My Problem

[rg715]

A year ago in September of 2011 to December of 2011 I had some explained weight loss(stress, not eating as much/regularly as I should have been) of about 15(from about 120 to 105 lbs, I am 5'5) pounds in 2 or 3 months(BEFORE this all happened). Around December I started noticing that when I ate, I would become very uncomfortable, feel very bloated with a distended abdomen, and felt as though my food was stuck in my intestines or not digesting correctly. It is now October and I still feel like this. At first I thought it might have something to do with the weight loss or hormones(I am a woman and OBGYN exams and hormone test have come back normal). In June I gained about 5 pounds back but it is very hard to gain more because I am so uncomfortable after I eat. I saw my primary care doctor who did a CBC, thyroid, and celiac blood test, which were all normal. She told me to try probiotics, which didn't help(I took them for a few weeks). I went to a GI doctor a few weeks ago and I had an upper right quadrant ultrasound(it came back normal). Then I had an upper endoscopy, where they found I have very mild inflammation in my esophagus and stomach(everything else I am assuming was normal). They prescribed me an acid/ppi inhibitor(which a nurse told me wasn't even really necessary since my inflammation is so mild). I haven't been taking this long enough to say I have noticed any changes, but I am confused about this though because I fail to see how my symptoms(bloating and discomfort) fit with what they are telling me is wrong with me(acid inflammation). I have never felt heart burn or any other symptoms of acid. I am also scheduled to have a gastric emptying test in 2 weeks(although i think it will be normal since I have no bowel issues). I feel no pain and never have with regards to my issues, but I feel my discomfort is just as unpleasant as pain, because I do get extreme discomfort, fullness, and bloating after my first meal of the day, which gets worse as a eat lunch, then even worse after dinner, which then gets even worse if I drink a glass of water. The only time I feel somewhat comfortable is in the morning after 12-15 hours of not eating. No food seems to affect the discomfort more than another and l have had no diarrhea or noteworthy constipation. One other thing to note is that I have had no relief from my symptoms, and have found nothing that reduces them once it happens, or prevent them in the first place. While I can't know for sure, I am convinced the weight loss is what triggered this, whether is was indirect or the cause of my problems. Could this be a gallbladder issue that requires a HIDA test? or Do I have enough/the right symptoms to ask my GI doctor to do a HIDA test and have him agree?

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

A HIDA would be reasonable. So would a gastric emptying study.

[rg715]

Please respond

[rg715]

One thing I forgot to mention is that in March of 2012, after I had realized I needed to gain some weight, I ate a large muffin in the morning. I had my usual extreme discomfort, but about 30-60 minutes later then had a stomach ache, I felt nauseous, and felt I was going to throw up. As I got up to try to get to the bathroom, I fainted for just a second. I then laid down on the couch, I didn't feel nausea anymore, but I still felt even more uncomfortable than usual. It took me a few days to get back to my normal levels of discomfort. Nothing like this has happened since then, I just felt it was worth noting.