axiety/stomach burning/fatigue

[ponypowa2]

I am still having the same problems after seeing a primary care doctor and endocrinologist. Basically I have these symptoms:

after consuming a meal (any food but FATS are the worst):

bloating
I can feel a burning in my stomach as well as what feels like butterflies or more precisely my own heart beat.
After consuming food I get heavy fatigue and anxiety
foul fatty/flakey stools
gas
a sinus type headache with brain fog, can't think clearly up to 6-7 hours after meals (my impacted wisdom teeth could be causing the headache though)
I often sleep too long, and when I wake up I feel like a truck hit me accompanied by joint burning type sensations (doesn't hurt but feels wierd).
I get these same joint tinglings often (wrist, shoulder, elbows, right below my butt, knee joints,and ankles ), worst after meals.
My muscles/body feels burnt out all the time.
I am not overweight
I excercise 3 times a week and lift weights
Take vitamins

I have been tested for lupus, celiac disease (non biopsy), mri of my abdomen/pelvis, thyroid, cortisol, testosterone, glucose (non-fasting test). And I am absorbing minerals. Nothing abnormal in bloodwork.

Im afraid to see a gastro man , ive already had to pay a ton of doctor bills and they found nothing. I was referred BACK to a primary care doctor...  I dont think anyone believes me. Honestly I dont care whether they believe me or not I just want it to stop. I have had this for a year now, and it gradually got worse. I first symptom I noticed was fatigue after eating chinese takout one day for lunch over a year ago. Then from that day on the fatigue got worse and new symptoms arose.


I dont know if this helps or not but I suffered from heavy acne in highschool, and was on low dose accutane 40mg for a year and a half. It helped but the acne is not totally gone, and I only get it after sex.. and it itches right afterwards or  when my heart rate increases( I notice it exercising). My eyes are sensitive to bright light, and I think I have night vision problems (if i put sunglasses on during the day its harder to see) but these problems carried on from highschool.

I am 22 years old.


Sorry I have such a long post, trying to give the best description as possible.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I would re-consider seeing a GI specialist.  

Various types of upper GI disorders can lead to many of your upper GI symptoms such as bloating and a burning feeling in the stomach.

GERD, inflammation of the upper digestive tract, and an ulcer are all possibilities.

You can consider an upper endoscopy to comprehensively look for these causes.

Further testing can be considered with an ultrasound (to evaluate the liver and gallbladder), 24-hr pH study (to rule out GERD), or a gastric emptying scan (to evaluate for gastroparesis).

These options can be discussed with your PCP or GI specialist.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_

[ponypowa2]

I forgot to mention I have had a CT of the stomach/abdomen, and mri of the brain for the pituary gland as well

[melliefsu]

Have you seen an Immunologist? Sounds like you could have some sort of auto-immune disorder or some type of serious food allergy. Good luck and I hope you feel better.

[ponypowa2]

another odd symptom that I feel after I eat that its requiring to much energy to speak. I speak  brief and often end up cutting words too short. I can't hit deep notes to well so I sound like a little kid. Maybe my throats tightening up a little?

its all very odd to me

[DVK]

I would seriously suggest Celiac. I know you have been tested for it however I had similar symptoms and the majority of them went on away being on a Gluten Free diet. It will not hurt you to try a Gluten Free diet. All my tests have been normal including cat scans and ct on sinuses and even the sinus problems have cleared up.

[ponypowa2]

i guess it couldn't hurt to try, i was under the impression the ttg test was fairly accurate

[violet66]

You have very similar symptoms mine.  I have suffered from these for over 10 years and have been on omeprazole for the 10 years (40mg daily).  Two years ago I had a Nissen Fundoplication and a few weeks ago I had my gallbladder out.

My symptoms still remain albeit reduced in severity and I still have to take the omeprazole.  My consultant didn't really want to know at the last consultation and I feel I have been cut adrift with no follow up.

