yellow stool and upper left abdomen pain

[yme725]

For about the past month now I've had yellow stool. It alternates between diarrhea and soft stool, but its always yellow, maybe ranging from darker to lighter, but I haven't had normal colored stool in about a month. Today I noticed there were two black floating chunks (? not sure how else to describe it.) IDK what that was, but it worried me. I've been having weird health issues recently, but since I don't have insurance until 1/1/10 I'm trying to avoid racking up ER bills.

In addition, I'm having a dull, achy pain below my left breast near my ribcage. It'll occasionally give me a sharp pain, but usually it stays dull. It's been sore about a week I'd say. In addition to that, I have pain up my left side from ribs to armpit, pain in armpit, up to shoulder, and over to collarbone above my breast. I have swollen, tender lymph nodes in these areas also. It's so painful I cannot sleep on my left side.

I don't know what to do, my PCP is not letting me come in for an office visit because I called mentioning my shoulder bothering me and when I saw her in august she said go to neurologist and i didn't. So she won't see me, even though I said there were other things I wanted to discuss with her. So...I'm stuck until January, and I set up a new patient visit with a new PCP but their earliest appt was 3/1/10.

Can anyone offer insight into what could be wrong with me? GERD? IBS? Gall bladder?

Please, help me find my sanity!! LOL

[zappagirl]

Just get in to doctor somewhere.  I have that type of thing now and have had Hepatitis A and B in the past and the symptoms you describe say it coudl be that for you.  Simple tests.

[Banned1]

I'm so happy you called them back.  If someone is feeling anxious enough about a health issue to post here, they usually should be talking to their doctor.  Especially when your sleep is interrupted, it's important to have it investigated just to make sure you're in good hands.  Hang in there and, if you feel like it, let me know how you are?

All the best,

Sam

[yme725]

Thank you so much for the help. I ended up calling the doctor back and saying I NEED to come in for an appt. I gave them my symptoms and the Dr is sending me for a stool sample. I will definitely look into those links. I've been keeping a food/symptom/medicine & vitamin log for almost 2 weeks now, so that should help as you said. I'm very nervous and hoping its something simple and easy to treat. Unfortunately I now feel like I'm getting sick, like a cold! UGH it never ends for me!

Thank you though, again!!!

[Banned1]

I'm not a doctor and I know nothing about this stuff but I would start by keeping a log of everything that goes in and out of your body (food, drink, medication, etc.).  This might help you to identify patterns and changes.  If you can, speak with the physician who referred you to the Neurologist and explain why you missed the appointment.  If she's really not willing to see you because of it, can you find a new Primary Care Physician?  Things happen and appointments are missed for very good reasons, some of which are beyond our control.  Either way, you sound like you KNOW you have to get in and see a doctor.

I'm adding a ton of links at the end of this post for both stool and enzymes.  I'm not sure if they'll help but you never know.  Digestive and pancreatic enzymes are natural and might help you but you'll want to make sure that they only contain Proteases, Lipase and Amylase and no other active ingredients.  Prescription enzymes are the best.  There are sustained-action enzymes and immediate release enzymes.  A combination of the two can work wonders but you'd need to get instructions from your doctor and then figure out what works best for you.  Enzymes take several weeks before they work.  Enzymes are also sold in health food stores but, again, watch the ingredients.  Enzymes and stool go hand-in-hand.  Feel free to create a new post, if this isn't helpful.  Hopefully someone with personal or professional experience can help you.   I'll send this post by message, too, in case medhelp deletes the links.

All the best,

Sam

ENZYMES

www.pancan.org/Patient/Pancreatic/Diet/PancreaticEnzymes.htm
www.enzymestuff.com/basicsdosing.htm
www.pancreatitis.org.uk/enzymes.htm
www.hopkinscf.org/docs_shared/nutrition/pancreatic_enzymes.pdf
www.talkmedical.com/medications/1512/Creon-5

STOOL
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch125/ch125a.html
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/undigested-food-in-stool.html
http://www.enzymestuff.com/rtstools.htm
http://www.prohealth.com/library/bulletinarticle.cfm?ID=6592