Severe Nausea, Vomiting, Pain for Several Years and looking for answers

[diane304]

I have a question regarding elevated liver function tests.  

First of all I had my gallbladder removed almost 28 yrs. ago.  After having it removed, developed diarrhea.  Diagnosed with IBS.  Had ERCP done after the removal of the gallbladder because having pain on right side, nausea and vomiting.  Have had episodes of all of these symptoms since then.

In the past 10 to 15 years when I have blood tests done my liver enzymes are elevated.  I do not have a history of drinking.  I am 46 yrs old never drank or had an interest to drink.  I have never smoked or done any type of drugs.

In 2000 I had to retire due to other medical problems, I became very depressed and I also have disc degeneration in my back, I have thoracic outlet syndrome in my left arm, I have numbness, tingling and burning sensation in right thigh.  I also had GERD and had a laproscopic fundoplication to correct this and also a hiatal hernia that was corrected at the same time.  After this surgery had to have multiple dilations of my esophagus.

I started to have symptoms of severe nausea, vomiting and pain for no reason.  In 2005, I became very ill and was out running errands and ended up driving myself to the ER, my liver function tests were elevated and had to be admitted to hospital.  My gastro did another ERCP and dilated the bile duct to see if that would help the problem.  Felt a little better and then same symptoms would come back.  In 2006 went in hospital to have a sphincterotomy of the sphincter of oddi and gastro doc ended up putting a stent in the bile duct when he did the ERCP, woke up in severe pain and was admitted to hospital with pancreatitis due to the ERCP and was in there for 23 days, back in for 1 then out and then back in for another 5 days.  After 6 weeks back in again and stent removed, still having same problems.  

In 9/07 became deathly ill at home, and within a 1 hr period probably threw up around 2 dozen times, normally I try to treat symptoms at home with Phenergan tablets or suppositories but within the 1 hr period, I knew that I couldn't and had my husband take me to the ER.  Had regular xray, they saw something, did ultrasound said it looked like I had a small illeus, then did CT scan.  Amalyse was a little high and other Liver Function Tests out of whack.  They put down an NG tube and I was still vomiting profusely.  Using phenergan and zofran for this, demerol for pain, admitted to hospital for 6 days finally discharged home.

Went to my gastro doc last week and all lab work repeated, Alkaline Phosphate 185 and AST up a little 68 have to go back in 3 weeks for repeat.

I have been told that my liver is enlarged (a long time ago), that I have a fatty liver, that it could be a sphincter of oddi problem ( been referred to a specialist at UVA in Charlottesville), I have been diagnosed with gastric pararisis, IBS, osteoarthritis,  I have also had my gallbladder and appendix removed in 1980, hysterectomy in 1992, laproscopic fundoplication in 1998, bladder repair surgery in 2000, removal of my ovaries in 2007 (thought it was cancerous, but it wasn't, only scar tissue), several dilations of esophagus, ERCP (1 - 1981, 1 - 2005 and 1 - 2006), liver biopsy, barium enemas and swallows.  The only medication that I take is xanax .5 mg tid, lexapro 20 mg daily, over the counter pain medicine when pain gets bad or I do to much.  Was on pain meds for back, leg and right side pain but meds stopped working and didn't see any since in taking it if it wasn't going to work.

I am so tired of the pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tenderness on the right side and all of the other symptoms that I could scream.  The doctor in Virginia suggested botox into sphincter of oddi, but said that was not a permanent fix, or cutting the sphincter of oddi, my regular gastro doctor wants to wait.  I guess I could understand if I was a drinker or took alot of meds, I don't drink and I hate to take meds.  I JUST WANT TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING MY PROBLEMS AND WHY MY TEST RESULTS ARE ALWAYS HIGH FOR NO APPARENT REASON.

One thing also, it seems like my stomach is a little swollen on the right side (underneath where my gallbladder scar is).  

Is there anything else I should mention to my gastro doctor to check or any ideas on what could be causing my problems.

[boron]

OK, my suggestion: Contact REUMATHOLOGIST and ask him/her about this "stretchest connective tissue".

Mention to him:
Disc hernia, Hiatus hernia, Ileus, Scar tissue (ovaries),
needed esoph. dilatations, needed hepatobiliary duct dilatation.

I'm sure it is connected with one form of CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE, but even your GP probably won't know much about it. See rheumathologist.

This dense connective tissue may cause other symptoms in your gut, so tell the GI the same.You can also ask about:

-sclerosing cholangitis:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarysclerosingcholangitis/index.htm

[diane304]

I do remember when I had the bladder repair surgery, that the surgery took longer and was more involved than the urologist had thought that it would be.  I also remember him saying that I had the stretchest connective tissue that he had ever saw.  I would like to have some some answers really bad.

[boron]

Disc hernia
Hiatus hernia
Ileus
Scar tissue (ovaries)
needed esoph. dilatations
needed hepatobiliary duct dilatation

All above conditions suggest CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE. There are many forms of this disease (systemic sclerosis, Sjogren syndrom etc). In your case connective tissue seems to be weak (disc hernia, possibly ileus) and over produced (hepatobil. duct, esophagus).

Connective tisue disease may be of autoimmune origin, some ANTIBODIES would be found in the blood in this case, I'm not sure.

We are talking about WEAK CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE, I can't find an exact name atm.