what should we look for now?

[juleeque]

I have dealt with digestive issues for about 11 yrs.  19 doctors, LOTS of $$, and no answers.  I did have a small time frame off and on where I was normal, having normal bowel movements and could eat whatever.  What do I do?  I am a vegan, I don't eat grains, even though I am not allergic to wheat/gluten nor have celiac, I eat raw food, exercise, drink water.  I do what is right and healthy, but I don't go overboard on the health thing.  (Please don't encourage me to eat meat/dairy, cheese, it is detrimental to me).  

So, I have a colonoscopy, dr says, colon is normal and healthy, no cancer, colitis, diverticulitis, polyps, etc nada;  then send me to have a barium xray, for small intestines, that too seemed inconclusive.  So, my only question is, what could I suggest to look for next.  Dr. did take a biopsy to test for fungus, bacteria, and is doing a parasite check.  thx  juls

[jthreatt]

Hi Juleeque,

Sorry for you long suffering!  I've been having trouble with digestive issues and finding the cause as well.  My problems haven't lasted as long as yours, but I've run every test under the sun over the last six months.  My mom has crohn's, so my GI is doing every test possible to rule that out.  He's decided to do a capsule endoscopy to get a better look at my small intestine.  We've already performed a ct scan, endoscopy and colonoscopy.  He found an ulcer the ileum, so he wants to check the rest of the intestines for ulcers as well. The ct scan didn't show much.  There wasn't any intestinal wall thickening anywhere in my intestines even in the ileum where there was a known ulcer.  

I have high cholesterol and I had high serum calcium to almost 10 yrs due to hyperparathyroidism.  Both of those can cause pancreas issues, so he's doing some bloodwork and stool samples to check for that as well.

After these tests are completed, I'm not sure what else can be performed.  I'm sure there are some other things they can check for, but that's all I know about.  Anyway, I hope this info is helpful.

Jimmy

[patient915]

Because of your restricted diet you need to make sure you are getting enough fiber especially.  Besides fiber, you should see a nutritionist to make sure you are not lacking in anything that can cause problems.  Are you vegan and don't eat grains because they make your problems worse or because you have chosen to do this?  If you don't eat these things because they make things worse you should tell your doctor about this because it might provide a clue to what's going on.

[juleeque]

Hello, thank you for your info, I choose to be total vegetarian ( I eat honey) by choice, but the grains do not sit well with me.  I just found out my sister has IBS, She was just diagnosed recently.  She said our mom had problems too, SOOOOO>>>>   perhaps that is the issue.??  I plan following up with Dr to see what she comes up with. thx  julie

[patient915]

That sounds like a good idea to follow up with your doctor along with the other things I suggested (fiber and seeing a nutritionist).  Good luck.