A 2022 medical news release: "Histamine-producing gut bacteria can trigger chronic abdominal pain"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220727153643.htm
"The study found that the bacterium Klebsiella [produces] histamine, a known mediator of pain.
The bacterial histamine then activates the gut immune system through histamine-4 receptor, which draws immune mast cells into the intestines. These activated mast cells produce even more histamine and other pain-signalling mediators, triggering inflammation and pain."
Her doctors must be aware of this because they ordered testing for fecal histamine, which is rarely tested for.
So what to do about this?
"...a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates"
and
"...treatments targeting mast cells or histamine, such as mast cell stabilizers or antihistamines."
That page doesn't mention:
- there are also OTC capsules containing the DAO enzyme which breaks down histamine.
- Klebsiella is also associated with some severe inflammatory disorders, including Ankylosing Spondylitis which destroys the spine.
- there are low-histamine food lists in books and on the internet
- commonly used plant-derived mast cell stabilizers are quercetin, luteolin, fisetin
I had a lot of these symptoms and my tests came out clean also. I went on the candida diet and in three months' time, I was feeling oh so much better. You will eliminate a lot of foods on that diet, so it can be used to diagnose other things. Book is called "The Candida Cure," by Ann Boroch. You can google it and find the PDF for free online if you don't want to buy the book. If you decide to try the diet, don't do the organ cleanses as that is very hard on your body and organs cleanse themselves. If you need support, let me know - I've been on the diet over 8 years now. I had pain so bad, I had to pull to the side of the road because breathing hurt so bad and the pain was REALLY bad. If your problem is not candida, you still may likely find an answer using this diet. It seems really hard but it's actually easy - let me know if you decide to do it and need help. I hope you will feel better soon!
"The most weard moment was two weeks ago, i ate some green fresh beans and after two bites i got this pain in the left arm, dizzy, pain on the chest, rash, and finally i fainted."
Oh yes, that certainly is very weird :)
There is such a thing as Oral Allergy Syndrome, very rare
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23996-oral-allergy-syndrome
You don't even have to swallow for the bad effect to occur. Please note that allergy involves mast cells and histamine. If blood vessels dilate enough from histamine, then blood pressure going to the head drops and fainting can occur.
I think your friend should get and always carry an Epi-pen or some similar fast-auto-injection device. If she ever starts to have her lips swelling, get her to the Emergency Dept immediately. Anaphylaxis can kill.
OVERALL CONCLUSION
I think altogether what she should focus on is histamine and mast cells. Put aside test for IL-6 and TNF and all of that for now.
Push the docs to focus on histamine and mast cells.
IMPORTANT: With her very high fecal histamine, wasn't she tested for Plasma Histamine and its metabolite Urinary Methylhistamine?
Has any doctor mentioned Mast Cells? Those immune cells can have a huge variety of effects when they become overactive. They have over 100 receptors and can secrete over 200 powerful biochemicals. They are found in abundance in the GI and in the skin. Does she ever have skin flushing episodes with no apparent cause?
Related to that, have you heard the term Aquagenic Urticaria? (a very rare rash from water/shower, involving histamine; and histamine is mostly made by mast cells.) See the connection?
Excess mast cells would not be seen on a scan or by a camera, they can be detected only by a biopsy snip. That is as a parallel commonly done these days with an endoscope in the *esophagus* (food tube to the stomach), looking for a once mysterious condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis. However, to look deeper into the intestine at her crucial spot, they could use an enteroscope. So that's a possibility.
What family history does she have of overactive immune conditions such as Lupus, Sjogrens, Raynaud's, Rheumatoid Arthritis, severe allergies to food or to bee stings or mold or perfumes?
What happened in the month or two before her first episode? If nothing special, then what was unsual in the previous two years? Foreign travel (parasite?), exposure to chemical toxins, extreme stress (apart from excess exercise)?
She's had so many scans that it's doubtful there is some anatomical cause.
"Small intestine ecam with a camera that i swallowed (2016)"
Did that look only for bumps/tumors, or also for redness/inflammation at that one crucial spot in the small intestine?
Is it possible that the left arm pain is "referred pain", caused by that one crucial spot?
Hi, first of all: what medications is she taking? Any corticosteroids such as prednisone?
Next: what about blood tests, aside from insulin? Specifically cortisol, and also inflammatory markers such as the basic two being CRP and ESR; then more advanced such as IL-1, IL-6, TNF?
What about ANA? Anti Nuclear Antibody
From what I have seen:
-when a patient is ill for many years and sees many specialists
-with no diagnosis
-particularly women
-including illness onset in young very fit women
...then it's most often immune system dysfunction. Some gut dysfunction is often a contributing factor.