that I may have had low stomach acid and/or a lack of digestive enzymes, so I bought myself betaine hydrochloride and digestive enzymes. I tried this for a while, with no real change in symptoms, so I quit. A little while after I quit, in August of 2011, one day I had came home and had really bad diarrhea, it was watery, floating and such. So I assumed I had some type of bug.
I also had a blood test done prior in the month to having the diarrhea. It was ordered by my gastroenterologist, the results showed I had raised Eosinophila around 11%. The gastroenterologist said he thought the cause was due to my food allergies. So he set a date when I was to have an endoscopy and to see what was going on.
My gastronenterologist also had me retested with a blood test for Celiac Disease and this was when I was eating wheat and it came back negative once again.
Ever since the diarrhea episode (still to this day) I have had loose, floating stools that are chronic but occur on and off. My symptoms had changed, now I was constantly having these floating stools and I noticed that my hunger had increased, it feels like I cannot get full from a meal at times.
So, then in October of 2011 I went to have the endoscopy done, so I was put into conscious sedation and the doctor was unable to get the camera down my throat because I was subconsciously not allowing it to happen, so we never were able to have the endoscopy done.
During this school year I began working out at school and I began gaining muscle, so I was confused that I was able to gain weight while having these malabsorption like issues. I went from around 155 to 160 to currently 185lbs. Ever since this all started I have also been having dry skin, in the winter my knuckles get very dry and red and bleed at times; I also am very tired after school when I was not in the past. I also noticed that it seems my hair is falling at a faster rate, I can rub my fingers through my hair and get 3-10 hairs. I also have had a drop in libido that has accompanied these symptoms within the past year.
Since the endoscopy day, I have still had the same ongoing bowel issues and continuing to figure out what could be the problem, I have tried peppermint oil when I thought I had bacterial overgrowth and it didn't do anything, I am currently trying garlic to see if it can kill any parasites (although I had a stool test for parasites that showed nothing), I retried the betaine and digestive enzymes with no results.
Recently when I've been going to the bathroom I've been observing my stools more closely and I've noticed that whether it's a bad days of loose/floating stools or an okay day where they aren't floating, either way I noticed that bubbles come out from my stool when it enters the water and the bubbles come to the top of the water and when they pop they create a white film where they pop and I am assuming this is probably fecal fat, but am not positive.
I really would appreciate any type of help you can give me, this is something I need information on. I don't know if the cause could be food allergies (although I am not eating anything i am allergic to, I dont know if i possibly have another allergen), I dont know if it could be celiac disease, I dont know if it could be the result of taking the digestive enzymes, I dont know if there is some type of parasite. No matter what it is, the cause has to connect to having eosinophilia and diarrhea so I guess it narrows it down.
My gastroenterologist wants to redo the endoscopy and also do a colonoscopy at the same time,but he wants to put me fully under this time not only under conscious sedations and he thinks it might be some type of large bowel disease.
It all started two Thanksgivings ago, so the Thanksgiving of 2010, I came down with a bad case of stomach flu that lasted about 3 days; so I had vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, etc. Following this period my mind was constantly thinking about this and I was consistently feeling full and nauseated. Then in December I started having bad indigestion and heartburn, so my doctor put me on 2 weeks of Zantac 150. My symptoms following this period turned into constant feeling of bloating, indigestion, heartburn, feeling of fullness, fatigue, unable to eat much, burping, and I would go to the bathroom 3 times a day with a constant feeling to go.
Eventually we were led to an allergist and he had done tests and we figured out that I was allergic to soy, all nuts, sunflower seeds. So we had eliminated that entirely from my diet. I also had a blood test done to test for Celiac, but at the time I was not eating any wheat( thought I may be allergic to wheat). I had the test done and it came back negative. So we figured that the cause of all my problems was the food allergies. There was a point where I started eating soybean oil, lecithin because I felt it would give me no problems and when I reintroduced it I had no new symptoms.
Eventually I had a blood test for vitamins and it came back saying my ferritin was low, but the rest of my iron was fine, so the doctor said it was okay.
Considering i was still avoid my food allergies and still having symptoms, I thought that I may have had low stomach acid and/or a lack of digestive enzymes, so I bought myself betaine hydrochloride and digestive enzymes. I tried this for a while, with no real change in symptoms, so I quit. A little while after I quit, in August of 2011, one day I had came home and had really bad diarrhea, it was watery, floating and such. So I assumed I had some type of bug.
I also had a blood test done prior in the month to having the diarrhea. It was ordered by my gastroenterologist, the results showed I had raised Eosinophila around 11%. The gastroenterologist said he thought the cause was due to my food allergies. So he set a date when I was to have an endoscopy and to see what was going on.
My gastronenterologist also had me retested with a blood test for Celiac Disease and this was when I was eating wheat and it came back negative once again.
