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Avatar universal

Post appendectomy, IBS Symptoms, 19 years old

Hi, I am 19 years old and i have very many health problems that keep me functioning normally. I have been seen by specialists, had many tests done, and doctors think that I was crazy. I had a daughter at the age of 17 and ever since, I have had major stomach pain and episodes of diarrhea and vomiting. Sometimes I would almost pass out during a bowel movement. If I feel like I have to go and it is going to be an episode of a lot of pain I have to take a pillow into the bathroom with me and hold it over my stomach. I also have family history of back problems and already, I feel like I am in my 50's. I get tired very easily and my joints hurt, especially my back. After standing for more than 15 minutes my legs start to hurt very much and I HAVE to sit down of I feel like I might fall down. Recently I had a terrible stomach pain lasting about 13 hours and I finally went to the hospital because the pain wasn't moving or getting any better. It was so severe, they gave me a shot of morphine and it did nothing to even touch the pain I was in. So they did a Cat Scan. The surgeon said it looks like it might be appendicitis and desided to have me in surgery the next day. So I had a laparoscopic appendectomy and went home the following afternoon. I had three incisions and they where very painful. A couple days later I still had pain and they ran another cat scan to check for infection, but nothing showed up. So they sent me home again and things seemed to be OK for a while. Then, 11 days after my surgery I woke up at 4am with severe pain and diarrhea that wasn't seeming to end, or let up. Then about 10 minutes after that I started vomiting and couldn't control either end of me. Finally after 2 hours of completely emptying my system out I drove to the ER again. They did a cat scan and they said it looked severe like Crohn's disease, so they wanted to do tests. Well after a liquid diet in the hospital they did a colonoscopy. The test came back normal, and they did a small bowel follow through, that came back normal. They didn't do a stool sample though. My food doesn't seem like its fully digesting either. I have had diarrhea since mid-May and it is now the beginning of June. I lost weight when I was in the hospital for 5 days, which I was still vomiting and had diarrhea and they sent me home with no answers. I gained my weight back and now it seems like I'm ALWAYS hungry, I can't stop eating and I always feel full after two bites of food. My Dr THINKS I had IBS but I can't get into a gastro specialist until August. I still have mils pain in my lower left abdomen and excessive trapped gas, and trouble with my bowel movements. I changed my diet completely and don't know what else to do. I am only 19 and I feel very old, especially trying to take care of a 2 year old on my own. I don't feel like Dr's should just tell me, oh well two tests came back negative the others probably will too. After the cat scan showed severe intestinal and colon inflammation. I guess my stomach only looks like this when I am having an episode that I go through. I looked up books on IBS and found out IBS is just the way of saying you don't have a specific disease that's treatable so we'll say you have IBS and you can live with it the rest of your life. I'm too young to feel like this and I wish someone out there would become interested in my case and give me another option besides shrugging their shoulders. Modern medicine has come a long way, but most Dr's wont get out of their comfortable office chairs to catch up to whats going on with people.

Frustrated and out of answers,
Jamie
5 Responses
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Avatar universal
Well, i have had lower left abdominal pain for this entire year on and off so far.  Went to er and was told I had colitis and ovarian cysts.  (I had my appendix and gallbladder out already from previous episodes I have had).  They referred me to a GI dr who did a colonoscopy.  He told me that i had diverticulosis and flare ups of diverticulitis.  I went and got a second opinion. got another colonoscopy..... My new GI dr told me I had no such thing.  After another couple of er visits for abdominal pain, a doctor told me I had  epiploic appendagitis, it is a condition rarely diagnosed but becoming more  noticed in this day.. I also had imflammation of my colon and the wall of my sigmoid colon is thickening.  EA is when the appendages on the outside of your colon become inflammed and they twist , cutting off blood supply.  Very painful.  Also diagnosed with IBS.......Just hang in there and dont just listen to one particular dr who you dont feel sure about.  Second opinions are a good idea.  hang in there and hopefully you can get some help with this issue...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am so sorry to hear about all your pain, especially at such a young age.  I, too, have had vomiting, diarrhea for 2 years.  I just had a laparscopic appendectomy and I stopped vomiting for about 10 days, and now I am back at the severe vomiting and diarrhea.  I considered going to the ER again but not sure what to do.  I also have sjogren's and fibromyalgia - and they are looking into whether I have systemic lupus as well - I guess it takes them a while to figure that out!  Sheesh!

