Aa
Any idea what is wrong?
I am always confused about whether my symptoms are enough to warrant seeing a medical professional in person. Could I get some feedback?
-My stool has been consistently green for the past three bowel movements (about a week). It is primarily hard.
-I have had intense indigestion (acid in mouth) three times in the past week
-I have a lack of appetite
-I am exhausted despite getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night
-I have had a constant dull to moderately intense ache just below my left ribcage that radiates down and toward my back.
-I have had two or three intense stomach aches that affect the majority of my abdomen in the past week
I am a 20 year old female. I have anxious depression, but the only medication I am on right now is the Nuva Ring and have been using it for about a year. I am in fairly good health apart from isolated incidents over the past year (two bladder infections, one kidney infection, strep throat, the flu, recently had my wisdom teeth removed, intense daily migraines two weeks preceding wisdom teeth removal, some two week long virus that they couldn't identify and I just waited out). My family has a history of gall bladder problems, kidney problems and hiatal hernias, among other things.
Any ideas? Should I be going to a doctor, or am I ok to just wait this out?
-My stool has been consistently green for the past three bowel movements (about a week). It is primarily hard.
-I have had intense indigestion (acid in mouth) three times in the past week
-I have a lack of appetite
-I am exhausted despite getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night
-I have had a constant dull to moderately intense ache just below my left ribcage that radiates down and toward my back.
-I have had two or three intense stomach aches that affect the majority of my abdomen in the past week
I am a 20 year old female. I have anxious depression, but the only medication I am on right now is the Nuva Ring and have been using it for about a year. I am in fairly good health apart from isolated incidents over the past year (two bladder infections, one kidney infection, strep throat, the flu, recently had my wisdom teeth removed, intense daily migraines two weeks preceding wisdom teeth removal, some two week long virus that they couldn't identify and I just waited out). My family has a history of gall bladder problems, kidney problems and hiatal hernias, among other things.
Any ideas? Should I be going to a doctor, or am I ok to just wait this out?
In short: Yes, go visit a doctor.
Here's the deal: you say you have anxious depression. Anxiety (and other emotional stresses) wreak major havoc on the digestive system. Let's go by your symptoms point by point:
- Green stools: This usually means increased colonic transit time. It could also mean you're eating a lot of purple-colored food, or lots of very green veggies. Nothing huge to worry about by itself when it happens in the short term. (3 times on the pot is short term. However, 3 times in one week seems kind of... low. Do you eat much fiber?)
- Intense indigestion: The fact that it's only happened for a week is of some comfort, however, the fact that it's happened more than twice is concerning. This right here should get you to the doc, who'll likely prescribe an H2-blocker (Zantac, Pepcid) or a PPI (Prolosec, Prevacid, Aciphex). If it's still happening in a week (after you start taking the medication) then ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist.
- Lack of appetite: see below.
- Exhausted despite sleeping: see below.
- Ache just below the left ribcage that radiates to your back: And here we might have our first big sign of what might be going on. While there are a LOT of things that could be causing this, the most common (as far as I know) is gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach wall. This has to be diagnosed by a gastroenterologist, however. Depending on what you eat/how heavy a meal is, pain here can be mild or very intense. You'll do well to take it really light in the meanwhile: avoid fatty foods, STOP all fried foods, STOP all carbonated drinks, STOP all caffeinated drinks, STOP all coffee, STOP all citrus, STOP all vitamin C, STOP all beans. If you're going to try over-the-counter options (which you should, before you get to your appointment), use something like Maalox (make sure it's liquid), Zantac, or Prilosec OTC, though the later may take up to 4 days to kick in (once it does, though, it should be good).
- Intense stomach aches: See above.
Anxiety is an interesting thing. I'm a big fan of Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration (check Wikipedia for "Positive Disintegration"), so I believe that anxiety and depression are merely signs of what's called "Level II disintegration", or the level at which you begin to express your developmental potential (the "tragic gift", as Dabrowki called it: it's a great thing to have, but the road is hard). The key here is seeing this as a chance for growth instead as something to be cured. Once you get to the root cause(s) (usually involving dissatisfaction with your primary integration, or how society and nature first programmed you) you can use the depression and anxiety as signals from your mind that something needs to change. It's not easy, but it certainly can be rewarding.
