Is this really what I have or is it a catchall?

[amyb]

I am 31 years old and just been diagnosed with IBS, Functional Constipation.  I don't think this is what I can have because I have always been "normal".  In 1998, I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and reflux but never had any heartburn, I was vomiting four to six hours after I ate.  I wonder if there was a misdiagnosis of another type of internal hernia.

Now, since April of this year I have had bouts of extreme straining to have a bowel movement.  The first being three days and now it has progressed to a daily problem.  I have severe abdominal pain mainly on my left side across from my belly button.  My stool is normal when I finally pass something and the bout is over but when I am having the problem, I pass nothing but mucus and my stomach looks as if I am five months pregnant.(I've even been asked by five people at work)

I have been suffering now for six months and can not find an answer.  I have had a sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, CT scan, and a colonic transit study (all normal).  I don't believe it can be IBS because I can tell you when it started, there is nothing that brings about the problem, I've tried every medication known to man, and I can not tell you how bad I feel. It feels like I am having some type of intermittent  blockage.  The severity continues to get worse.  Someone please give me some ideas.  Other tests, other diagnosis to check out, etc.

[amyb]

I just wanted to update everyone.  I just had an ultrasound of the gall bladder and waiting on results.  I go for an UGI with small bowel on Nov. 15.  I have been having less pain of late but still the pressure of needing to go and an urgency to urinate lately.  My CT scan also showed that my uterus was prominent so this may be the pressure I feel.  We'll see but it feels like the doctors I have are at least finally listening to me and realize that this is not something that is being fixed by all the meds and dietary changes.  Thay are sending me to a specialist at a reputable hospital after my UGI and we'll see where that goes but I will hopefully find out what's going on soon.  I also here that there is a new study regarding IBS that they are doing here in CT for IBS-constipation.  There is also a new drug called Zelnorm if anyone else is interested in trying it, it does seem to help somewhat better and less painful than laxatives.

[Kdown11]

Everyone that hasnt had one....Get a Gastric Emptying Test! I was vomitting daily, nausea, weak, tired, etc. I have what they call Gastroparesis, a paralysis of the stomach. I have a Hiatal Hernia and GERD. I have taken almost every medication for GERD and the only one that seems to work for me is prescription Prevacid. The Hernia and Gerd can make you feel as if someone has kicked you in the chest and your bruised and back pain. Looking 5 months pregnant is typical for me....I eat, I look pregnant....Gastroparesis! I also have IBS....And do I begin to believe that the doctors know where to begin...NO! But do I buy a lot of drugs....YES....have I seen many doctors...YES! They say keep looking for the doctor who helps you....where are they? Im tired of commiting my money to so many! No wonder they all have nicer houses than me! Good luck!

[ChickenBriar]

Amyb,
Have you had a Gastric Emptying Test?  If so, did they show delayed emptying?  I feel like a broken record today, but I have seen so many postings that could easily be Gastroparesis.  My wife was initially diagnosed with IBS until they realized that her stomach wasn't emptying much at all.  She had all the pain and went around being treated like it was all in her head.  I am ashamed to admit, I often wondered if she was doing it to herself without realizing it.  Ultimately, we've found someone who has treated many young women with Lupron.  It puts you into an early medical menopausal state (the bad news), but it seems to have really helped her.  She is actually eating again after having almost nothing for over a year.  She has been in and out of hospitals in Iowa, Illinois, and even had a gastric Pacemaker placed in California, but the Lupron has had the best results for her (She has only been on it for 6 days, yet she is eating chicken sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, rice, cereals with milk, etc.  Many things she could never eat.  This is the first week and she is feeling better than she had for over a year.  Just a thought and I wanted to get the idea of using Lupron as a treatment for Idiopathic (don

[panfly]

I am going to make an assumption from your name that you are female?  If so, may I ask if any or your problems occur around your cycle time?  And if so, please consider seeing your OBG regarding the possibility that you may have endometriosis.  I too suffered through years of pain and tests, very similar to your own story, to finally find out that my problems were caused by this disease.  

Take a look at
http://www.healthywomen.com/health/endom_signs_symptoms.html

[amyb]

Panfly, I went to the OBGYN because I thought Rectocele due to a 31 hour severe labor and delivery of my daughter in 2001 but he noted no concerns and is in fact the one who referred me to the Gastro.  But I appreciate the thought.  I have researched so many things and found SO MANY things that can cause these symptoms. There are only a few that refer to left side abdominal pain.