I decided to try changing my diet and although some symptoms still remain, some have disappeared completely and I feel fantastic.  The energy levels are good, the joint pains have disappeared, the reflux has been reduced (I also sleep with my bed tilted [15 inches at the head].  Don't use pillows to bolster you up, you sag in the middle of the night and scrunch up your middle - not good).

The diet I use, in essence, is the Atkins diet but without the processed low carb bars etc. but WITH

[violet66]

You have very similar symptoms mine.  I have suffered from these for over 10 years and have been on omeprazole for the 10 years (40mg daily).  Two years ago I had a Nissen Fundoplication and a few weeks ago I had my gallbladder out.

My symptoms still remain albeit reduced in severity and I still have to take the omeprazole.  My consultant didn't really want to know at the last consultation and I feel I have been cut adrift with no follow up.

I decided to try changing my diet and although some symptoms still remain, some have disappeared completely and I feel fantastic.  The energy levels are good, the joint pains have disappeared, the reflux has been reduced (I also sleep with my bed tilted [15 inches at the head].  Don't use pillows to bolster you up, you sag in the middle of the night and scrunch up your middle - not good).

The diet I use, in essence, is the Atkins diet but without the processed low carb bars etc. but WITH any veg and fruit (potatoes, bananas etc. allowed).  Basically it is a wholefood diet steering clear of process foods.

Give it a couple of weeks and see.  It's worth a try.  Meanwhile don't give up on the medical profession - I haven't despite my history.  The digestive system is obviously very complex as the entire body depends on it.  There are so many grey areas. A good doctor will realise this and treat you seriously.

Good luck.  I hope this helps.

Kind Regards

[Shebah]

I think it sounds like you have some endocrine stuff going on. Cortisol tests are not always accurate, since normal cortisol levels are always highest in the morning. People who have pitituary problems usually have higher cortisol levels at night. Also urine and salvia tests are more accurate then blood.

You can find alot of info here: http://www.cushings-help.com/

[helio]

I have recently been having some very similar symptoms.  Out of the blue, after eating one night, I began to have the strange feelings you describe such as the mental fog and anxiety.  My blood tests showed high liver enzymes.  My doctor ordered some CT scans, which came back ok except for showing fatty deposits in the liver.  While I have not yet been diagnosed with NASH it looks like this may be what I have.  Though it is strange because I am told that this condition does not usually cause and noticeable symptoms.  All other blood tests were ok including screens for viral hepatitis.  The symptoms come and go.  For the first week I felt the way you described in varying degrees all week long.  It then went away for a while only to return the following week for a few days, sometimes becoming severe enough to feel like I'm going to pass out.  The most disturbing is the "head in the clouds" feeling, like a nasal headache where mild confusion and disorientation set in and become quite worrisome.  My liver enzymes have come down to almost normal recently, but I still have bouts of severe fatigue/weakness/confusion mostly after eating.  I do have further tests scheduled for a head CT and consultation with a GI specialist.  My doctor keeps ensuring me that there is nothing to worry about until we know more, and that the symptoms are not immediately life-threating.  Though, reading about liver encephalopathy in connection with my possible NASH makes me very nervous.

[ponypowa2]

thanks for the responses, I hope it is not the liver, I really do not drink that much alchohol...  I thought my symptoms only came after meals but apparently after being on a completely empty stomach feeling great, I drank some apple juice and now I have the slight burn coming back in my stomach right above my belly button. Im starting to think its not an allergy seeing anything that goes in my stomach causes this problem..

glad to see im not the only one, the other night had an extreme joint itching attack ( the itchings on the inside) with some hardcore anxiety. Its wierd because its like restless legs only its restless body. I have to move my joints around (but that really doesnt help to much)

I always have my doctors appointments in the morning (on an empty stomach) maybe I should go in after eating a **** ton of food, I really think this is serious but my doctors think im full of it.