Back to your body: You mention here the gallbladder, and you might be interested to know that a malfunctioning bladder ("lazy gallbladder", or a gallbladder that doesn't squeeze the right way) can be at the root of many of these issues. Eventually the lazy gallbladder can lead to gallstones. (My family has a full history of gallbladder issues as well: grandmother, mother, and sister have all had theirs removed.) A hiatal hernia may also be the cause, though it's usually not seen in someone as young as you. (Of course, you're reading this from a guy that was diagnosed with hiatal hernia when he was 18. Of course, he was also really, really, really fat.)
Again, and I'll end with this: go get yourself checked. If it was just the heartburn, I'd say "you can wait another week." The stomach pain that radiates to the back, however, says otherwise.
Good luck!
Here's the deal: you say you have anxious depression. Anxiety (and other emotional stresses) wreak major havoc on the digestive system. Let's go by your symptoms point by point:
- Green stools: This usually means increased colonic transit time. It could also mean you're eating a lot of purple-colored food, or lots of very green veggies. Nothing huge to worry about by itself when it happens in the short term. (3 times on the pot is short term. However, 3 times in one week seems kind of... low. Do you eat much fiber?)
- Intense indigestion: The fact that it's only happened for a week is of some comfort, however, the fact that it's happened more than twice is concerning. This right here should get you to the doc, who'll likely prescribe an H2-blocker (Zantac, Pepcid) or a PPI (Prolosec, Prevacid, Aciphex). If it's still happening in a week (after you start taking the medication) then ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist.
- Lack of appetite: see below.
- Exhausted despite sleeping: see below.
- Ache just below the left ribcage that radiates to your back: And here we might have our first big sign of what might be going on. While there are a LOT of things that could be causing this, the most common (as far as I know) is gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach wall. This has to be diagnosed by a gastroenterologist, however. Depending on what you eat/how heavy a meal is, pain here can be mild or very intense. You'll do well to take it really light in the meanwhile: avoid fatty foods, STOP all fried foods, STOP all carbonated drinks, STOP all caffeinated drinks, STOP all coffee, STOP all citrus, STOP all vitamin C, STOP all beans. If you're going to try over-the-counter options (which you should, before you get to your appointment), use something like Maalox (make sure it's liquid), Zantac, or Prilosec OTC, though the later may take up to 4 days to kick in (once it does, though, it should be good).
- Intense stomach aches: See above.
Anxiety is an interesting thing. I'm a big fan of Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration (check Wikipedia for "Positive Disintegration"), so I believe that anxiety and depression are merely signs of what's called "Level II disintegration", or the level at which you begin to express your developmental potential (the "tragic gift", as Dabrowki called it: it's a great thing to have, but the road is hard). The key here is seeing this as a chance for growth instead as something to be cured. Once you get to the root cause(s) (usually involving dissatisfaction with your primary integration, or how society and nature first programmed you) you can use the depression and anxiety as signals from your mind that something needs to change. It's not easy, but it certainly can be rewarding.
Back to your body: You mention here the gallbladder, and you might be interested to know that a malfunctioning bladder ("lazy gallbladder", or a gallbladder that doesn't squeeze the right way) can be at the root of many of these issues. Eventually the lazy gallbladder can lead to gallstones. (My family has a full history of gallbladder issues as well: grandmother, mother, and sister have all had theirs removed.) A hiatal hernia may also be the cause, though it's usually not seen in someone as young as you. (Of course, you're reading this from a guy that was diagnosed with hiatal hernia when he was 18. Of course, he was also really, really, really fat.)
Again, and I'll end with this: go get yourself checked. If it was just the heartburn, I'd say "you can wait another week." The stomach pain that radiates to the back, however, says otherwise.
Good luck!
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