Andy, I am so sorry you are this sick.  When I was diagnosed with the Hiatal Hernia, I was put on Prilosec (which i think worked better for me than Nexium) but then again, I was vomitting not having reflux.  The way they found the reflux for me was to have me swallow some water during the UGI which I thought was odd but he had said that is the only way to see how much and how far the fluid goes into the esophegus.

Stay well all.

[Andydrew]

Abbey,

I suddenly started to get reflux last April, with accompanying groin pain and stomach pain. Thought I had an ulcer.

My mom was diagnosed with lymphoma just a month earlier, plus I had a very intense work situation going on. I remember straining during bowel movement, and I remember something strange happening. I thought to myself, uh oh, that wasn't good. I thought I was going to bleed from the colon but I didn't, I began to reflux som etime thereafter. I remember thinking that I have to calm down from the stress but it was too late.  The reflux got worse and worse and I thought for sure it was stomach, pancreatic, or colon cancer or any other related one.

I won't go into it, but the doctors I saw thought I was just having a stressful month and they gave me sedatives. I was able to sleep but I think it worsened the reflux. Not one doctor would test me but I pursued it and finally had a barium swallow that showed nothing and my reflux got so bad that I thought I was seriously ill. I paid for my own endoscopy and they found the hernia.

I wa stold I will have it all my life and should stay on meds. all my life. So that brings us up to date. I haven't felt well since I sat on the toilet that final day last spring!!!

I have tried Nexium, Protonix, Zantac, Aciphex and they all have different side effect profiles. Nexium was great but then I got severe headaches after 10 weeks. I'm on Protonix and it's helful, but doesn't really stop the reflux. No side effects so far, except it makes a lot of interesting music during business meetings, like weird moans and groans. I have to explain that it wasn't the meeting, just the medication!!!

Andy Drew

[Andydrew]

Hi Everyone,

Missed a lot of communications.

To catch up, I am wondering if the fiber you are taking is exacerbating your symptoms. Fiber is great for consistent movements but very gaseous and bloating. How about getting off it for a week, as an experiment, and if you feel blocked up, try stool softeners or a Fleet enema to keep teh bowels moving. The fiber may not resolve everything but it could be obfuscating what's really going on.

It's very hard not to feel like a hypochondriac when you have no formal diagnosis and know you have something hurting you. And the something keeps changing from one thing to another. If you think about it, no one can know better than you. You are your body!  And you are your own caretaker.

Don't worry, we know what you are going through, and you really have what you think you have, but the symptoms are symptoms of a variety of conditions. So you MUST get every test you can to reach a diagnosis. Then you can be treated
accordingly.  Plus, people brush off reflux as if it's nothing, but it is dangerous long term.

About my hernia:

I have it 24/7. I get side effects to the PPI medications, so much so that I went off everything last week because I can't stand the stomach pain, headaches, and discomfort, being buried in pillows and twisted up in blankets, and sucking on antacids in the middle of the night.  And my reflux wasn't any worse than when I'm on medication. But I'm scared to stay off drugs because I know I can develop cancer of the esophagus. I also get contactions and hiccups sometimes for an hour. I fell asleep the other night because it exhausted me.

And of course, I wonder if I have other things they didn't find..

Andy

[amyb]

I actually feel worse when I have a BM unless it is at the end of one of my bouts.  The bouts are getting more frequent also.  I have increased my fiber, cut down on dairy and increased fluids to about 48-64 ounces per day.  I am a very thin person averaging between 110-115lbs.  When the problem occurs, I get up to about 120-125lbs.  The pain seems to be in my back more frequently now like straight through.  The straining has seemed to have decreased.  The doctors are sending me for an ultrasound due to the cyst they found posterior to my gallbladder but I don't think this has anything to do with it.  But I may be wrong.  I've been feeling pretty good for the past few days, could be the meds finally working to decrease the pain but I don't know, maybe just end of this latest bout.  If I get anything new, I will be sure to let ya all know.  Thanks for all your concern.

[Wilson]

I think you hinted at this but I'm not sure ... does the pain go away after your b.m.? Of course there can be residual pain from all the straining, but does the brunt of it subside after you go? I'm sure you know the things that help with constipation in general, such as eating more fiber, drinking tons of water, getting plenty of rest, and of course exercise. Has your diet changed in association with this, like are you eating alot of cheese or other dairy? Sometimes food allergies can actually cause constipation.
As far as thinking it's something other than IBS because you've always been "normal" before, sometimes a body can change with age - and sometimes seemingly overnight. It's not even a matter of getting "old", but just the way things function can change a little bit - and this can happen whether you're 31, 21, or 71.
Having said all that, if you really have doubts about the diagnosis you should definitely keep looking deeper. I don't think there's such a thing as an "intermittent blockage", other than the stool itself (- simply constipation). As far as the location of the pain, has diverticulosis been considered? What about something not even GI- related, perhaps a female issue? I think pain alone can trigger IBS symptoms - constipation or whatever. Finally, you may want get a colonoscopy just to be 100% sure there's nothing going on medically inside the colon, which is where your symptoms do seem to originate.
Good luck to you and let us know how you're progressing.

