Aa
GERD or Another Digestive Issue??
I've had GERD for some time now (16 months) and have been on Omeperazole -20mg, once per day. Several months ago I began experiencing increased heartburn again, followed by some breathing issues.
I went to the Doctor and was increased to 20mg of Omeperazole twice per day. After two weeks, my breathing was better, but not 100%, so I was changed to 20mg of Aciphex twice a day. This didn't go well, my stomach increasingly felt bloated and my bowel movements got weird. The stomach bloating became quite bad, so I went back to Omeperazole. The bloating went away fairly quickly, but just a day or two later things got worse.
I went out to dinner and had a larger meal, which I would normally have no issues finishing. I realized that I only ate 2/3 or less of the meal. Within 30 minutes of finishing, I was in the bathroom with bad cramping and very loose bowel movements (not necessarily diarrhea), which was yellow floating in the toilet. Later that night I woke up with very bad shivering and chills, which lasted all night.
After that, I had NO appetite, and my bowel movements have been loose and float (not always diarrhea). My appetite sometimes comes back, but I seem to have a constant feeling of food being in my stomach, esophagus, and throat. Also, I sometimes get the shivering or chills, usually very early in the morning. I am experience some back pain too, but I'm not sure if it's related or part of a muscular-skeletal issue.
I've had an EGD, colonoscopy, small bowel follow through, blood work, stool tests, and a CT. The only thing they have picked-up is a minor case of diverticulosis, which isn't causing my symptoms.
Today, I had several loose bowl movements, that were very light and almost yellow in color, that had chunks of food in them.
My appetite comes and goes, but I always fill-up quickly. What's wrong with me? Is it just really bad GERD, or did the CT miss something worse? Should I request another one?? I don't know what to do.
I went to the Doctor and was increased to 20mg of Omeperazole twice per day. After two weeks, my breathing was better, but not 100%, so I was changed to 20mg of Aciphex twice a day. This didn't go well, my stomach increasingly felt bloated and my bowel movements got weird. The stomach bloating became quite bad, so I went back to Omeperazole. The bloating went away fairly quickly, but just a day or two later things got worse.
I went out to dinner and had a larger meal, which I would normally have no issues finishing. I realized that I only ate 2/3 or less of the meal. Within 30 minutes of finishing, I was in the bathroom with bad cramping and very loose bowel movements (not necessarily diarrhea), which was yellow floating in the toilet. Later that night I woke up with very bad shivering and chills, which lasted all night.
After that, I had NO appetite, and my bowel movements have been loose and float (not always diarrhea). My appetite sometimes comes back, but I seem to have a constant feeling of food being in my stomach, esophagus, and throat. Also, I sometimes get the shivering or chills, usually very early in the morning. I am experience some back pain too, but I'm not sure if it's related or part of a muscular-skeletal issue.
I've had an EGD, colonoscopy, small bowel follow through, blood work, stool tests, and a CT. The only thing they have picked-up is a minor case of diverticulosis, which isn't causing my symptoms.
Today, I had several loose bowl movements, that were very light and almost yellow in color, that had chunks of food in them.
My appetite comes and goes, but I always fill-up quickly. What's wrong with me? Is it just really bad GERD, or did the CT miss something worse? Should I request another one?? I don't know what to do.
I hope I can help you. I have been suffering since October. The doctors said GERD. My symptoms were similar only ALL the time (just varied in the severity). I have lost 30lbs and do not want or need to lose any more. I started with lost appetite that progressed to nauseau, I felt like I could feel my stomach like a ball of heat, I had a gurgling up my throat, heartburn and bad shortness of breath. The doctors in the town I live in (which is small) did the Endoscopy which showed some irritation but did not seem major, barrium swallow, cat scan, mri, ct, ultra-sounds...... they all seemed ok, and were just like stay on the Nexium and increase to two times a day. I did this but was still getting worse.
Well I left my town which has no Gastro. Dr's and flew to where there was and they tested my Gallbladder function. It was a 90 minute test. And sure enough this was it!! I can not stress how happy I am to finally have an answer, I had the worst winter of my life with this and now just have to count down to having it removed to hopefully get out of this pain.
I recommend you finding a good Gastro. Dr. and asking for this test!!!