[kotobe]

l have been having burning sensation in stomach for over 6 months. at first, my doctor suggested antacids. l took them and it relieved my symptons. then the burning sensation came back after several weeks. my doctor ordered ultra sound and they came back negative. l explained to my that doctor that the burning sensation comes on after excersise, especially walking. the pain does not come immediately after walking, but the next day. what can i do?

[skroon]

Hi,

Your symptoms sound a lot like mine -- have you found out any more?

After going out to dinner 1 month ago, I felt nauseus & suffered from an anxiety attack that night.

Since then I have had constant stomach/abdominal pain & I constantly burp & have gas. I also feel shooting pains down my right arm & in my hands frequently. For the first 2 weeks I was waking up several times at night with what felt like adrenaline surges (anxiety symptoms).

Those anxiety symptoms are much less common now, but I still have very bad pains in my gut, and it often hurts to touch areas of my stomach. (Around my navel, and to my right of the navel). My stomach constantly rumbles. I fasted recently for a medical test & my pains seemed to go away during fasting. They came back 30 mins after eating.

Anyway, I've had a lot of medical tests and all have turned up normal so far.  The only thing that showed abnormal was that I have an elevated sed rate (indicating inflammation apparently).

I've had an abdominal ultrasound - nothing showed abnormal. All blood tests so far have showed normal.

Tonight I had some more anxiety attack symptoms that seemed to be linked to the pains in my gut (as one got worse, so did the other).

I'm not an anxious person, and am very calm through all of this. The anxiety symptoms come on suddenly -- its not like I'm sitting there worrying about getting an anxiety attack.

Can anybody shed any light on this?

Thanks

[tylerdurden996]

hey I don't know how much this will help you guys but I figured I would share since I went through a lot of this.  

After serving my tour of duty in Iraq I began exhibiting the same symtoms as a lot of you.  stomach burns, panic attacks, inability to eat without getting sick, pseudo sinus headaches, joint aches and pains, feeling like someone beat me with a stick when i wake up after extended periods of sleep.  
Like the rest of you I went through test after test after test and was in perfect health. Nothing seemed to be physically wrong with me.  So in following with normal proceedure they sent me to the next logical place... the head doctor.  After several sessions and a few consults they told me that I had developed an anxiety disorder from the stress of battle.  I didn't believe them at first being as I view myself as a very laid back individual and I never stress about anything.  
They insisted that I go on medication for anxiety/depression.  I refused as I didn't feel depressed and I really don't hold a lot of stock in pyscology.  I did however continue therapy since talking to the doctor made me feel a little better.  During these sessions he explained to me the nature of anxiety and depression and that the cliche' symtoms are not always so.  Alot of the times these symptoms can manifest physically, i.e. all the symptoms i listed before.  He then went on to explain  that a lot of people go thier entire lives in and out of hospitals while always appearing to be in perfect health.  I was "lucky" that because of just coming back from a combat situation a mental health visit was par for the course.  
Never one to take the word of one person I began research into anxiety and panic.  Newer studies show that a large percentage of mysterious illness can be linked to chemical imbalences and anxiety.  So I aggreed to start taking meds.  it took roughly 1 year to find the right pills for my body, paxil made me sick as a dog, effexor made me feel like i was being shocked when ever I turned my head to fast, lexapro made me have insomnia and my sex drive dropped to zero.  Finally we tried zoloft, for the first 3 weeks i was a little sick and had a little insomnia.  But i stuck with it and within a few weeks I was right as rain.  I could eat anything i wanted, no more gas, no more panic attacks, no more dazed feeling, no more anything.  I felt like a healthy normal person.  after 1 year of treatment I made the decision to stop.  I stepped down the dosage until it was safe to stop taking the medicine.  8 months later the symptoms came back.  
well hopefully this helped a little, I know if i wouldn't have been directed to the head shrink I would still be surfing the net looking at every illness with horror lol trust me i had it all from colon cancer to IBS ...

