Three years, no diagnosis

[JD_C]

I'm a 23 year old male who has been suffering from chronic nausea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and constipation for the past three years. I'm already on the small side(5'7" started at 135lbs), but since my symptoms, my weight fluxuates around 115. I've seen several doctors including 2 gastroenterologist and had an extensive GI workup, but nothing was found except unexplained minor gastritis in the atrium. The doctors are now telling me its all stress related, but the symptoms don't seem to show any correlation with stress. A year before the symptoms started, I had a kidney stone and infection within the same year. The fact that I'm only 23 and am experiencing such persistent and abnormal gastrointestinal problems just confuses the doctors' I've seen even more. I guess my question is, is there something out there that could cause these symptoms yet not show up with the routine GI tests? And at what point do I just give in and just try to live with it? Surely going several years malnourished can't be too good.

[Matthew007]

hey just one more thing to add... i've been tested for celiac a bunch of times (3X) and it's all been negative, but i'm reading it's easily possible to get a false negative on both.. also did a upper gi series workout..anyway I elimnated lactose completely for like 5 days..and my nausea levels have gone down.  Lactose intolerance is a side effect of gluten so it STILL could be a gluten celiac problem...

there's really only a few basic ones..like fructose intolerance/gluten/lactose... so I would just eliminate (it's hard..) but eliminate gluten and dairy from your diet for a good month or two.  You might as well..that's what i'm doing right now..dairy has helped me big time..before I was a heavy dairy milk drinker..

also you could just completely empty yourself out like prepping for a colonoscopy.. if you're still nauseated being empty of all food/waste I would think that would suggest something else other than just the typical IBS junk... something else to try.  You might be deficient like malaborbtion that can cause nausea/chronic nausea...

just some ideas.  good luck (to both of us)

[greatmoses]

l-tryptophan, marijuana (but not too much!!!).
l-tryptophan helps your serotonin production, and makes you feel good. It also helps avoid mental addictions.
marijauan of course makes you hungry. Oh yeah...
so feel good, feel high or stoned, then feel hungry.  eat and eat and eat and be muther ******* happy.
colloigal silver couldnt hurt either.

[JD_C]

Oh and as far as my diet is concerned, I've been to a nutritionist and they simply told me to eat anything and everything I can bc of how low my Calorie intake was. I try to take this advice but its hard to even force bread down until after 3:00 in the afternoon. My first full meal normally comes around 8-9. I've tried forcing food down past the nausea, pain, and discomfort that follows just makes it not worth it anymore. I'd say my biggest life safer is Boost nutritional drinks. I drink 1-3 per day, and its normally the boost around 3:00 that finally kicks off my appetite.

[JD_C]

Stress is the thing all of the doctors seem to be falling back on with no tests showing anything.  (by the way, I've had an extensive allergy test and tried various diets to see if it was lactose/glueten etc) Its just hard for me to chalk it up to stress because I've always been the most care free person. I never even really felt depressed until about 2 years (and 20lbs down) into the symptoms. I defiantly know stress makes it worse, but to me it was the stomach issues that slowly broke me down over the years.  I also found that when I was taking proton pump inhibitors(prevacid, etc), my appetite and calorie intake would drop dramatically. The resulting malnourishment is what brought about the most stressful situations and feelings of despair. Like I said, I can see the stress making stomach issues worse, but I think the stress in my case originates from that lack of nutrition, its like a snowball effect I guess.

[mammo]

Has your diet been addressed?  Have they suggested you see a nutritionist to learn of foods to avoid or add to your diet?  Stress can cause nausea, which leads to not eating, to weight loss.  Have they addressed the stress issue?  I would try taking Miralax as it is not habit forming and works well for the constipation.  Check what you are eating to see if something just doesn't agree with you.  Add fiber to your diet, slowly, small amounts, as too much fiber will cause the same symtoms.  What about IBS?  Have they mentioned this?  Even if it is stress related, this needs to be addressed.  You may not feel stressed, but still may be.  NEVER give up, something is obviously wrong.  At your age and having the extensive GI work up, I feel it has to be food or stress related.  If you are eating a lot of fiber, cut way back, if not add some.  Eat foods that are easily digestible, and try the Miralax.  Then make an appt. to address the stress, it can't hurt and may help.  You are in a position where you have to start ruling things out.  Have they done any recent bloodwork on you?  I would assume they have, if not ask about it.  

[Matthew007]

btw bad constipation and nausea usually is a sign of allergy.. so it's something to check into.  Also i've heard of false negatives with celiac blood tests.  I'm tempted to try this gluten free diet as well.

[Matthew007]

you could do a IVP xray of the kidneys looking for problems.. usually a urine test will show red or white blood cells or protein in the urine.  I've heard kidney problems can give serious nausea..especially if a stone is stuck.  But normally that's detected on a ct scan.

Sounds like some sort of allergy though.. maybe gluten free/lactose free diet for a good week or 2.  Hard to do.  Also you could go to an allergist and see if something is up.  I went to one and found out I was allergic to oats without even knowing..

Nausea is hard.. I don't have a job now..near toally broke.  Hope we both figure it out..and soon!

[JD_C]

I've been checked for various bacteria that can cause this, none of em where ever found. So far I've had just ab any test u can think of done with the only results being mild gastritis (unknown causes) and slightly delayed gastric emptying, not low enough for the Doc to be concerned. It just seems as time goes on food gets harder and harder to eat, I wake up nausea more often and it stays longer into the day. It's probably worth mentioning that most my irritation comes first thing when I wake up, normally forcing me out of bed to either puke or cram down a piece of bread. To me it seems like more of an upper abdomen thing but the kidney problems just seem too strange to be a coincident.

[Matthew007]

I guess you could try repeat stool studies to look for white blood cells to indicate a problem.  Or it could be celiac disease and you could test for that as well.

[Matthew007]

i'm in the same boat, 3 years and counting.. did you take antibiotics?  Lately I think mines been a c. difficile infection.  Mine all started with a UTI, and then after months of antibiotics.  Seems like I keep coming up with different ideas but the first time I was in a ER room that was the first thing the ER room doctor thought about.  Although constipation isn't normally a symptom it can happen...

Also I noticed lately going totally off lactose helped my nausea.. took about 4-5 days but it helped a little.  My potassium levels were also rock low which causes nausea.  Hope you find answers (pft..hope we both do...)