Can someone help with a mystery diagnosis that mimics GERD?

[Heaths7]

I am looking for help regarding my husband's health over the past two and a half years. Approximately 2.5 years ago, he was working in our house and thought he pulled a right groin muscle. He took it easy for a while, and eventually that went away. He also had a sinus infection a couple of months after he pulled that muscle and was on antibiotics for a short time. In July 2015 he began having the feeling of a lump in his throat and constant blocked sinuses. He had a scope done at an ENT and it was negative for anything unusual. He followed up with a GI as instructed by the ENT, as he also began having really bad Acid Reflux and constant acid in his throat. He was also having periods of diarrhea. Stools were sent for various things; H. Pylori, C. Diff, parasites, WBCs, etc. All came back negative. Then one day he came home from work and bent down to pick up something he dropped on the floor and when he bent down, he felt a weird pain in his upper left quadrant, and his heart began racing. We checked his heart rate (I'm a nurse btw), and his heart rate was in the 200's, and even after trying valsalva maneuvers with no change, and his heart rate sustaining in the 200s-210s, we called 911. He was taken to the ER where they did some routine labs, Chest CT, and X-Ray. The chest CT showed a very small sliding hiatal hernia, but nothing else significant. His magnesium was a little low, and they gave him IV Magnesium, and started him on 25mg of Atenolol.

He followed up with Cardiology, and had an echo, stress echo, 24 hour heart monitor, then a 2 week heart monitor again after he had another episode of SVT and had to return to the ER again. Cardiology ruled out anything cardiac related.

He went to a different GI doctor in Spring of 2016, and had an EGD and Colonoscopy done in July of 2016. They took biopsy's and those came back negative for anything significant. They diagnosed him with esophagitis, and he has been on multiple GI meds; nexium, prilosec, protonix, etc. He has even taken various herbals and all natural medications to help with the acid. He did the Bravo pH test as well which was there was no significant findings. He had another CT of the Abdomen and Pelvis, which showed gallstones, but they were very tiny and the Physician does not think they are related to or causing his problems. He also had a barium swallow, and a manometry test done. These didn't show much either.

He just had blood work done, and a glucose tolerance test. The glucose tolerance test results shows pre-diabetes,  and on the blood work, his ANA came back positive. He does, however have auto-immune diseases that run in his family. His older sister has a positive ANA but has no auto-immune disease or illness.

He can't lay flat, bend over, etc. He sleeps on 4 pillows each night. He had a hard time eating a lot of foods such as vegetables, fruits, any type of dense food, even meatloaf. He eats a lot of cookies and ice cream because they are two of the only things he can tolerate. His Celiac panel also came back negative. He has pain in the upper left quadrant, and has pain and pressure pretty much all the time. He also said his xiphoid hurts, and he rubs the left side right next to the xiphoid/sternum area which he says sometimes helps. He is still taking the Atenolol, but finds that if he tries to lay down a little flatter, or bends down for something, his heart feels like it is going to race. He has a lot of bloating, and gas, and can't eat very much at one time. He also has to try and get things done around the house or errands early in the day before he eats because he says once he eats he is done for the day.

We have seen two GI doctors, a neuromuscular doctor, Primary Doctor, ENT, and Cardiology. We are at a total loss. I can't seem to figure out what is wrong with him and apparently the doctors can't either. This is ruining his life as we can't do anything because he always feels bad.

I am desperate for any type of guidance or information that anyone can give me. I even have been going through my textbooks from nursing school trying to find something.

Thank you all for your time!

[Imajerk]

I wish I had an answer for you! Is there any doctor that thinks it's worth treating the gallstones despite how tiny they are? Did he ever have them taken care of? Everyone is different. Maybe your husband is reacting badly to them despite what the standard medical response thinks of them.

[Heaths7]

They didn't want to treat the gallstones because they didn't want to exacerbate the problems of the reflux and because they can't be sure that's what is causing the problem as the problem is on the left side for the most part. They didn't think that doing anything would help because he isn't exhibiting gallstone symptoms. And the gallstones were not in the previous scans he had, and it is common for those to occur after having the reflux and other GI related problems. This is a joke. I don't even remember how many doctors we have went to, and how they can't seem to figure this out.

[Imajerk]

Man! That's is a tough one! So they basically cannot be sure of the cause and effect cycle and what roll the gallstones play. They don't think they're the cause because they were not visible at first.

It wouldn't be the first time though, that something wasn't visible on a scan and it was still there.

I HAVE read things from people saying they had bad reflux ever since gallstone surgery though. Frozen into doing nothing it seems. Don't you love 21st century medicine?