[skroon]

Thanks tyler,

Your post was very interesting & very helpful.
I will continue looking for a physical cause for a while longer, but if I continue to test normally for everything I definitely will look into the therapy option.

I really appreciate your help :-)

[ponypowa2]

im going to an allergist first just to rule out any allergies, then a GI to check into ulcerative colitus and IBS.

I too had all the stupid tests mri of stomach catscan of stomach, cs of head etc.

I have random burning urination as well. Doctors consider these "vague" systems but my stool has not been normal for months and 90% dirreah. My newest symptom is mucous stool.

I too am a calm person, never stress out about anything, always pretty content.

Now im just a irratible zombie that only occurs after eating. Empty stomach = fairly normal.

I did notice its FATTY foods that make it the worst. Chinese food/ hot wings/ anything with alot of oil or grease causes the most symptoms. Tomato sauce as well..

I get the most tired around 4-9pm (maybe due to eating lunch?)
This is a really bad tired, if i drink caffeine it doesn't help.
The sleep that occurs after meals is the WORST sleep ever. I wake up feeling like a truck ran me over, splitting headache, and really feel out of sync.


Let me know if you find anything out, im tired of paying and getting no diagnosis.

[ponypowa2]

skroom if you find out what it is before me could you please email me at master-***@****

much appreciated

[ponypowa2]

If anyone is interested, alot of my symptoms were relieved by eating more food. Waking up at 8am eating 3 normal meals and going to bed by 10:30am. I believe alot of my symptoms came from not eating enough food in a day.  I however still have the slight burning in the stomach as well as the sleepiness after meals although its not AS bad.

Im going to allergist to rule out any allergies first

[dawabbit]

Hey Ponypowa,

I know you've done plenty of test already. I just wanted to know if you were specifically tested for Hepatitis A,B, or even C or even Thyroid in your blood test. My brother has Hep B and when growing up, he has had bad acne problems. He also have asthma and is 36 years old. Hep B makes him very fatigue. At first, it took him a long time to figure his body out. Now, he's getting it under control. He knows there's nothing that you can do with Hep B. People with Hep B feels very fatigue, so give your body plenty of rest, exercise ands stay in shape, don't consume alcohol at all as that is very bad for your liver, avoid spicy and greasy food. When he does all these, he feels better. You're very young to be suffering from all these symptoms, hope that it'll all go away soon.

My husband was the healthiest man, up until 6 years ago, when it all went downhill. We rented and lived in a small apartment that had a lot of deadly molds on the wall. We've been exposed to molds for about 2 years. We later found out that he had allergic reactions to mold. It all started from there. Nothing happen to me, cuz I don't have allergic reactions like he does. The molds, obviously had weakened his immune system, he started getting fevers, ear infections, light headed, etc. We went to a Thai restaurant called "Thai Promise" in Mission Viejo, CA had he started coming home vomiting, diarrea (diarrhea), and fevering. He felt like he was gonna die. I thought that maybe he was food poisoned. Months later, we went back to that restaurant. The same thing happened to him. Weird thing is that we ate the same food but I was ok.

We owned and was operating a very stressful food business for 6 years, working 12/7. Every doctor we went to would just rule out stress / anxiety and send us home. My husband was never the same ever since. He has this chest tightness, shortness of breath, plenty of fatigue and a discomforting churning growling stabbing (you name it) under his left rib cage traveling to the back upper shoulder blade area. It feels like cold airy acidy gas. He was never able to take a full deep breath eversinced. Every time it seems like air is leaking somewhere. Every time when he's in a sitting position, he tends to feel the chest tightness leading to shortness of breath. He's only 32 years old, but he feels like broken down 70 year old. We've done colonoscopy came out normal, breath test, numorous blood works, chest xrays, ekg, gallstone ultrasound, recently endoscopy with biopsy ruled out that he has inflammation and erosion in his esophogus. Was put on Nexium with no improvement and left dangling again. We've tried practically anything, anyone would recommend us. There are times when he has this sharp pain just a little below his left hip bone. A pain which concerns him that we went to do ultrasound for stones, came negative. He does realize that he feels better on certain days, and that certain food does make him feel crappy. It's very discomforting for him and I hate seeing him go through that. His 2 year older brother died of Leukemia less than 6 months ago after battling 4 years.

