Aa
feeling miserable
Hi all. I am still suffering from afraid to eat any food-itis....it either stops right in between my rib cage or travels thru fast and right to bathroom...Because I've been dealing with this for so actually i had a healthy two years with no symptoms then BAM again 4 weeks ago...any way after dealing for so long I am now getting these wild anxiety attacks. Heart racing hands shakin panic doom and gloom...and this is so not like me??? Could this be because once again the gastro guy just says hhhmmmmm........you know ALL doctors should be like the brilliant one on TV who never stops till he figures it out HOUSE..On a serious note though I have had endoscopy upper GI series twice abdominal MRI and now I'm going for my second endoscopy and was blood tested for celiac due to an enlarged small intestinal coil....Isnt there some other tests I could beg for? I'm so tired of feeling like **** and being afraid to eat and worst of all these horrible anxiety attacks. My whole life is being affected cany go to gym missing work...crying all the time any suggestions???? Thanks alot!!!
Hi also I'm not really sure how these sites work so I appreciate your response ...dont know if MY responses are getting thru Thanks again
Thanks for responding. I'm investigating other docs right now I am also going to try to start a gluten free diet see if I can feel better also after results of my next endoscopy....when he inevitably says I couldnt find anything .......I am ready to fire him and choose again its my health not to mention my money....I can only hope for the best and praying alot also...Thanks
First, those docs on the TV shows are so far removed from the reality of medicine it's a joke. What's worse is that the general public gets the idea that that's the way it's supposed to work, and it couldn't be farther from the truth. That's not to say that too many doctors just don't listen to their patients, and aren't commited to getting to the bottom of a difficult diagnosis. Tell your doctor point-blank that you need him to speed up any investigations he may be thinking about where you're concerned. Ask him point-blank for his opinion on what he thinks might be going on. If you get a lot of hem-hawing, you know for certain you need a different doctor. It's not at all unusual these days for patients to be forced into "doctor shopping." (I really despise that term.)
Next, you have to get this anxiety under control. See your family doctor for help in that area, and don't be afraid to talk to a psychologist. I see a pain shrink myself, and therapy has proven surprisingly invaluable and helpful over the past 3 years. There are some techniques you can learn to help stop a panic attack from escalating to the point that it's uncontrollable. It boils down to learning to recognize the signs of the 'fight or flight' response, and regulating your breathing to keep it from getting worse. If you're getting panic attacks to the point where you think you may pass out, keep a paper bag handy and breathe into it until you're calm again.
As for the eating, you'll have to forget the idea that you can eat like you used to. I am living proof that a person can survive and maintain good nutrition on a liquid diet. I've done it for many years. My juicer and blender are my best friends. Yes, it's very boring, but it's better than the alternative: starving to death. Play around with some different smoothie recipes that include some form of protein powder. I could never tolerate the taste of Ensure, but Slim Fast on ice went down OK. I also use lots of yogurt for protein. You'd be surprised how much nutrition you can get from juicing vegetables. Some are really good, like carrots and beets; others are nasty like broccoli (unless it's right out of the garden). Don't forget to keep up with the vitamins either.
The point is that you can't wait for a doctor to tell you what to eat or not. You have to do some experimentation to find what will or won't work for you. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
When my adventures in illness began over 10 years ago with my gallbladder, I was a total buffed-up gym rat. The docs couldn't believe there was anything wrong with me because I looked "too good." It took months before I found the gastro doc and surgeon I'm still with today. They took me seriously, and when a week of inpatient testing revealed nothing particularly suspicous, I insisted on an exploratory laparascopic surgery. I had no gallstones, but the gallbladder was very infected, ready to rupture, and I had tons of adhesions (scar tissue) strangling several areas of small intestine. Yet, I looked "too good" to be sick. Same thing happened with my appendix. I had to insist on surgery after many expensive and humiliating tests. After that episode, my surgeon never questioned my judgment again - with good reason since I've been right every last time, and NEVER have had any subsequent condition verified by any test.
The point is you can't just quit. You also can't put your faith in one doctor to sort out your problems. Successful medicine relies on a good doctor and also an involved patient. If you have questions, write them down before your appointment and give the list to the doctor. Good docs appreciate that since it speeds up the appointment time, and you get some answers in the process. If you don't get results from one doctor, then you have to find another. Believe me, I know how frustrating and time-consuming this process can be while you die a little bit with every passing day. Bottom line: you have to do whatever it takes to stay as healthy as possible until you get a diagnosis.
Next, you have to get this anxiety under control. See your family doctor for help in that area, and don't be afraid to talk to a psychologist. I see a pain shrink myself, and therapy has proven surprisingly invaluable and helpful over the past 3 years. There are some techniques you can learn to help stop a panic attack from escalating to the point that it's uncontrollable. It boils down to learning to recognize the signs of the 'fight or flight' response, and regulating your breathing to keep it from getting worse. If you're getting panic attacks to the point where you think you may pass out, keep a paper bag handy and breathe into it until you're calm again.
As for the eating, you'll have to forget the idea that you can eat like you used to. I am living proof that a person can survive and maintain good nutrition on a liquid diet. I've done it for many years. My juicer and blender are my best friends. Yes, it's very boring, but it's better than the alternative: starving to death. Play around with some different smoothie recipes that include some form of protein powder. I could never tolerate the taste of Ensure, but Slim Fast on ice went down OK. I also use lots of yogurt for protein. You'd be surprised how much nutrition you can get from juicing vegetables. Some are really good, like carrots and beets; others are nasty like broccoli (unless it's right out of the garden). Don't forget to keep up with the vitamins either.
The point is that you can't wait for a doctor to tell you what to eat or not. You have to do some experimentation to find what will or won't work for you. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
When my adventures in illness began over 10 years ago with my gallbladder, I was a total buffed-up gym rat. The docs couldn't believe there was anything wrong with me because I looked "too good." It took months before I found the gastro doc and surgeon I'm still with today. They took me seriously, and when a week of inpatient testing revealed nothing particularly suspicous, I insisted on an exploratory laparascopic surgery. I had no gallstones, but the gallbladder was very infected, ready to rupture, and I had tons of adhesions (scar tissue) strangling several areas of small intestine. Yet, I looked "too good" to be sick. Same thing happened with my appendix. I had to insist on surgery after many expensive and humiliating tests. After that episode, my surgeon never questioned my judgment again - with good reason since I've been right every last time, and NEVER have had any subsequent condition verified by any test.
The point is you can't just quit. You also can't put your faith in one doctor to sort out your problems. Successful medicine relies on a good doctor and also an involved patient. If you have questions, write them down before your appointment and give the list to the doctor. Good docs appreciate that since it speeds up the appointment time, and you get some answers in the process. If you don't get results from one doctor, then you have to find another. Believe me, I know how frustrating and time-consuming this process can be while you die a little bit with every passing day. Bottom line: you have to do whatever it takes to stay as healthy as possible until you get a diagnosis.
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