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Help! - Severe Gastric Pains
I'm really hoping someone can help me...
I've been experiencing horrible gastric pain for about a straight year now. I have been to 2 specialists and I am still not satisfied with what they believe to be wrong with me. I have been tested for everything under the sun; results show no Crohn's. no Celiac, no Pancreas issues, no reflux, no bacteria, no parasites, no Gallbladder issues, etc. My current Gastroenterologists has just diagnosed me with IBS but I am afraid that she is just using IBS as a "catch all" since I keep pushing her for answers and all the tests came back negative...
I have no common symptoms of IBS (at least of those that came up through research and those which the doctor mentioned to me). My stomach hurts CONSTANTLY... it's usually a constant ache, but occasionally turns to sharp pain in which I feel that certain areas of my abdomen are being ripped out of my body. Sometimes the pain is so severe that I get nauseated and vomit. An endoscopy showed that I have moderate gastritis, but the colonoscopy didn't reveal anything too abnormal. My pain is located in the area above my belly-button and also to the right, under my rib cage. My stools are fine and I go at a "normal rate," nothing seems out of whack with my bowel movements...My stomach is noisy at times, it loudly gurgles as if I was hungry (even if I'm not), but I don't feel bloated or gassy - I was told that this was due to the stomach being irritated [from the gastritis]. I do get pain when I eat... it doesn't matter what kind of food it is, it doesn't matter how much, or what time I eat... it just hurts. Nothing seems to suppress the pain or trigger it... the severity is very random.
I'm thinking that my condition may be caused my something else... I have lost over 10lbs of weight from this "illness." I know my mother's family has a history of a Thyroid disorder; however, my gastroenterologist didn't seem to care about that information... I have also been getting slight pains and cramps in my bones and muscles - they feel like "growing pains" (only I doubt they are since I'm 22yrs old) and I am pretty sensitive to certain degrees of touch. I have also noticed that ever since this issue started, my immune system as been very low... Each small cold turns into a huge Flu outbreak in my body, which in turn causes havoc on my GI tract and makes my pain worse. Other than that, I feel fine. I'm energetic, I'm happy, I still like going out and doing things; however, my "stomach issue" has put a damper on my life and as stupid as this sounds I'm actually anxious about it acting up [in public].
Yes, I have a Type A personality... I'm a hard worker and I am tough on myself. I am currently finishing my Senior year of Undergraduate studies and will be applying to Dental School. I am also on 2 Varsity teams, so you can imagine the amount of stress I am under... I understand that stress/anxiety and IBS are inter-connected, but does it necessarily mean I have IBS? Can stress be causing this chronic pain without actually being a "life-long" syndrome?
I'm just hoping I can find someone who would actually listen to what I've been describing, I feel like my doctors only listen half-assed to what I am saying. I can't live like this... I want answers; LEGIT ANSWERS!
I've been experiencing horrible gastric pain for about a straight year now. I have been to 2 specialists and I am still not satisfied with what they believe to be wrong with me. I have been tested for everything under the sun; results show no Crohn's. no Celiac, no Pancreas issues, no reflux, no bacteria, no parasites, no Gallbladder issues, etc. My current Gastroenterologists has just diagnosed me with IBS but I am afraid that she is just using IBS as a "catch all" since I keep pushing her for answers and all the tests came back negative...
I have no common symptoms of IBS (at least of those that came up through research and those which the doctor mentioned to me). My stomach hurts CONSTANTLY... it's usually a constant ache, but occasionally turns to sharp pain in which I feel that certain areas of my abdomen are being ripped out of my body. Sometimes the pain is so severe that I get nauseated and vomit. An endoscopy showed that I have moderate gastritis, but the colonoscopy didn't reveal anything too abnormal. My pain is located in the area above my belly-button and also to the right, under my rib cage. My stools are fine and I go at a "normal rate," nothing seems out of whack with my bowel movements...My stomach is noisy at times, it loudly gurgles as if I was hungry (even if I'm not), but I don't feel bloated or gassy - I was told that this was due to the stomach being irritated [from the gastritis]. I do get pain when I eat... it doesn't matter what kind of food it is, it doesn't matter how much, or what time I eat... it just hurts. Nothing seems to suppress the pain or trigger it... the severity is very random.
I'm thinking that my condition may be caused my something else... I have lost over 10lbs of weight from this "illness." I know my mother's family has a history of a Thyroid disorder; however, my gastroenterologist didn't seem to care about that information... I have also been getting slight pains and cramps in my bones and muscles - they feel like "growing pains" (only I doubt they are since I'm 22yrs old) and I am pretty sensitive to certain degrees of touch. I have also noticed that ever since this issue started, my immune system as been very low... Each small cold turns into a huge Flu outbreak in my body, which in turn causes havoc on my GI tract and makes my pain worse. Other than that, I feel fine. I'm energetic, I'm happy, I still like going out and doing things; however, my "stomach issue" has put a damper on my life and as stupid as this sounds I'm actually anxious about it acting up [in public].
Yes, I have a Type A personality... I'm a hard worker and I am tough on myself. I am currently finishing my Senior year of Undergraduate studies and will be applying to Dental School. I am also on 2 Varsity teams, so you can imagine the amount of stress I am under... I understand that stress/anxiety and IBS are inter-connected, but does it necessarily mean I have IBS? Can stress be causing this chronic pain without actually being a "life-long" syndrome?
I'm just hoping I can find someone who would actually listen to what I've been describing, I feel like my doctors only listen half-assed to what I am saying. I can't live like this... I want answers; LEGIT ANSWERS!
Thank you for your reply.
I was tested for Crohns (twice in fact). Both tests came back negative for it.
Plus there's no specific food that triggers it... it doesn't matter what I eat, it just hurts constantly regardless.
I was tested for Crohns (twice in fact). Both tests came back negative for it.
Plus there's no specific food that triggers it... it doesn't matter what I eat, it just hurts constantly regardless.
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