Bloating, weight gain, intestinal pain/stomach pain, malnutrition... help, please?

[givingup1993]

Hi there,
I've been suffering for a year now with a "mystery" digestive problem. I have had slight issues with constipation since I was 16 (which were probably a result of my battle with eating disorders as a young teen), but had it under control for the most part. I was prescribed Miralax every morning, which seemed to work very well unless I went on vacation or somewhere where I could not take it for a few days. I pretty much couldn't go without it, so every time I went away I would gain water weight and be constipated again. On long trips, I would pack gentle laxatives and take them to relieve the constipation. While at home (and on the Miralax), I was very regular and felt pretty good, although occasionally if I overate I would have pretty severe abdominal pain and retain water. Went to the doctor for a checkup before heading off to college and he said everything was "absolutely perfect". I was feeling and looking good. Then it started. I was at college for one week and had been constipated all week, but I wasn't too worried. I picked up a laxative and took it, expecting it to work (as always). Nothing. Two weeks went by, tried a laxative again. Still nothing. By this time I was in a lot of pain, my stomach was swelling, and I was retaining water. After three and a half weeks, my stomach was so swollen that I didn't eat and all I could do after class was lay down because of the pain. I started to drink excess amounts of water in an effort to move things along. Then, one night I woke up and almost passed out as I walked to the bathroom. I was rushed to the ER, vomiting and dizzy, and it turned out I had hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium). After a CT scan, the doctor asked me "How much did you eat??!"  I hadn't eaten much of anything for two days, but everything from God knows when was still inside me. A few days later, after getting my sodium levels back to normal and giving me some laxatives so that I was decently comfortable, they sent me back to school.I spent the rest of that year of college trying to heal my body, but no luck. I've gained over 20 pounds, even though I barely eat. My body looks and feels like I'm retaining a ton of water (swollen ankles, face, etc.) My stomach is always bloated and my stomach/intestines are always sore. I take Miralax every morning with breakfast and before bed in order to pass enough waste to not end up in the hospital again. My "bowel movements" are liquid, though. Pretty much brown water, no mass to them. I've been going to doctors and specialists for 3 months. No luck. I've had CT scans, Xrays, colonoscopy, endoscopy, small bowel follow-through. Everything looked "fine". I feel constipated all the time and I'm not passing the appropriate amount of stool that I should be for the amount of food I'm eating, yet they find nothing in my intestines/stomach. They diagnosed me with IBS and gastroparesis and started me on Domperidone. Domperidone seems to increase my appetite and I've lost a few pounds, but my pain and symptoms are still the same and I still have to take Miralax twice a day in order for the domperidone to work. One thing I have noticed is if I eat vegetables for dinner (eg. a salad), I will pass everything (everything vegetable based) that I ate by the next morning (with the help of the Miralax) and it looks exactly the same (same color and everything). My body doesn't digest any of it- it just passes through. When I eat meats, breads, and milk products I pass almost nothing the next morning and my stomach feels more uncomfortable than normal. If I am not passing the meat and grains that I'm eating, why aren't they showing up in an endoscopy/ colonoscopy/ small bowel test?? Where do they go?? I am most frustrated with this, not because of the pain and discomfort but because of the weight gain. It seems to be all water weight ( swollen legs, etc. but I can still see my ribs/ breastbone and they feel exceptionally bony), but I just can't get rid of it. None of my clothes fit anymore and it's depressing me to the point that I don't do anything at all anymore, even when the pain isn't as bad. I just sit at home. I'm really hoping that there is a fix for this and that I haven't ruined my body (with my history of yo-yo eating disorders and laxatve use). If anyone has an answer, please help me! I am only 20, but I feel like my life is ending.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi Moriah,
Very good. Everything is inter-connected.
Thyroid tests check only TSH, T3 and T4 usually.
If this is the case for you, please do the test I suggested and let me know.

Love and Light
Niko

[givingup1993]

Hello Niko,
Thank you for the list of things to look into. Most of these, I have not considered yet. I believe I have had my thyroid tested and it was fine. Sodium/potassium levels should be good- I've always tried to have a lot of potassium in my diet (I eat mostly vegetarian) and I drink a lot of water, which is why I ended up with hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium) when I drank more than normal. Low gastric acid levels was something I read about the other day and thought it could be a possibility (possibly caused by the hyponatremia?). Thanks again for your suggestions. After I have tried a few of these, I will post again with the results.
                                                                  -Moriah

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi givingup1993. Welcome to the forum.

It is unfortunate that we couldn't meet under better circumstances,
but at least I will try to give you a few non-conventional suggestions that may help you.

Some things to look into/ try (check online for further details as I'm just listing most of them, but if you need any details let me know)

1. Elimination diet starting with grains and followed by dairy- the 2 most reactive food groups- and continue until you exhaust all the food groups.

2. Low gastric acid levels.
You may do on your own the baking soda "burp" test and the Betaine HCl
challenge.

3. Candida Saliva test. Look it up on YouTube. Fast and easy.

4. Thyroid dysfunction. Look into Dr Barne's basal temperature self-test.

5. Adrenal fatigue. There's a questionnaire you can do on your own,as a screening tool.  (Adrenal dysfunction correction ALWAYS takes priority over thyroid dysfunction correction!) Let me know, if interested and I can send it to you.
Also related to this: Hidden stress, the "invisible enemy".

6. Nutritional/mineral deficiencies- your magnesium tissue levels could be low. Trandsdermal magnesium oil is my preferred method to supplement.
  Sodium/potassium ratio could be very high (tissue levels) in regards to water retention. Usually consuming potassium rich foods corrects this.
Replace table salt with REAL unrefined sea salt.

7.Leaky gut syndrome. Look into PEG urine test.

8. Lymph  dysfunction. look into physical activity, deep breathing
(go to the normal breathing website) and lymphatic self-massage
for stimulating your lymphatic system. It will help with fluid retention issues.

9. Coconut oil (extra virgin organic) is anti-fungal,anti-viral, anti-parasitic and anti-microbial.  2-4 T daily is recommended. One of the top "functional" foods.

10. Meditation (use CDs if not able to meditate on your own) is a wonderful tool to lessen stress, tap into the power of the subconscious and help achieve improved physical, mental and emotional wellness.

Note that the above is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.

Please message me or post again with results, questions, comments etc.

Best wishes
Niko