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What could be the cause of my gastrointestinal problems?

Greetings everyone. I am currently experiencing some gastrointestinal issues which are causing me a lot of stress and anxiety. I hope someone can tell me what's wrong with me and give me so advice, because all the stress I'm facing is crippling me socially.

I am 26 years old and I never had any kind of problems with my gastrointestinal system. I even received the moniker "Iron Stomach" because I could eat and drink just about anything without ever having problems like diarrhea or indigestion. However, some 3 months ago I came down with a severe case of the "stomach flu", at least that's what the doctors told me.

After eating some food that wasn't very fresh (nearly expired chicken nuggets with a makeshift sauce of hot chilli paste and mascarpone) I was struck with diarrhea the next morning. At the time I didn't make much of it since I wasn't having any other symptoms, but as the day went by my condition gradually worsened. After eating a heavy frozen pizza that night, which I proudly layered with extra raw onions, black olives, a can of corn and a lot of ketchup, I sealed by fate. Not long after eating that monstrosity my diarrhea worsened drastically. I also started feeling nauseated, feverish, I started having severe cramps and intestinal discomfort; a couple of hours later I was pinned to the toilet with relentless watery diarrhea which also had a lot of mucus in it, all this while constantly vomiting as well (in the sink).

As I was only feeling worse and my fever spiked to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and I was alone at home, I decided to get medical help, so at 4 in the morning I pulled myself together and slowly made my way to the emergency room of the closest hospital (less than 5 minutes away on foot). There I was given multiple IVs which took care of the fever and put me back on my feet. The blood results were all messed up and pointed to a severe infection in my body. After five hours at the emergency room I was sent to an infectious diseases hospital where another doctor who examined me said that I didn't require hospitalization, and it's better to stay at home because it'll go away by itself in 5-7 days. Besides being advised to diet and drink plenty of fluids I was only prescribed an intestinal disinfectant, carbon, anti-spastic painkillers and diarrhea medicine (furozalidon I believe),

Back home the watery/mucus stools persisted for 2-3 days more, with most of the other symptoms going away. I only vomited once or twice on the next day, after which my stomach went back to acting and feeling normal. I ended up in the ER again for another IV as I was feeling very weak and dehydrated because I wasn't able to eat anything. My blood results came back significantly improved, however. At this point (3rd day of infection and second ER visit) I also got my stool tested for potential bacteria. The results were negative and the test not repeated. Afterwards I was sent home and I finally felt overall improvements.

I want to mention that during the end of this "stomach flu" episode I had a very gassy bowel movement in which I only excreted mucus that contained traces of fresh/pinkish blood in it. The doctor said that that's normal, and it was caused by my infection which made the intestinal mucosa "peel off", thus the source of the blood. I went as far as consulting 4 different doctors on this matter and they all gave me the same response. Unfortunately they couldn't seem to agree on what exactly caused my sickness, or what it actually was. At the ER I was told it's food poisoning or "stomach flu", while the infectious diseases doctor said it's a enterocolitis. My family doctor also said it was most certainly food poisoning. Regardless, it went away in about a week and I was almost back to "normal".

My bowel movements gradually regularized, and so did my stools, yet I noticed they never went back to how they were. If prior the infection I used to go daily, on a very regular basis having 2-3 firm and "healthy" stools, now I would go only once, sometimes twice, and the consistency of my stool wasn't always firm, sometimes being softer (yet not loose). At times it was always more yellowish than brown and contained barely visible amounts of mucus (on the toilet paper). I also experienced more flatulence than I consider normal at times, but without any cramps, pain or discomfort.

I tried to eat healthier and take better care of myself, but with limited succes. I would also like to bring up the fact that in the 2-3 months following my "stomach flu" I had to take antibiotics twice. Once for a full week (amoxicilin) for an upper respiratory tract infection, and on the other occasion (2 weeks ago) for ten days (cefixum) for an ear infection. This might have afflicted my intestinal flora.

And now for the current problem I'm facing - and I apologize for the walls of text, yet I believe it might offer some deeper insight into what might be the cause of my issues - it all started on Tuesday (five days ago), when out of the blue I felt nature's call. Unable to resist or postpone it, I had to run to the bathroom, posthaste. My stool was very gassy, and although firm at first, it gradually got more lose and concluded with mucus. I got very scared, and carefully monitored my bowel movements ever since.

The first thing I noticed was that I'm very gassy and flatulent. My gut rumbles and sometimes I feel rather bloated with difficulty to pass wind, yet other symptoms such as intestinal pain, discomfort, cramps, etc are absent. Although I never got full blown diarrhea, and I only have to go once or maybe twice a day, my stools are abnormal ever since. The consistency is "mooshy", or lose, the color is still on the brown spectrum although more yellowish at times. The stool also floats for a while before sinking (I've been told that all these properties can bear relevance).

Upon noticing the persistence of the problem, mainly the abnormal stools and enduring flatulence, I went to see a doctor again. Although my blood results came back perfect, pointing to no infection or any real problem in the body, the doctor suggested that I see a gastroenterologist, as I might be suffering from a serious condition such as Crohn's disease. Another doctor whom I've consulted and who examined me said that I should calm down, relax, and simply take probiotics + carbon for my flatulence, as my worrisome bowel movements might be caused by an imbalance of the intestinal flora. This conclusion was reached upon hearing my extensive description of my condition and its evolution, and on the fact that I've taken so much antibiotics recently. As my hypochondria escalated, I went as far as consulting 4 total medical experts as well, all of which excluded the potential onset of Crohn's disease except one.

Besides the bothersome bowel movements I also started experiencing symptoms of gastric reflux, probably stress induced, so every morning when I wake up now I feel my stomach burning slightly, and I get sick, sometimes gagging from the reflux, and even spitting the acidic juice which "climbs" up. The stomach acid also makes me lose all appetite, and for more than a week I simply can't eat anything until 9 or 10 pm. I am sure that this irrational eating pattern combined with the tremendous amount of anxiety and stress I'm under is aggravating my intestinal turmoil.

So please, help me assess the situation by clarifying it as much as possible, and please, tell me how worried I should be. Do my symptoms and gastrointestinal history truly point to Crohn's or some other chronic disease? Could I have something that serious? What should I do?

I thank you in advance for your time, patience and insight, and I apologize for the lengthy message. Best wishes and good health to us all!

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Avatar universal
you might get checked for celiac disease.  there is a quiz you can take online. celiac disease foundation
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