GI

[Sue-Kneringer]

    
      Re: GI
    


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Posted by HFHSM.D.-rf on February 28, 1998 at 12:12:42:

In Reply to: GI posted by Sue Kneringer on January 22, 1998 at 18:10:14:

: Dear Sir,
  I have been a person in excellent health, until I turned approx.31.It all started with excessive gas for a month. Then for about a few months the gas stayed inside me and gurgled and never passed gas.A few months later I had a bad sinus infection, and at that time I had severe burning in the upper abdomen. I was treated with zantac, but it had a reaction on me, and caused my heartrate to rise.I was then put on Prilosec, which seemed to help somewhat, but I had problems relieving the gas. This was intolerable pain which led me to seek emergency care, with no help. I was seen by a GI physician. I had an upper GI and a sigmoid done. Results were gastritis, and stay on the Prilosec. Along with these symptoms, I had shaking of the stomach, very nervous, when hungry, I almost would pass out, and my stomach would get very shaky, dizziness, very dry in the mouth, eyes, and a burning sensation in the chest cavity, now mostly in the lower abdomen, and R L quadrant. Hair growth on the chin area, where I never had any hairs.I have been having constipation problems, since the beginning. I was told by a few doctors that I have a retroverted uteres. In the past 6 months, I have been having stange menstrual cycles, and just missed one. The burning is pretty much with me all the time. I was put on paxil for anxiety, and also lorazepam to sleep at night. Now my paxil was upped to 2 per day. 40mg. I have pretty much for two and a half years, not been myself. I have had a poor attention span, and forgetting alot of things, and saying words wrong, or in the wrong place. I am tired alot. I work at a hospital and love my patients, and this keeps me going.I have had an ultrasound in feb. 1996, of the gallbladder, pelvic area, and the heart. all of which came up normal at the time. It is hard to get results, because my doctor just met me and said she is positive it is anxiety, and that we don't  need any other tests.
  I still live with this burning that has not gone away, but has since moved to a different region. I would appreciate any suggestions, you may have. I am a very normal educated person, just trying to get some answers, and I know  you can only suggest . Thank You for listening.
______________________________________________
Dear Sue,
Reading your letter it seems as if you have had a very difficult time with a variety of symptoms and illnesses.  It is difficult to tie all of your problems into a single diagnosis.  In this note I will try to explain why you may have some of your problems.
Excessive abdominal gas is usually the result of swallowed air.  People who talk when they eat or who drink and eat will frequently swallow air.  Consequently, they will complain of bloating, cramps after eating or excessive passage of gas either by mouth or rectum.  Sometimes, the cause for the gas problems is a change in diet: drinking more soda, increased milk intake, or eating more salads.  As these foods are digested gas can result.  Finally, if you started to take more fiber in your diet, you may develop a problem with gas.  
The abdominal byrning that developed after your sinus infection may have been related to the antibiotics used to treat the infection.  Some antibiotics may be associated with heartburn and the development of esophageal inflammation.
The constellation of symptoms that included nervousness, almost fainting, dry mouth, etc do not sound gastrointestinal in origin.  Some of your symptoms may be related to an endocrine or gynecologic problem e.g. hair growth, change in menses.  Have you had evaluation by your gynecologist including hormone levels?  Have you been checked for hypothyroidism?
At present, there is no universally effective treatment for gas.  A number of compounds are available at your pharmacy e.g. simethicone, Phazyme, charcoal formulations.  If there is no identifiable precipitating factor for your symptoms, you need to try these different compounds until you find one that works for you.
Best of luck.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you would like to be seen at our institution, please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians Office and make an appointment to be seen with Dr. Ronald Fogel of the Division of Gastroenterology, one of our experts in the treatment  of gastrointestinal diseases.
Keywords: gas, pain
HFHSDM.D.-rf
0.6