Stomach pain immediately after eating, diarhea and weight loss

[geraldine1616]

I am 38 yrs, female, three children ages 5 and up.

Over the past 5 yrs I have had more than a handful of "episodes" where I get very severe stomach pain that originates from the upper left abdomen, severe cramps begin with the end result within the hour of painful watery diarhea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating. The pain has been so excrutiating that I am screaming through the cramps. I have tried to figure out what I have eaten to start the episodes and it seems to stem from fatty meats (steak) or buttery/greasy meals. Each time I have one of these episodes it is worst that the last one. I had a gallbladder screening, ultrasound, and mri. All that came back is a fatty liver, all else looked normal. I have begun in the past four months to have diarhea several times a day. Starting loose, then to watery with a few "fatty" looking stone shaped bms. I have lost 30lbs in the past year with out being on any diets or increasing exercise. I find I tire very easily, headaches, and dizziness most days. I have also begun to have mild pain in my upper abdomen immediately after eating, or drinking anything. More annoying than painful. I have all but cut out most meat from my diet, and I avoid fatty fried foods. Does this sound like a food allergy perhaps?

[PrincessKatie]

Ooops, HIDA scan, not HYDA.

[PrincessKatie]

I empathize with you, Geraldine. I have Crohn's Disease and Celiac Disease. It started out like you are explaining and just got worse as the year went on. It took them 9 months to diagnose me. (This was about 5 years ago.) I wouldn't be surprised if you had either Celiac or Crohn's. (It is very uncommon to have both.) Fortunately, both are treatable.

Celiac:
You're weight loss and pain could be due to Celiac. Celiac is actually NOT a food ALLERGY, but a food INTOLERANCE. It is an autoimmune disease just like Crohn's. Your body attacks the vili of your small intestine when you eat gluten (wheat, rye, barley, and contaminated oats). Since the vili are responsible for absorbing nutrients, weight loss before diagnosis is VERY common. So is painful gas and watery/fatty/soft diarrhea. Eventually, you might start to see undigested parts of your meal in the bowl. Since gluten is hidden in MANY foods, it is hard to see a connection. The doctor can run a blood test (ask for a Celiac pannel.) An endoscopy confirms it. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet for life. It's not as horrible as it sounds because you feel so much better! Besides, Celiac awareness has jumped dramatically in the past 5 years!

Crohn's:
You're weight loss and pain could be due to Crohn's. This is an autoimmune disease where your body attacks parts of your GI tract (often large bowel). It can be found from tip to butt. When you're body is attacked by your immune system, inflammation occurs and your body has trouble digesting food and absorbing nutrients. You loss weight and have a lot of pain and diarrhea. Crohn's is diagnosed through a Colonoscopy. There are blood tests to see if you have inflammation in your body. Treatment is tricky, but there are some great drugs out there. It depends on how your Crohn's is presenting and where. Crohn's patients can't get rid of the disease, but they can go into remission.

Now, most importantly, talk to your doctor about these things. Ask them about these diseases and any others you might be aware of that could be causing your pain. Be your own health advocate. These are just two of many GI problems.

So to summarize, talk to your doctor about the following:

-Review symptoms
-Ask for a Celiac panel and full blood work-up
-Be upfront about how much pain you have and where it is located and how frequently you have bowel movements
-Ask about Crohn's
-Ask for a small bowel follow through (you ingest contrast and get multiple x-rays over a few hours) It shows if there is thickening anywhere in your bowel.
-Get a repeat HYDA scan of your gall bladder

I hope you can figure out what is wrong! Feel free to message me if you have more questions! I'll put a watch on this post :)

[buckeyeroots]

You really really need to see your doctor and ask for a CT scan of your abdomen with contrast.  You sound like me, I was misdiagnosed and kept thinking it was just IBS.  You could have a gastrointestinal disorder that needs treatment.  After about 5-6 years of suffering with small episodes like yours it all got much worse.  Last year I lost 30 pounds in about 4 months and had severe abdominal pain and watery diahrrea.  It turns out I have Crohn's disease.  It's treatable.  Don't freak out, but please go to your doctor right away and tell him everything.  If he doesn't order the test, then see an internist or get a referral to a gastrointestinal specialist.  Be aggressive as I really don't think this is just a food allergy, but hey I'm not a doctor.  I have a friend with celiac disease (allergic to gluten) and usually food allergies don't make you lose weight or have that much pain.  Please let me know how you make out.