Hope this helps you.
Well I left my town which has no Gastro. Dr's and flew to where there was and they tested my Gallbladder function. It was a 90 minute test. And sure enough this was it!! I can not stress how happy I am to finally have an answer, I had the worst winter of my life with this and now just have to count down to having it removed to hopefully get out of this pain.
I recommend you finding a good Gastro. Dr. and asking for this test!!!
Hope this helps you.
HANG IN THERE IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIGURE IT OUT!!!!
I hope this will help most of you. I have been thru so.....much that it is time that I start to help the people out there that are suffering like I was. Since Fall 2002 I had Burping, Stomach Growling, Insominia, Gas and Bloating. They thought I had GERD's - Acid reflex. We tried all the drugs and eventually because I started throwing up at night they went forward with a surgery to make it so I didn't throw up anymore. The surgery was called "Nissan Fundolpication". Don't ever go forward with this surgery - it did not help me at all because it wasn't acid reflex. Then they took out my gallbladder because they didn't know how to fix the problem. It wasn't the gallbladder. At my wits end, and no doctor could figure it out. I decided to try a natural healing (Alternative medicine, Osteopath) doctor. He did several tests on me to figure out that I had candidiasys / bacteria overgrowth. Candidiasys / bacteria overgrowth, you develop this when something else is wrong and you develop too much bacteria in digestive tract. Which makes all the other symptoms worse and adds new symptoms - Thrush and Bowel Movement problems (Diarrehia when I ate sugar or Fructose; Constipation when I ate dairy). Still having the other symptoms Burping, Stomach Growling, Insominia, Gas and Bloating. I was a mess. It took a year on a Candidiasys diet - eating very little Carbohydrates, mostly meats, vegies, nuts (raw), water. Trust me, it sounds like a diet that won't work - but if you do it even for 3 weeks I guarantee you will feel better. Go at it slow as adding vegies alone in your diet can cause gas if you aren't used to it.
I see a Osteopath, who has been wonderful in helping me figure out what is wrong. I had these symptoms:
- Burping - Hard till it hurts while it is going into the stomach – only when I eat things that are questionable. Especially if I eat something with caffeine after 6:00 pm. I lay awake till 3:00 in the morning burping. Then by 3:00 I almost feel like throwing up and when I eventually start farting then I stop burping and am able to fall asleep. In 2005 this is why we had to do the surgery to keep me from throwing up at 3:00am. Since the surgery it has made it so I don’t throw up – but the symptoms that lead up to it are still there. 3rd day: Stomach Gurgling and Burping–3rd day on the diet this finally goes back to normal.
- Stomach Gurgling – Days after I eat things I shouldn’t, my stomach will start gurgling when it is low on food. So loudly that people can hear it in the other room. When I eat something I shouldn’t - 3rd day: Stomach Gurgling and Burping 3rd day back on the diet this finally goes back to normal.
- Insomnia – see above. Once I go back on the diet - 7th day on diet – this finally goes back to normal. . 2nd day back on the candida diet: Sleeping/Insomnia goes back to normal.
- Gas / bloating – There is no gas or bloating if I stay on the candidiasys diet. Bloating, I go up 1 pant size by the 3rd day. I am improving; I can wear more restrictive clothes and not be in pain. 2nd day on the diet this finally goes back to normal. 3rd day: Gas / bloating –
Candidiasys: IT IS BETTER!!!! with taking a medicine called "Noxafil" we were able to get the bacteria overgrowth under control. Now we just need to figure out what caused the Candidiasys (bacteria overgrowth). Both the doctor and I think it is a food allergy. So thru Elimination / Provocation we will be able to figure out which food is the really food allergy.
- Bowel Movements – this doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore. I think if I continued to eat what I shouldn’t it would get back to being bad again. I also think that it was the candidiasys that caused the Bowel problems. Now I am also on the Probotic – truPearl that seems to help a lot.
- Thrush – it appears to be gone even when I push the diet.
