Unresolved stomach issues

[zanyt]

Hello,

I'm at a loss with my body.  I am a 31-year old, active and otherwise healthy female.  For years I have had a "sensitive stomach", insofar as I would get frequent, sometimes severe, gut pain, often paired with noticeable bloating and gas.  This was something I just got used to until the problem flared to the point of daily, severe stomachaches that left me sometimes unable to function-- just crawl home from work and onto the couch to ride it out.  My stomach often bloats to look as if I am 7 months pregnant, and I can always feel something "rumbling" seriously in there-- sometimes accompanied with extreme pain.  I do have the occasional week-or-so-long lull, in which my tummy rumbles, but is not very painful, but mostly I suffer.  Additionally, I have mysteriously gained about 30 lbs in weight (10 of which has gradually disappeared over the last year), and suffer from further, bizarre fluctuations.  In the space of 24 hours I can "gain" as much as 10-15 lbs, with no clue as to where this weight actually comes from.  I am a very small eater, partially due to a large disinterest in food, and also partially due to always feeling sick or uncomfortable, and I drink 8-10 glasses of water every day.  In terms of what I eat, I avoid anything fatty, oily, super sweet, or salty-- those are all flavours I very strongly dislike.  Thus I mostly eat veggies, fruit and tofu.  I am also very active, getting usually an hour of exercise every day (if my stomach can handle it)-- martial arts and running are my primary forms.  I am trying desperately to lose this weight, as not surprisingly it is making life uncomfortable and stressing me out-- clearly not good for my stomach in general.  I'm trying to take good care of myself, but it seems despite my best efforts, nothing ever changes, and it is so stressful.

I have been to several doctors, including an endocrinologist who said, aside from a rather large deficiency in vitamin D (which was interesting in part because I'd been taking D supplements for some time already), that I was hormonally fine.  My GI has said that it is just irritable bowel, and perhaps it is... I was also diagnosed with GERD, for which I am take Pariet (which works marvelously, I might add!).  I'm also currently taking Tuzen and it seems to not yet have had an effect, but perhaps I'm being impatient (it's only been about 3 weeks).  I tried Tuzen once before, but to no avail-- still, I agreed to give it another try with this doctor.  I do have a fairly high stress life, at the moment, which is surely contributing... but it seems hard to believe that my weight gain, inability to lose weight, and my constant stomach pains are all stress related.

I don't even know if I have a specific question-- I'm just confused with what I should do next.  Does this sound like irritable bowel?  The GI told me that there was likely not much he could do, and that he had no clue why I had gained weight, or why my metabolism was wonky.  I just feel stuck and alone.  I used to take pride in my body, and now it's just a painful blob, for lack of a better phrase!


Thanks kindly.

[zanyt]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies.  I've had some blood tests that have come back normal, though I've heard Celiac's can be missed that way.  I tend to eat so little sometimes, though, and still have symptoms that I'm not sure if that is the answer.  But you're right, I could be missing wheat or gluten in other sources.

The habba syndrome is interesting, too.  I haven't responded to the drugs I've been given for IBS, though I wouldn't say that the diarrhea happens right after I eat.  It seems to just happen at any time.  And I definitely get a tonne of abdominal pain, which according to the IBS vs. HS site that I found, is not normally present.

I have a follow up GI app't in December, where I'll get the results of a stool test I had to do (wow, that wasn't fun, lol, but let me tell you it didn't SEEM normal, for all that I know!! ;-) ).  I guess I just have to be patient and keep hoping that this doctor will have some answers for me.

[crickett724]

Have you been tested for Celiac's?  I have a lot of your symptoms, plus several.  I've had an egd and everything seemed fine, and ultrasound didn't reveal gallbladder problems.  I'm waiting for the results of the Celiac test.  The problems are WAY worse when I have anything with wheat or gluten, but sometimes even when I *think* I'm eating something completely free of it.  Not sure, but it's something to try anyway.

[mahj]

Thanks.  I looked up Habba Syndrome and it all sounds familiar, except that I had gallbladder surgery 35 years ago...I have chronic diarrhea, no bloating, no pain, no nausea.  Eat and poop.  It goes right through me. Very embarrassing!
mahj

[morning418]

check the HABBA SYNDROME over the internet, and then discuss it wit your doctor.
good luck!