Gastroenteritis without diarrhea?

I'm a 56 year old male who is in good condition. I've eaten low fat, salt, etc. for many years with a scant medical history to this point. I became progressively ill about a month ago with flu like symptoms--except no diarrhea. The symptoms are:extreme gastric bloating(Simethicone doesn't help) +sick feeling(sometimes dizzy), mostly feeling really lousy, sometimes blurred vision, eyes feeling sunken & tired  + no diarrhea" +no constipation + lack of appetite. Off lactose for 1 wk. It could be months before I  can see a specialist(HMO). My Doc(a GP) is guessing that it is some type of Gastroenteritis, yet there is no diarrhea.  The blood, urine and stool labs showed nothing. I don't think the GP can order imaging...he mentioned there may be a CT scan, down-the-road.
Any helpful hints, possibilities, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
David Williams
Portland, OR

[DavidInPortland]

The problem is H Pylori. It is the bacteria that if not treated (killed), is  the most common cause of ulcers. This is a very nasty bacteria and is very hard to kill. It lives in your stomach and upper small intestines. Everyone has this bacteria, but if someone else's bacteria gets into your gut, you may have a real problem.  There are no set of uniform symptoms for this bacteria. Because of this, it may be missed by physicians.
There is a blood test that is very accurate in determining if you have this bacteria. I would urge anyone that has a chronic gut condition to have this test done. In addition to the prescribed cure, I highly recommend taking, over the counter, Pepcid 15 minutes before meals. You can only use Pepcid 2 times in a 24 hour period. If you have bloating and gut pain, I would highly recommend eating Licorice. This is an old remedy, yet is very effective. You may have to eat large amounts, especially the first time, before you get relief. I had to eat about 8 OZ the first time to get very good relief. I'm not sure that all licorice sold in the stores is the really licorice. Some may just be artificial flavoring.  I used the Aussie Style Soft Gournet [Licorice Black flavor). I found it at my local Walgreens store-it's one of those big discount pharmacy stores. There may be easier and more healthy products to take. My cousin, told me that  DGL eglyeyrrhizinated Licorice.
Is the best product type--especially if you need to take it long term.