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abdominal bloating/pain

My husband is 71 and has had one test after another done. He gets abdominal pain and bloating (small intestine area) after eating and/or drinking. He feels full after only a few sips or a few bites. This has been going on for almost half of the year. He has been on a bland diet. We have tried six small meals a day, frequent feedings, etc, and it does not matter how often he eats or what he eats. He also has not had a normal bowel movement for over 4 months. He either has diarrhea or is constipated. His stools will be flaky, or short small pieces (less than 1 inch and skinny)(same before and after the gall bladder removal). He has had colonoscopy, flex sigmoidoscopy, EGD endoscopy. They have ruled out H.Pylori, cancer, celiac disease, ulcers, among other things. He had a gastric emptying study and he was emptying at the normal rate. They did a vascular study and his celiac and superior mesenteric arteries were not blocked and blood flow was normal to his intestines. They put him on acid blockers, but he still has the same issues. He has also been on probiotics, increased fiber in his diet. Nothing seems to resolves his issues.

They also thought it may be his Gallbladder so they removed it a couple of months ago, and it didn't help. He is getting the same abdominal pain, burning, bloating, full feeling as before the operation. He had a HIDA scan before the removal which showed the gallbladder was not functioning as his ejection rate was 6%.

My husband has lost so much weight because he hardly eats due to the pain and bloating. He can eat a few bites or a sip of water or other liquid, and he feels full, gets bloated, and has pain. Before retiring for the night, his stomach appears as if he is about 6 months pregnant.  He has not been able to leave our house except to go to the doctors or ER, and that is a struggle. He is so weak and extremely fatigued, even though he is forcing himself to eat and drink (intake around 2000 calories/day including the nutritional drinks) to try to maintain his current weight. All his blood work comes back normal, the CT scans come back normal. His stools have been tested for parasites and fat malabsorption. All of these came back negative, no issues found. He is still losing weight and is getting weaker and weaker as each day goes by. All of the doctors tell him to hang in there because they are trying to figure out what's going on. We have been to numerous specialists and hospitals, and still no answers. The root cause has not been found. He is now scheduled to have a capsule endoscopy done which we hope will show something.

I am just wondering if anyone else has had this problem where they couldn't find out what was going on but then they did or something you did helped? Any information would help!

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Avatar universal
All of the endoscopies, camera capsule endoscopy, colonoscopies, CT scans, were all normal, no issues detected. We went to a neurologist and my husband just completed some autonomic testing, including the tilt-table & QSART and was found to have autonomic neuropathy. We believe he got nerve damage when he helped lift an extremely heavy object earlier this year. we are now being referred to a specialist at Vanderbilt to learn how to best manage this condition. We have managed to increase his weight through the use of nutritional shakes such as ensure plus. His bloating has eased some by using Align daily. He is also taking an acid blocker daily and some nerve blockers which have helped him eat and drink more comfortably.
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Avatar universal
I'm experiencing the same thing I just made a post I've had all the tests too strictly ate bland food when I could eat they diagnosed me with stomach spasms after my scopes but I still haven't gotten to have an in depth conversation with the specialist yet I hope he feels better I am taking a strong acid blocker nausea med and anti spasm medicine and I feel a lot better when I take them and can eat I lost 15 pounds in a month and became extremely weak from not eating. Please let me know if you find out I'm trying desperately to get answers.
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Avatar universal
I know that with extreme constipation I ended up with damaged nerves at the opening - and diverticulitis - - a colonoscopy showed no blockage??? that is the first thing they did with me - - trust me - if he is not eliminating those gases build up - -
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Avatar universal
They did a blood test to check for celiac disease. He does not have any history of rashes or other skin conditions. They have not ran any other food intolerance tests. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Avatar universal
What specific test was used to check for celiac disease? Does he have any history of rashes, brain fog, skin conditions or the like?

Has he had any testing for IgA- IgG-mediated food intolerances? And I'm not talking about the regular lab blood tests. I'm speaking of something like the Genova Food Assessment Test.
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