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...
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
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
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
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.