What is his diagnoiss for A Gastro symptoms below??

my brother in law is having difificluties with this intestines and hewas taken to him  the hospital several times to and they could not find anything worng with him. It started about 3 months a ago when he was lifting a heavy treadmill and started having pain in his left ribcage area. Then he was not able to sleep and was feeling weAK. Then he has stoamch pains which came and go intermittent. Everytime he eats he said his tomach would hurt and maybe its an ulcer or something but the hospitals in Pennsylvania are incompetent. THye just do a ct scan and said nothing is wrong. He was on nexium and lunesta since he had insomnia. That made him hallocinating and depressed. So now is is so emoational distress he has loss of appeitite and adonminal pain comes and goes. Depression, vomiting. Now all the symptoms that I am describing is there a diagnois in the gastro area. Please help I am calling for hlep because nobody seems to now anything at the hospitals. They should have done a colonscopy to get down to the problem. Can you please help what does my brother in law has???

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I agree with the CT scan, which can evaluate the pancreas, liver and gallbladder.

At this time, I would further evaluate the upper digestive tract.  An upper endoscopy can evaluate the esophagus, stomach and small intestine, looking for ulcers or inflammation.

A more specialized test would be a 24-hr pH study to exclude GERD.  

I would advise seeing a GI specialist to perform this next step.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com

[Jack54]

An upper endoscopy, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy  (EGD) only can only view a very tiny portion of the small intestine, the Duodenum which is ~26 cm (9.84 in) in length, compared to a total average length of the other two portions, the Jejunum 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and the Ileum 3.5 m (11.5 ft). The small intestine makes up 75% of our digestive system, according to the National Institutes of Health, and these measurements came from there also.

I say this in reference to your above statement, and I quote you:

"An upper endoscopy can evaluate the esophagus, stomach and small intestine, looking for ulcers or inflammation."

To me this is extremely relevant when you missed the EGD test coverage by almost 28 feet.

[Banned1]

Hi Zeda2008:

How is your brother-in-law doing?  

Good luck and Godspeed!