Stomach and Intestinal Pain with Back Aches

[gtfour]

Hi All,

After reading a number of posts on the subject (and seeing how many supportive folks there are out there willing to provide their input), I thought I'd ask for your thoughts.

For about 2 months now I have been coping with this on-again off-again stomach pain.  It initially started after I simply ate too much, started doing some heavy lifting which ultimately threw my stomach into some serious fits resulting in diarrhea and terrible cramping all night long.  In coming days, it got better (and seemed to improve).  But then it came back again, accompanied with this dull pain primarily in my upper/mid back between my shoulder blades.  Other times it can radiate to my sides, or even effect my sciatic nerve.

Of course, anybody can go online and diagnose themselves and walk away thinking they're dying of something terminal.  The internet is a terrible resource for a hypochondriac (not that I am, but I swear I'm borderline).

At any rate, this pattern has persisted and simply won't go away (minus the diarrhea) - even as I've changed my diet to nothing but bland, healthy foods.

Visited my PCP and had all the bloodwork done (lipase as well - checking for pancreas issues I believe).  All is normal.  I had a CT scan performed.  That came out clean.

I know I can be an anxious person, and I have a lot on my plate right now (wife is due with our third child within weeks, due to start a new job soon).  So just the 'thought' of this being something serious is enough to push me over the edge.

Ultimately, today, I had a consultation with a gastroentrologist.  They'll be getting me in for both a colonoscopy and endoscopy early next week just to have a look at what's going on in there.  This procedure really can't come soon enough.

Does anybody have any input on what I might be coping with?  This is my first real health concern I've had.  I'm 40yo, non-smoker in relatively good shape.  Nonetheless, the anxiety of 'not knowing' gets the best of me.

Thanks ahead of time for any input.

[cnoevl21]

its never a bad idea to take probiotics. Maybe start with a 10 billion live cultures instead of 30.

[gtfour]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.  

I had considered the food poisoning theory at the time.  I've had food poisoning and I can say that goes down on my list as one of the worst feelings ever.  There were others who ate the same thing as me, with no affects.  Perhaps I was the lucky one.

At any rate, I had the colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures performed last Friday.  Colon is as clean as a whistle (doctor's quote).  However, there appears to be an irregularity with the opening of my esophagus into my stomach.  Doc says it's a 'potential' sign of chronic acid reflux (something I've never known to have).  Also some redness in areas of my stomach lining.  Small biopsies were taken here and there.  Results should be back in a week.

Stomach aches (with occasional little spasms) and back pain still persist.  It's so hard to distinguish 'real' symptoms from those amplified by anxiety.  

Question - after the colonoscopy (well, the prep that is), do you think it's still wise to try the probiotic?  I can honestly say I've never been so 'cleansed' in my life.

Thanks again.

[cnoevl21]

You may have had a bout of food poisoning when you got sick a few months ago. This, in turn, could have thrown off the balance of flora in your gut. Flora balance can take a long time to fix. I would get a strong probiotic (30 billion live cultures) and see if that helps. If your stool becomes too loose, knock it down to 15 billion.
Obviously, that is just a thought, but definitely worth a try.
You could also look into getting a food allergy test done as the body changes all the time and with that comes changes in what we are allergic to.
Last thought is to have a comprehensive stool study done to check for parasites, and have them check for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth).