Weight loss at age 69

  My mom has lost weight over the last 4 months. She is 5' 6" and
  has gone from 140 to 113 lbs. She has undergone many tests and
  doctors have found nothing. The docotrs say they have eliminated the possibility of an infection. Her symptoms are: a hunger like gnawing pain or dull pain in the abdomen, nausea and no desire to
  eat. She also has some back pain. She is also very weak and tired all the time. She does have gallstones and I'm thinking that this is the source of her problem. She never smoked or drank. She has always eaten very healthy. She had a hysterectomy
  at age 48 but has never had any other surgery or big medical problems. Around the time of the start of her weight loss she started taking medicine to halt glaucoma which she has to continue. She also has been on high blood pressure medicine for several years. She also has arthritis. Here is a list of all the medicine she is taking now:
  CARDIZEM  300 mg 1 daily
  HYDROCHOROTHIADE 12.5 mg 2 daily
  ACEBUTOLOL (SECTRAL) 200 mg 1 daily
  KTAB 10 meg 1 daily
  PREMARIN  0.625 mg 1 daily
  LOTENSIN  20 MG 1 DAILY
  1 ASPIRIN DAILY
  Eye drops
  4 % Pilocar 1 4 X a day
  2 % TRUSOPT 1 drop 3X a day
  0.5 % BETGEN 1 drop 2 x a day
  2.5 ml XALATAN 1 drop @ bedtime .005%
  We have changed doctor and hospitals but have had no success
  please help if you can.
  Regards,
  FJK
________________
Dear FJK,
Your letter is lacking many of the details necessary to provide a list of possible explanations for the weight loss, abdominal pain and malaise.  In general terms, one must exclude tumors (including those of the pancreas), malabosprtion and mesenteric ischemia.  If your mother has had a CT scan, barium x-rays of the GI tract and small intestine biopsy many of the possible causes would be excluded.  A mesnteric angiogram (injection of dye into the celiac and mesenteric arteries) is needed to exclude mesnteric ischemia.
This information is provided for educational purposes only.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
If you want, we would be happy to evaluate your mom.  You can arrange an appoinmeent by calling our Physician Referral Line at [phone] to arrange an appoinment with Dr. Fogel, one of our experts in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disease.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: weight loss, abdominal pain
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