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No BM in 2 weeks & other symptoms

I am having some bizarre symptoms for about 5 weeks now.  My dentist found elevated bp at a routine appointment, which I thought was strange, since I had a complete cardiological workup in January (echocardiogram, holter monitor, 24 hr monitor, ekg, stress/echo test, blood work, carotid doppler) and a ct scan and u/s of the abdomen and pelvis. The only thing showing up on the ct was diverticulosis which i've had for years. I have also had gallstones since 1995 when I was pregnant, and they really never bothered me.   Over the past 5 weeks, my bp stayed elevated and was getting worse.  I have been petrified of taking bp meds because of side effects.  I have multiple drug allergies and an allergy to dyes (I had a tumor in my submandibular gland in 1990  (where I had an anaphylaxis reaction to the cat scan dye) & a melanoma in my fingernail in 1992).  I have had anaphylaxis reactions to pencillin and sulfa drugs and some other really bad reactions to other drugs.  I didn't do well under general anesthesia when I had my tumor taken out in 1990, so I am petrified of being put out or even having a cocktail of drugs (i.e. propophol & versed for a colonoscopy so I won't have one; if I need to do it, I'll probably do a virtual).  

Having refused the diovan hct my cardiologist's partner prescribed (I researched it and found out there was sulfa in the hct so I wasn't able to take it), I just kept pressing for more tests when my cardiologist came back, since my gut was that my high blood pressure could be secondary to something else going on. I did go to the ER (before my dr came back) when my bp reached 175/98, and i asked for some basic blood work just to see if there was an infection somewhere in my body, but nothing showed up and they, too, said take diovan. I refused.  I had more extensive blood work when my cardiologist came back, and I had elevated aldosterone, but not renin; and high cholesterol (216) and ldl (142).  Before the blood work came back, I had a renal doppler sonogram, and it showed there was a blocked artery to my left kidney.  I saw the dr who read it, and he was perplexed because my symptoms were atypical for this except for the hypertension (my kidney was not small or shrunken, and the blockage was not typically where one would be). He said he could have made a mistake in reading it (I appreciated his honesty), and he didn't want to do an angiogram (due to my dye allergy) or angioplasty (heaven forbid!) until he knew for sure it was renal artery stenosis, so he ordered an MRI with gadolinium (which although there is not supposed to be a reaction to it - Bayer could not guarantee it - but they did say to make sure there was no kidney disease first - my egfr and creatinine were normal so they said it should be fine).  However, my bp is now up to 170-185 at  night over a diastolic of anywhere from 98-120).  When I get up in the morning it can be as high as 170 as well.  It is so frightening.  The original med (diovan) was contraindicated for renal hypertension so I was glad I stood my ground and never took it.  I do feel there is a missing component to all this.  

About 4 weeks ago, once I heard about the hypertension issues, I was petrified, and I immediately started to clean up my diet and exercise.  I gave up green tea, and coffee (which I rarely drank) and just have been drinking alkaline water.  Within 10 days, I lost close to 14 pounds (which I've been dying to do for the past few years but was unable to).  I've been doing fresh squeezed veggie juice on occasion, lots of fruit, veggies, nonfat yogurt and minimal protein. I was taking a lot of vitamins, omega 3 fish oils and probiotics and my stools were formed and dark due to the vitamins (I stopped a lot of this in fear that anything I was previously doing might be causing the hypertension).  Two weeks into the diet cleanup (up to then my bm's were still okay), while I went to pick my daughter up from camp, I noticed a complete change in my bowels.  I was at the hotel, and suddenly I wasn't forming a solid stool.  I had only eaten fish, and some broccoli.  The small cluster of feces was beige and looked like dog kibble (round little pellets all together in a round ball - you could see the individual pellets).  It scared me, and of course my bp was elevated that entire weekend.  Since then, I've been eating, still losing weight, have no stomach pain (except for some soreness to the right of my belly button which has been there about 4-5 years) and still no bm.  I walk about 45-60 minutes every other day, and I really don't feel bloated or feel like I have an urge to go to the bathroom.  My stomach is as flat as its ever been and not swollen or bloated.  I began getting worried about not going to the bathroom, and so I took some large doses of vitamin C to try and go, and all that came out was mostly water and very little broken up feces.  I urinate frequently (always have).  I kept eating, lost more weight, and had 2 little dark strips come out and felt it was an incomplete evacuation.   Yesterday, I took some prune juice at night, and more water and broken up black pieces of feces within the water came out (I could also see some pieces of granola in there as I've eaten lots of fiber - allbran, granola, ground flaxseeds and oat bran which didn't produce any bm).  

I asked the cardiologist and vascular surgeon if there could be any relation between the potential renal artery stenosis and this constipation problem.  I told them I hadn't gone in 2 weeks, and they didn't think it was related.    Tonight I had 2 little strips come out that were tan, and that really panicked me.  I took more prune juice and again all that came out was water and some orange colored broken up minimal feces (I had eaten an omelet this morning with tomatoes and artichokes and chili peppers, cayenne and tumeric which would account for the orange color).  That is what scared me, because usually chili peppers cause me to go to the bathroom easily.  

Should I go to the ER to see if I have an intestinal blockage? Could this all be from the change in diet?  Would the best diagnostic test for now be xray or ct scan?  I don't have an internist right now, so I would have to find someone to evaluate me asap.   I am supposed to have the MRI with gadolinium next Tuesday, August 18th and now I'm scared of doing that in case there is some blockage in my intestines which might interfere with the test.  It's so stressful and confusing, and I just feel it all might be related and causing the hypertension.  One last thing, I had a fibroadenoma in my breast last January as well, and they used an ultrasound needle biopsy and then inserted a titanium clip in my breast.  I mentioned it to my gynecologist as perhaps a possibility for all these problems, but she said titanium is usually very safe.  

Many thanks, and sorry for the long post.
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Avatar universal
I don't know how soon you're going to see your cardiologist, but for gosh sakes, if the scan confirmed the ultrasound's problem with the kidney artery, then you should be in his office ASAP and he ought to be addressing that issue forthwith.  As for the further test that causes an allergy problem, perhaps they could do it without the contrast dye.

I might add that the "Diovan" that you refused to take way back at the beginning of all this, it DOES NOT have sulfonamide in it.  However, the form called "Diovan HCT" DOES have the sulfa allergy stuff in it.  That form of Diovan with the "HCT" on the end of the name includes a diuretic, which many of those have sulfonamides in them.  So, as long as they will prescribe JUST Diovan, you will not have a sulfa allergic reaction to it.  If you're still not sure, tho, you could take a dose in the prescribing physician's office and stay around for a couple hours.

You did not report how your digestion is doing, so do let us know, please, as that is what brought you to our forum.  I think the problem with the renal artery is what has goofed up your BP and is causing a lot of your symptoms.  Do not worry about your adrenals or the other findings on the scan.  If your circulatory system is not working right, that is far more important.

I appreciate you wanting to improve your health with a special diet, I am familiar with the one you're on, but just make sure you're getting ENUFF food, as I have said in another post.  You can eat healthy, but also eat plenty of what's healthy.  And try not to exclude "normal" foods.  Also, a natural way to replace potassium is to eat bananas, you can look up online what foods provide what vits and mins.  

One more thing, go ahead and see an OB-GYN about getting some bioidentical hormones, you'll feel rather better, and they may indeed help many of your health issues.  In the meantime, you could drink a glass of soy milk daily, kind of takes the edge off the whole disaster area of being at the halfway mark in life, but only do that for a couple months at a time, then quit for a month, then back on it... this is becuz too much of just the hormone in soy can make you a little crazy.  
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much for your detailed reply.  I did see a gastroenterologist, and he said an endoscopy and colonoscopy were in order, but no anesthesiologist would touch me until I get my bp down.  I do carry all my records and list of drug allergies with me at all times, as I have a 14 year old, and although she is very helpful, it's just too much of a burden for her.