I hope this will help most of you. I have been thru so.....much that it is time that I start to help the people out there that are suffering like I was. Since Fall 2002 I had Burping, Stomach Growling, Insominia, Gas and Bloating. They thought I had GERD's - Acid reflex. We tried all the drugs and eventually because I started throwing up at night they went forward with a surgery to make it so I didn't throw up anymore. The surgery was called "Nissan Fundolpication". Don't ever go forward with this surgery - it did not help me at all because it wasn't acid reflex. Then they took out my gallbladder because they didn't know how to fix the problem. It wasn't the gallbladder. At my wits end, and no doctor could figure it out. I decided to try a natural healing (Alternative medicine, Osteopath) doctor. He did several tests on me to figure out that I had candidiasys / bacteria overgrowth. Candidiasys / bacteria overgrowth, you develop this when something else is wrong and you develop too much bacteria in digestive tract. Which makes all the other symptoms worse and adds new symptoms - Thrush and Bowel Movement problems (Diarrehia when I ate sugar or Fructose; Constipation when I ate dairy). Still having the other symptoms Burping, Stomach Growling, Insominia, Gas and Bloating. I was a mess. It took a year on a Candidiasys diet - eating very little Carbohydrates, mostly meats, vegies, nuts (raw), water. Trust me, it sounds like a diet that won't work - but if you do it even for 3 weeks I guarantee you will feel better. Go at it slow as adding vegies alone in your diet can cause gas if you aren't used to it.
I see a Osteopath, who has been wonderful in helping me figure out what is wrong. I had these symptoms:
- Burping - Hard till it hurts while it is going into the stomach – only when I eat things that are questionable. Especially if I eat something with caffeine after 6:00 pm. I lay awake till 3:00 in the morning burping. Then by 3:00 I almost feel like throwing up and when I eventually start farting then I stop burping and am able to fall asleep. In 2005 this is why we had to do the surgery to keep me from throwing up at 3:00am. Since the surgery it has made it so I don’t throw up – but the symptoms that lead up to it are still there. 3rd day: Stomach Gurgling and Burping–3rd day on the diet this finally goes back to normal.
- Stomach Gurgling – Days after I eat things I shouldn’t, my stomach will start gurgling when it is low on food. So loudly that people can hear it in the other room. When I eat something I shouldn’t - 3rd day: Stomach Gurgling and Burping 3rd day back on the diet this finally goes back to normal.
- Insomnia – see above. Once I go back on the diet - 7th day on diet – this finally goes back to normal. . 2nd day back on the candida diet: Sleeping/Insomnia goes back to normal.
- Gas / bloating – There is no gas or bloating if I stay on the candidiasys diet. Bloating, I go up 1 pant size by the 3rd day. I am improving; I can wear more restrictive clothes and not be in pain. 2nd day on the diet this finally goes back to normal. 3rd day: Gas / bloating –
Candidiasys: IT IS BETTER!!!! with taking a medicine called "Noxafil" we were able to get the bacteria overgrowth under control. Now we just need to figure out what caused the Candidiasys (bacteria overgrowth). Both the doctor and I think it is a food allergy. So thru Elimination / Provocation we will be able to figure out which food is the really food allergy.
- Bowel Movements – this doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore. I think if I continued to eat what I shouldn’t it would get back to being bad again. I also think that it was the candidiasys that caused the Bowel problems. Now I am also on the Probotic – truPearl that seems to help a lot.
- Thrush – it appears to be gone even when I push the diet.
Thank you for your response. I have a GI appointment this coming Monday (finally) and I will absolutely be asking him about the gallbladder scan! I've been increased to 40mg of Omeperazole twice a day, which has helped some of the feelings of having food moving around my stomach and throat, but I'm still bloated and feel pain/pressure right in the middle of my abdomen, just below my sternum. Thanks again for your response.
Hi,
The diarrhea could be a side effect that you could have developed to acid reflux medications. probiotic supplements may be helpful.
Since there is significant loss of weight I feel a second opinion by a gastroeneterologist would be better.
===============================================================
The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.
- Ratnakar Kini M.D.
The diarrhea could be a side effect that you could have developed to acid reflux medications. probiotic supplements may be helpful.
Since there is significant loss of weight I feel a second opinion by a gastroeneterologist would be better.
===============================================================
The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.
- Ratnakar Kini M.D.
Sorry...I forgot to mention that I have lost 13 or 14 pounds in this time (4 weeks) as well.
You are reading content posted in the GERD (Acid Reflux) Forum
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem
