IBS.. Please read this!

[rachel007]

Please read this..if anyone has any advice please post! I am desperate..
No doctors have been able to figure out what is wrong with me. I went from being the picture of perfect health to being the sickest person I know in a matter of months. After I came down with mononucleosis, I developed IBS (among many other strange health problems) and doctors chalk it up to "stress" or "anxiety" and I refuse to accept that I am in horrible pain and getting worse and worse every day because of mental problems. I am currently under NO stress and have been under no stress for months and I feel worse than ever. Something is really wrong with me.
Here's my symptoms
-Severe gas and cramps/ stomachaches
-GERD that barely responds to treatment
-constipation and occasional severe diarrhea
-weight loss/inability to gain weight
-nausea
medications history:
PPI's make me really ill and don't seem to help much, and my heartburn seems to have developed a tolerance to everything except Zantac. I was on birth control pills for years and have stopped them to see if symptoms got better, and they did not. I've also been put on multiple antidepressants, and they make me extremely ill (upset stomach, etc.)
Ive been tested for soo many things. I've had a barium esophagram, upper right quadrant abdominal ultrasound, tons of blood tests, etc. etc. My thyroid has been tested, I've had multiple CBC's, tested for celiac disease...and I am not lactose intolerant, by the way. THe GI doctor pretty much told me to get a colonoscopy/endoscopy and that's all that he could do. (I don't have the money so I stopped going to him)
What could it be? My last doctor pretty much gave up on me and I just got a new one I am goin to see in December. What do you think this could be? Is there something I should ask her to test me for? I'm soo depressed at the thought that my body is just wacky from mono and I feel like the worst is yet to come. I've been sick for over 2 years and I am only 19. I just want my life back :/
Input appreciated..

[Crystallil]

Might want to get tested for Lupus (blood test) and Fibromyalgia (a nervous system disorder that effects every system and often includes GERD and IBS.  all your symptoms could b many diff things.  I have Fibro for over 2 decades and have definitely gone through what u describe.  It can mirror so many things too. I'd def ask to b tested for every autoimmune disorder u can think of.  I wish u the best of luck!

[CassCore]

Keep a food diary. See if certian foods make you feel worse than others. I had the same issues you did in high school!!!! Exactly but mine was panic disorder and Zoloft helped me a bunch. Nexium is awesome for GERD. I had to take it...and you may not feel stressed mentally but your body is stressed physically. Mono is hard on the body and so is IBS. You are probably stressed about not knowing what's wrong with you too! I'm not saying "it's all in your head" at all!!!! Just know that stress can come in many forms! If perscription anti-anxiety drugs bother you try herbal things. Also have you been tested for H-pylori? Its a common bacteria...AND parasites as well if you have traveled out of the country lately.

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  I know your story well.  I got mono three years ago and have been sick ever since.  I am currently 18.  I was eventually diagnosed with gastroparesis and POTS (a nervous system problem).  You need to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy done.  These test more many different things and you need to find out what is going on.  Good luck.

Mammo, they rarely put people on antibiotics for mono anymore, they just tell you to wait it out.

[mammo]

I feel your new doctor will tell you the same as the last....get a colonoscopy and an endoscopy.  These two tests are imperative in your case, and may reveal what the problem is.  They will work with you on a payment plan.  You don't have any of the lingering effects of the mono, or complications.
Never understimate the power anxiety has on our bodies, even physical symptoms.  You say you have no stress but you have been sick for 2 years, this is extremely stressful!  Plus, many of us are diagnosed with anxiety when we feel we have none.  You owe it to yourself to look into this, because at your age, I doubt they will find anything wrong via a colonoscopy and endoscopy.  Anxiety causes so many problems with our digestive tract and makes us lose our appetite.  With the GERD make sure you aren't eating spicy foods and keep your head elevated at night.  Also, I'm sure they had you on antibiotics for the mono which killed off all your naturrally occurring bacteria in your digestive tract which aids in digestion, so eat yogurt enriched with probiotics everyday to replenish this.  Please don't disregard the anxiety idea.  Visit the Anxiety Forum and read what people are enduring due to anxiety.  You don't want to dismiss anything since they have not found anything wrong thus far.  Good luck and take care.