We visited the Asian country 6 months ago and he came back with diarrea (diarrhea). I did too, but it went away in about a week. His diarrea (diarrhea) has been on for 6 months. He was put on strong antibiotics and immodium with not much luck. After each of his diarrea (diarrhea), he gets this growling churning discomfort in his stomach. People look at my husband and no one has a clue that he has all these symptoms.

My husband is the sweetest man in the world, why is he being punished with all these illnesses? We've spent over 40k in medical bills already (that is with insurance coverage)with no solution. It's funny how different docs tells you different things just to get you out of their office. Doctors told my husband that he's got pluracy, muscle spasm, anxiety attack, GERD, gastritis, ulcer, IBS, asthma.

After visiting this website, I realized that my husband isn't alone. There seems to be no answer as of it yet. But if there is ever that someone has the answer to all this, please advise. I appreciate any input. Thank you.

[merls]

Hi

Don't know if this helps - but out of the blue 3 years ago I suffered with very similar symptoms and have continued to do so since then, I have had (you name it) test, after test, numerous blood tests all show I am healthy. One test showed I had mild gastropareses, where the stomach does not empty properly, this supposedly is brought on by Diabetes, which I don't have.  I was given medication to help the empyting, but still experienced these awful lows, fatigue like I have never know before, feeling like I was going to pass out, muscle aches, bizzare feelings in head and body, foggy thinking, low pulse rate, confusion, blurry vision, feels like a stroke going to happen or thought I had a brain tumour.  It was like someone threw a switch and I felt my attacks happening.  Doctors kept tell me I was depressed and they tried giving me antidepressants, which I tried and they made me feel shocking it a different way.  Anyway to cut to the chase - I finally found out per chance that I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia...which means 2-5 hours after eating something i.e. sugars, white breads, caffeine, and alcohol etc (which once upon a time I could always tolerate, but no longer for some reason) system goes haywire - like low blood sugars...and this was happening also in the middle of the night - don't get panic attacks, but this is one of the symptoms, along with stomach pains and numerous other things.  Check the internet -
Hope this helps ....and good luck your not alone
Merls

[merls]

Hi

don't know where my comment went to - My problem was very much same as yours - no blood test showed anything - nor did any scan's or investigations I had.  Doctors labelled me as depressed, and knowing my own body I knew something was very wrong - I was not depressed just very frustrated and angry.  My problem which I finally discovered is Reactive Hypoglycemia - check the Internet.....since changing my eating habits - I am attack free....I was getting attacks 2-5 hours after eating the wrong things...every day and felt so horrible, but could never actually describe to the doctor except for saying BIZZARE....it is truely amazing the effects - low blood sugars or reactive hypo's can cause to the body....hope you find your answers....
blessings - Merls

[ponypowa2]

thanks for all the help guys I figured it out...

it is reactive hypoglycemia..


possibly a stomach ulcer to but I am not sure if its the ulcer or hypoglycemic reaction

[ponypowa2]

stay away from concentrated forms of sugar, soda/cake/candy, and eat often small meals throughout the day.

supplement with chromium and vanadium. When your body runs out of chromium and vanadium, it has a hard time processing sugar.

[merls]

So glad you figured it out - isn't it severe and tricks you into thinking you have all sorts of things wrong with you and doctors are no help sometimes....I am eating smaller meals - and staying away from lollies....what a relief you must feel - I know I did when I found out that I actually had something wrong with me - "not depression"
good luck with everything
Merls....

[smilesallday1]

A related discussion, Have you been tested for Parasites was started.