Subsequent to my post, I took 2.5mg of norvasc (I finally got the guts to do it), and I made sure I was distracted by going through old clothes, and I had a movie on. Within 1 hour of taking the pill, I felt a band around the back of my head, and by the second hour the headache was so excruciating I couldn't bear it, and my bp had risen to 220/135.  I had someone drive me to the ER, and they kept me there 3 hours and let me leave when it was at 178/103.  The medication actually raised my bp.  It was so frustrating, because I was hoping I could get something to help.  I'm averaging about 150/110 during the day (sometimes higher) and the lowest I get it down to is 136/90's....However, i did do a guided meditation at the hospital the other day that lowered my diastolic to 80.  I'm using meditation.  They also prescribed xanax to help me sleep at night since I don't get more than 3-5 hours.

I did do the MRA with gadolinium, and the dr's are saying it's not definitive, but it does look like one of the renal arteries is narrowed so they want to compare it to the carotid doppler.  They did pick up gallstones (which I have had since 1994 and they are multiple but not bothersome right now). What surprised me were the other things they picked up - a 1cm lesion and/or hemangioma on the liver; hemangioma on the L1 lumbar vertebral body and a thickening of the left adrenal gland (all of which is upsetting).  My aldosterone level is elevated, and from the weeks of being afraid to eat a lot my potassium level dropped from 3.5 to 3..3.  The dr ordered potassium supplements, but I didn't take it since I know that the depletion was probably from all the prune juice forcing water out of me.

I did sign up for meditation and I am doing a mediterranean/anti-inflammatory diet albeit it is quite difficult at times, but I do eat as healthful as possible.  I haven't tried the new medicaiton for my bp yet (plendil) as it is in the same family as norvasc (calcium channel blocker), and I want to see what the vascular surgeon and cardiologist recommend going further.  The radiologist recommended a CTA (I am allergic to dyes which is why I did the MRA with gadolinium) to confirm whether it is definitively renal artery stenosis.  It is so frightening, as every time I get a headache, I'm afraid of a stroke.  And now with the thickening of the adrenal gland, it confirms to be just how stressful my life is.....meditation is supposed to help with the hormone issues to a degree, and in addition having lost almost all my estrogen and progesterone is not pleasant either as bioidentical hormones could have helped with cholesterol and bp issues.

I will keep this forum posted on the outcome.  So very many thanks for your help and suggestions!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dear Medavinci,
First, take some time and write down a list of everything you're allergic to, including the sulfa drugs, versed, and so forth.  Keep it in your wallet, so when a doc wants to prescribe something, show him the list.  I took atenolol for high BP numbers on a temporary basis, made me feel relaxed, got my BP down.

You have symptoms of constipation, and the three things to help it are:  Drink lots of extra water, exercise (you already do that), and get enough fiber foods.  Now, I think you should quit your diet and eat more food, you're not getting enuff to eat, and eat especially carbs, like 100 percent whole wheat bread and cheerios.  A couple slices of that bread per day will help your bowels move better.  Also, as a snack, a couple handfuls of fresh blueberries for a couple weeks will get that going better, too.

Stop taking all your supplements for a while, especially the vitamin and mineral pill, because they can stop up a person.  Garlic is good for high blood pressure, so for a couple months crush up a clove daily and put it in your spagetti sauce (spagetti is good for digestion), your dark green leafy salads, your eggs.  You should not drink more than a small glass of juice daily, or it'll dry you up and thus contribute to constipation.

Next time you feel anxious and upset from your heart racing too fast, take a real deep breath and blow it out, do this ten times, and it'll bring down your heartrate.  I think there's a good chance that your kidney artery being blocked is causing the heart problem, so this forum will be interested in knowing how that turns out.  Don't be concerned about your bowels being backed up maybe affecting the MRI results.  But if you want to get a leg up on constipation, enemas help sometimes, as do laxatives like "Baby Lax," small box of ointment tubes, squirt two in and waste will come out in minutes.
GG
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