[TLC90]

I am curious what your outcome is as well. I was diagnosed with IBS about a year ago and the med I was put on only worsened my abdominal bloating. I an scheduled for a colonoscopy, EGD as this is the start of my major testing. I have extreme abdominal bloating. Also look as if I am 5 months preg. Not really any pain just extreme discomfort. I have gained 10lbs in less than 2 mths and I keep gaining about a pound a week. I know I am not preg. as I just went to the OB. Extreme fatigue but other than that, no major pain.   Anyone have any ideas?

[amyb]

I appreciate all of you responses.  I feel like such a hypochondriac at this point.  The doctors just don't seem to hear how much pain I am in.  My husband is getting the brunt of my frustration.  I will ask for an endoscopy but I guess they are going to give me an ultrasound of a cyst that they found on my gall bladder during the CT scan first then the UGI with small bowel follow through.  

Andy, as far as the hiatal hernia goes, I had taken prilosec up until i was pregnant in 2000.  They restarted me on Nexium in June 2002 and it hasn't helped.  I don't know if my problem is a HH but I need to know soon what the Heck my problem is.  I admit I am not the easiest patient for the doctors to deal with because I just will not take NO for an answer and won't leave them alone until I know for sure there is nothing left for me to do.  The pain I feel is far more than most IBS patients, I can assure you.

If any of you have any other ideas please feel free to write.  Thanks again.

[Abbey]

What did they do for your hiatal hernia? I'm having the same problems and was diagnosed via endoscopy in April. My stomach problems continue to get worse daily. I'm going to have my new G.I. give me another one to confirm previous diagnosis. I had heard that a hiatal hernia causes no pain. I don't believe that.

[5fan]

I am also a 31-year old female.  I had an endoscopy (EGD) done in September.  I can tell you that, of all the tests I've had in the past three months which include:

    1.  2 sets of abdominal x-rays
    2.  2 abdominal sonograms
    3.  2 abdominal CT scans (with and without contrast)
    4.  1 HIDA scan (2 and 1/2 hour test without moving)
    5.  1 gastric emptying test
    6.  1 small bowel follow through test
    7.  1 endoscopy (EGD); and
    8.  a MRCP of the bild duct (MRI)

the endoscopy was not the worst by far.  If you don't mind having an IV started you shouldn't have any problems at all.  You really won't even remember the procedure.  

I remember the doctor putting the sedation injection into my IV and then telling me to swallow - I did not feel anything - and then I remember him taking his yellow scrub apron off and it was over.  Before the test started the nurse told me it was only a five minute procedure and for a few days I thought I remembered it all.  It took me a while to realize I only caught the beginning and once it was over.  The doctor also went ahead and biopsied my stomach and pancreas during the procedure.  I had a few cramps, but nothing even as bad as PMS.

I know have to go have an ERCP and I'm really not nervous because the EGD was no big deal I feel like the ERCP will go just was well.

BEST OF LUCK.

[Andydrew]

I have pain shooting through to the back as well. I thought it was because of the awkward way I sleep. My body is a pretzel at this point.

The cyst is something I'm not aware of but it sounds like you're getting good medical tests!!!  I had to go out of town to get an endoscopy because I wasn't approved by the idiot GI in my medical plan. They'd let you die to save $$. I paid for it myself and thank God I did because the hernia was found.

Don't be afraid of the endoscopy. I was scared too but as it turned out it's faster than a colonoscopy and you don't have to drink that nauseating fluid to clean out bowels. It doesn't hurt.

-Andy

[amyb]

I was diagnosed with the hiatal hernia but these are brand new symptoms.  The doctors think I'm crazy because the pain is throughout my abdomen and sometimes shoots straight through to my back.  The ct scan did show a 2cm cyst on or near my gall bladder.  Could a hiatal hernia really cause the straining.  I thought it just caused reflux?  I will ask for an endoscopy (which sounds kinda scary) after I have another UGI with small bowel follow through.  I just can't stand the pain anymore with no answers.  Thanks for your help.

[Andydrew]

You may want to have an endoscopy. I had very similar symptoms and it turned out to be a hiatal hernia which was diagnosed via an endoscopy and missed with the barium swallow.