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Young Veteran abdominal pain
My boyfriend got out of the Marine Corp in 2004 and has always been completely healthy with a few problems from the marines though unrelated to current situation. He eats healthy, drinks lots of liquids and works out. In the last 3 years he has been to the emergencies 6 times with the same symptoms. On a daily basis he has chronic discomfort in his abdominal region where he also has a loss of appetite. Or where the discomfort is intense making him not want to eat. The 6 times where his chronic flares,.. he'll start to vomit constantly, his entire abdominal area is more severe pain rather than discomfort, he gets really nauseous, has hot and cold flashes, gets really dehydrate to a point where he cant hold down water. There's no blood in his stool or urine. He has lost 10 to 15 lbs from the 4th visit to the emergencies and hasnt gain it back. At the emergencies its always same procedure, all blood work comes back negative, he's white blood cells are off the charts, the cat scan and mri doesn't show anything. They give him IV to hydrate, morphine for pain and nausea medicine. They admit him till he's able to hold down liquids. He has never stayed for 24 hours before he was released. So far doctors assume reflex, diabetic but those are now ruled out. Any questions, suggestions, ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Thank you so much, i'll research into it and we'll go through the process. I dont think at all that he has seen the best doctors.. the VA are all quite young doctors but they are collaborating and talk to him like he's a human being but they have no clue. I really do appreciate all the info and suggestion for me to look as options or understand better :)
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The symptoms could be exacerbation of the GERD. It could also be hiatal hernia. Treatment is a combination of drugs to reduce the acid and lifestyle changes. You will need to take a combination of medications (under medical supervision) like a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole empty stomach in the morning and an antacid gel after meals for complete relief. Possibility of H pylori infection too should be looked into by a carbon urea breath test and a combination antibiotic tried. Many a times a persisting H pylori infection can be the cause behind acidity not responding to treatment.
Life style changes that will help include: Avoid heavy meals and eat frequent small meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, smoking, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees. Avoid lying down for least 2 hours after food. Maybe these tips will help you.
If these tips do not help, then liver function test, pancreatic enzymes, and HIDA scan for gall bladder should be done. Food intolerance and inflammatory bowel conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s, celiac etc should be considered. Log in what he eats and see if there is a correlation between a certain food type and the symptoms.
You should consult a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system) or a physician for this.
Take care!