One thing I can suggest is cutting out all gluten (which is in many foods - not just breads).  The gluten can damage your intestinal walls and cause Celiac disease among other things. Go to a Whole Foods store and ask for their concierge.  She'll be able to help you identify what you can eat.  I would also cut out all nightshade foods. You can google nightshade foods to get a list, but they are basically all foods that contain potatoes, tomatoes, peppers - all kinds like bell peppers and hot peppers and paprika spices. The nightshades are just plain poisonous to alot of us.   And you might google a list of foods that are high in L-Argenine (an amino acid).  I cut out all these foods and the vomiting/pain/diarrhea stopped.   And if you have an immunity problem, you are probably too high in argenine and not high enough in L-Lysine amino acids.  (I take a lysine supplement as well.)

I hope this helps.  Most docs are not up on how foods affect our bodies.  They only consider how little pills mask our symptoms.  Very frustrating, I know!  We are all pulling for you. Hang in there - and don't forget to ask the Great Physician for wisdom.  God Bless - Diane
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Avatar universal
Hi I'm so sorry to hear about your pain. I have been going through something rather similar. I started having severe abdominal pain which led to vomiting, diariha and constipaiotn in Feb this year. The docs too thought it was my appendix. But it wasn't. My pain got thousand times worse after the op. So they did another one and found that I had endometriosis. The gyno said that my bowels looked inflamed on the outside. But this wasn't the main cause of my pain as it persisted. I've had a colonoscopy various scans and all came back negative. I then decided to go vegan and the pain went for a while...until I went to a nutritionist who decided to feed me bread (as I was also avoiding wheat) and oh did the pain come back! I am to see a gastroenterologist next Monday as I will be having a biopsy.
Maybe you should try cutting out gluten from your diet to see if it helps. All it takes is a week or two.
My pain, bloating, gas, reflux, and even joint pains started to clear up! I started to feel like a 25 year old again rather than a 60 year old. Unfortunatley because I have been gluten free, I will have to start ingesting it again for the tests.
I hope this may help

Emma
Helpful - 0
148354 tn?1211233906
Hi! I'am so sorry to hear what your going through,I'am 29 yrs old and going through same thing.I had appendicitis in oct'06 which lead to open emergency abdominal surgery,( the tipped ruptrued) was having severe pain,bowel probs,trapped gas,fatique for a year with 100lb weight loss.Recently had gallbladder surgery for gallstones thinking it is the problem..nothing is resolved,having another laparscopy surgery in two months to look for endometroisis and gyno problems since I have chronic pelvic pain and ovarian cysts.All my test come back normal(colonscopy,catscans,barium x rays,endoscopy) many trips to the er!
       I took jaybay's advice and requested all my medical records and copies of every procedure and test I have had and currently changing dr's since mine basically told me its ibs/stress/ and its all in my head.
        If all your gastro test come back normal,you might want to go to a gyno..many gyno issues mimic bowel problems and can cause bowel/stomach problems.Hang in there,Prayers!
                                            Stephanie
Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
When exactly was your appendectomy?  Was your child born vaginally or via c-section?  Any other surgeries or abdominal / pelvic infections?

I dealt with a problem for many years that was, and is, invisible to tests, so I understand your frustration.  First, get copies of the surgery report, colonoscopy report, lab reports and any pathology reports.  They'll be in your file at your surgeon's office.  It sounds as though you're going to be investigating the cause of your symptoms for some time, and having these reports in your own hands will help you do your own research, and speed up appointments with any new docs you may consult.  I can't stress this strongly enough:  you have to get the records.  Sometimes things are missed that a new doc will pick up on - or even you in your own research.  Docs don't always tell patients the full story.  I can't really blame them since most people just want to hear the short version.
Helpful - 0
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