The Pain That Just Won't Quit

[someunluckyguy]

hey there,

i am a 32 year old male that has been experiencing troublesome digestive ailments over the last month. the most nagging and common symptom is massive pressure, cramps and excess gas. i know that there are thousands of diagnosis for this ailment from ibs to colitis to lactose intolerance. the trouble is none of these seem to make much sense to me at all. i am experiencing IBS type pain but the trouble is that these symptoms don't come and go they have been constant over a month, i have trouble eating and digesting any foods with anti-spasmodics, acid reducers, digestive enzymes or eating small amounts of food. i have also begun to eliminate both gluten and dairy from my diet to see if that helps but so far the symptoms haven't changed. as far as more serious conditions like colitis or chrons, i doubt it. i am not having bowel movements with noticable blood, i am not overly fatigued, no fever and no vomitting. i have felt some sense of nausea but that is relieved quickly bu gravol or on its own. i have been to the hospital 5 times in a week, my vitals and blood tests are good as are x-rays and ultrasounds. i have an appointment this week with a GI for and upper GI and colonoscopy but fear that they will find nothing and i will be stuck with this forever. ther is some relief in that i have no serious, life threating illness but at times it feel slike i am dying. there has to be an answer and perhaps i will find out soon but i would like a little resolve now if possible. i am a chef, i am hungry and i want to eat the foods that i love without the fear or pain.

thanks in advance.

[someunluckyguy]

just got back from the colonoscopy and upper GI and it looks as if it is infact IBS. there were no signs of inflamation, hernia, ulcers, polyps or any signs of chrons, colitis or cancer. after going over my blood work, ultrasounds and xrays aswell he belives that this is stress related as i have been dealing with alot of emotional turbulence this year ie. wifes mother and brother passed away, her sister had back surgery that has left her right leg paralyzed, we just bought a new home and my new job. ontop of that i work as a chef and my eating habits are usually quite **** as i eat randomly throughout the day and alot after work. infact after having everything ok me i am already feeling like weight has been lifted and i feel alot better and less nervous. i am still going to exclude dairy and gluten from diet until my GP can rule it out so i am feeling quite positive. i am going to go back to eating a normal diet and not worrying about it and if the pains come i will deal with but i wont stress about it as it is something i can control. after reading up on IBS over the last month i firmly believe that it is a serious condition, but one that our mind is playing on us, so i am not going to allow my mind to control me in this way, i hope other people do the same.

i thank you for all the insight to this matter it has brought great ease to me over the last while. i hope everyone else finds the answers they are looking for and that they enjoy a life of love health and prosperity. i will continue to frequent this board to check in on others and to perhaps give some advice as to what is helping me deal with all of this. in the meantime i hope you all enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. God bless!

Curt

[kathryn lee]

It sounds like it could be the beginning of gallstones. Are you having any severe URQ pain. I just found out Fri. that my gallbladder was in the beginning stages of becoming infected. That was only because I was rushed by ambulance to the ER and the UA revealed that I had blood in my urine( I wasnt on my cycle) and the bloodwork revealed an elevated WBC. I was asymptomatic for so long. The only symptoms I had were severe URQ pain, nausea, and vomiting. I would get an opinion from a gastro doc. If it is the beginning of gallstones, then your best bet would be to have your gallbladder removed because there's nothing you can do to stop the GB from becoming infected. Your gallbladder problems will keep progressing. I hope this advice helps.

[someunluckyguy]

i have thought perhaps it could be the start of gallstones. i actually would be quite relieved if it were as my symptoms haven't accelerated to off clour stool, yellowing of the eyes/sking, fever or back pain and from what i understand are easy to treat in early stages. other thoughts are gluten and lactose allergies. i have cut the two out of my diet for 2 days now and i do feel somewhat better, no major cramps and my bowel movements have improved and i have more energy. still quite gassy though, but am confident going into the colonoscopy and upper GI in the morning. also the Kleen Prep they gave me to drink to flush me out isn't that awful. all i have heard from friends who've had the procedure say it's the worst part and im pretty happy about that.

thanks for your concerns, will let you know the results.

[sandy207]

u could have the start of gallstones mine never showed up on blood tests untill having a camera put in my stomach. ur symptoms sound the same

[lizziecee]

Hi there - you are not crazy - you have very real symptoms and valid concerns.  The upper endoscopy and lower colonoscopy should rule out many major diseases.

Crohn's does not always present "normally". When I was dx, after 9 months of tests (no scopes in 1970) I only had severe weight loss (although eating well) and diarrhea. I had no pain, no blood or mucous in my stool - these came many years later as the disease progressed to my large intestine.

There are many new medications for Crohn's - I self inject methotrexate once weekly, and have a high protein,low fat and low fibre diet and am doing well. Hopefully the scopes will provide a diagnosis, then you can  get on to proper meds to keep the condition, whatever it is, in remission.

Take care.
Liz.

[lizziecee]

Hi there - you are not crazy - you have very real symptoms and valid concerns.  The upper endoscopy and lower colonoscopy should rule out many major diseases.

Crohn's does not always present "normally". When I was dx, after 9 months of tests (no scopes in 1970) I only had severe weight loss (although eating well) and diarrhea. I had no pain, no blood or mucous in my stool - these came many years later as the disease progressed to my large intestine.

There are many new medications for Crohn's - I self inject methotrexate once weekly, and have a high protein,low fat and low fibre diet and am doing well. Hopefully the scopes will provide a diagnosis, then you can  get on to proper meds to keep the condition, whatever it is, in remission.

Take care.
Liz.

[someunluckyguy]

also i have obviously lost quite a bit of weight over the last month aboout 15lbs or so. i know this is due to my diet, but i am concerned about the effects of all this stuff. i just would like a little reassurance that i am not crazy and that things will get better soon as im sure these concerns are very common.