Ever since the diarrhea episode (still to this day) I have had loose, floating stools that are chronic but occur on and off. My symptoms had changed, now I was constantly having these floating stools and I noticed that my hunger had increased, it feels like I cannot get full from a meal at times.
So, then in October of 2011 I went to have the endoscopy done, so I was put into conscious sedation and the doctor was unable to get the camera down my throat because I was subconsciously not allowing it to happen, so we never were able to have the endoscopy done.
During this school year I began working out at school and I began gaining muscle, so I was confused that I was able to gain weight while having these malabsorption like issues. I went from around 155 to 160 to currently 185lbs. Ever since this all started I have also been having dry skin, in the winter my knuckles get very dry and red and bleed at times; I also am very tired after school when I was not in the past. I also noticed that it seems my hair is falling at a faster rate, I can rub my fingers through my hair and get 3-10 hairs. I also have had a drop in libido that has accompanied these symptoms within the past year.
Since the endoscopy day, I have still had the same ongoing bowel issues and continuing to figure out what could be the problem, I have tried peppermint oil when I thought I had bacterial overgrowth and it didn't do anything, I am currently trying garlic to see if it can kill any parasites (although I had a stool test for parasites that showed nothing), I retried the betaine and digestive enzymes with no results.
Recently when I've been going to the bathroom I've been observing my stools more closely and I've noticed that whether it's a bad days of loose/floating stools or an okay day where they aren't floating, either way I noticed that bubbles come out from my stool when it enters the water and the bubbles come to the top of the water and when they pop they create a white film where they pop and I am assuming this is probably fecal fat, but am not positive.
I really would appreciate any type of help you can give me, this is something I need information on. I don't know if the cause could be food allergies (although I am not eating anything i am allergic to, I dont know if i possibly have another allergen), I dont know if it could be celiac disease, I dont know if it could be the result of taking the digestive enzymes, I dont know if there is some type of parasite. No matter what it is, the cause has to connect to having eosinophilia and diarrhea so I guess it narrows it down.
My gastroenterologist wants to redo the endoscopy and also do a colonoscopy at the same time,but he wants to put me fully under this time not only under conscious sedations and he thinks it might be some type of large bowel disease.
What you need is to strengthen your gut These10 and common-sense suggestions for building and protecting your mucosa, for improving your digestion by breaking down food more efficiently, and for promoting healthy gut bacteria.
Your gut has bacteria, or flora. They’re made up of both healthy and disease-causing bacteria that must live in a balanced state for optimum health. Gut-flora strains that help in digestion are Lactobacillus and Bifidobac-terium groups. More than 70 percent of your immune system is in your gut, in order to promote the health of your immune system, you need healthy bacteria probiotics. They also act against the overgrowth of candidiasis. Probiotics protect against food-borne toxins, enhance the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and support toxin removal from the colon.
Prebiotics are undigestible fibers that's in fruits and vegetables. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) a type of prebiotics. You can ingest them naturally from many foods, including garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus and chicory. 5 to 6 grams are recommended. A good supplement comes from NOW and it’s called Inulin Prebiotic FOS, You can buy at any health food store.
Adding antacids, prescription meds like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, will aggravate the situation.You need stomach acid. It’s necessary for the initial breaking down of food in the stomach. It’s required for the normal release of pancreatic and biliary enzymes and for aiding the availability of nutrients. Digestive enzymes are needed for improving digestion from GERD to eczema. You can get these digestive enzymes in a formula. Look for one that includes at least protease (100,000 USP units), lipase (20,000 USP units), and amylase (100,000 USP units). Take 2 to 3 tablets just before meals. Betaine HCL is commonly used to promote increased stomach acidity, best under the supervision of a health-care professional. Eat and chew your food slowly!
If you ever do need an antibiotic, take a high daily dose of a probiotic. I suggest 10 to 20 billion colony-forming units. This will protect against diarrhea. There’s one potentially fatal bowel infection associated with antibiotics, called C. difficile colitis. A probiotic yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, is helpful against it.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen,naproxen, Celebrex,They interfere with the mucosal lining of your stomach, causing ulcers and bleeding.
To help stimulate gastric acid flow of bile in the liver and repair the gut wall. try a tonic called Swedish Bitters, you can buy it at any health food store.
Deglycerinated licorice (DGL) and marshmallow root are soothing, mucilaginous substances that quiet gut inflammation. They help and support a healthy mucosal layer. A Mucosal mender is PepZinGi by Jarrow
You can get that at your drug store or health food store.
Your gut has bacteria, or flora. They’re made up of both healthy and disease-causing bacteria that must live in a balanced state for optimum health. Gut-flora strains that help in digestion are Lactobacillus and Bifidobac-terium groups. More than 70 percent of your immune system is in your gut, in order to promote the health of your immune system, you need healthy bacteria probiotics. They also act against the overgrowth of candidiasis. Probiotics protect against food-borne toxins, enhance the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and support toxin removal from the colon.
Prebiotics are undigestible fibers that's in fruits and vegetables. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) a type of prebiotics. You can ingest them naturally from many foods, including garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus and chicory. 5 to 6 grams are recommended. A good supplement comes from NOW and it’s called Inulin Prebiotic FOS, You can buy at any health food store.
Adding antacids, prescription meds like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, will aggravate the situation.You need stomach acid. It’s necessary for the initial breaking down of food in the stomach. It’s required for the normal release of pancreatic and biliary enzymes and for aiding the availability of nutrients. Digestive enzymes are needed for improving digestion from GERD to eczema. You can get these digestive enzymes in a formula. Look for one that includes at least protease (100,000 USP units), lipase (20,000 USP units), and amylase (100,000 USP units). Take 2 to 3 tablets just before meals. Betaine HCL is commonly used to promote increased stomach acidity, best under the supervision of a health-care professional. Eat and chew your food slowly!
If you ever do need an antibiotic, take a high daily dose of a probiotic. I suggest 10 to 20 billion colony-forming units. This will protect against diarrhea. There’s one potentially fatal bowel infection associated with antibiotics, called C. difficile colitis. A probiotic yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, is helpful against it.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen,naproxen, Celebrex,They interfere with the mucosal lining of your stomach, causing ulcers and bleeding.
To help stimulate gastric acid flow of bile in the liver and repair the gut wall. try a tonic called Swedish Bitters, you can buy it at any health food store.
Deglycerinated licorice (DGL) and marshmallow root are soothing, mucilaginous substances that quiet gut inflammation. They help and support a healthy mucosal layer. A Mucosal mender is PepZinGi by Jarrow
You can get that at your drug store or health food store.
You would do well to check out the above on the internet. The better informed you are, the better able you will be to discuss your condition intelligently with your doctors.
You have been to all sorts of specialists so perhaps what I am going to suggest will sound like a message from Mars. The bloating, the digestive problems, the fatigue, the allergies - the lack of a clear-cut diagnosis - suggests to me an overgrowth of Candida albicans. This is often overlooked by doctors. I guess there is no glamour in it.
I spent four days for tests in a famous teaching hospital in New York City. They took thousands of dollars worth of tests and came up with nothing. They discharged me with a diagnosis of "anxiety" (another way of saying "we have no idea what is wrong with her") and listed me as being in fair condition.
I discovered the cause of my ailments quite by accident. I was deficient in iodine so added this to my supplements. I immediately began to recover. I increased the iodine and my recovery accelerated. Iodine (it was Lugol's solution) kills pathogens so it was likely that I had an infectious disease. The most likely culprit was Candida albicans and so my doctor took blood for a test. The result came back positive for systemic candidiasis.
Many digestive ailments involve a fungal infection, the most likely being candida. Check this with your doctor. He may give you a hard time because most doctors don't like patients diagnosing themselves, especially 17-year-old patients. So you have to be aggressive and insist. I get on well with my doctor and he takes me seriously, but I am 82 and have some experience in the medical field.
By the way, the usual treatment for candidiasis is a fungicide. They have serious side effects and don't actually cure the condition, partly because they cause the fungi to mutate. Also the fungicides are actually fungistatic (control, but don't kill). Lugol's solution (potassium iodide) kills pathogens of all types, is cheap, is over-the-counter, time-proven, and totally ignored by doctors because their training relies on products of the big drug houses.
I have refused to take a fungicide. What I might add to my arsenal is oil of oregano - candida's worst enemy.
I spent four days for tests in a famous teaching hospital in New York City. They took thousands of dollars worth of tests and came up with nothing. They discharged me with a diagnosis of "anxiety" (another way of saying "we have no idea what is wrong with her") and listed me as being in fair condition.
I discovered the cause of my ailments quite by accident. I was deficient in iodine so added this to my supplements. I immediately began to recover. I increased the iodine and my recovery accelerated. Iodine (it was Lugol's solution) kills pathogens so it was likely that I had an infectious disease. The most likely culprit was Candida albicans and so my doctor took blood for a test. The result came back positive for systemic candidiasis.
Many digestive ailments involve a fungal infection, the most likely being candida. Check this with your doctor. He may give you a hard time because most doctors don't like patients diagnosing themselves, especially 17-year-old patients. So you have to be aggressive and insist. I get on well with my doctor and he takes me seriously, but I am 82 and have some experience in the medical field.
By the way, the usual treatment for candidiasis is a fungicide. They have serious side effects and don't actually cure the condition, partly because they cause the fungi to mutate. Also the fungicides are actually fungistatic (control, but don't kill). Lugol's solution (potassium iodide) kills pathogens of all types, is cheap, is over-the-counter, time-proven, and totally ignored by doctors because their training relies on products of the big drug houses.
I have refused to take a fungicide. What I might add to my arsenal is oil of oregano - candida's worst enemy.
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