Going nuts!!!!!!! All these GI issues

[manito2000]

Hello everyone...

I'm a 30 year old hispanic guy...having the worst GI issues ever...

1. Having left sided feeling as if my colon was swollen!
2. Lots of gas and mucous
3. Lots of constipation - taking Metamucil on a daily basis
4. Pain underneath my left rib
5. Feel as if my chest wall were sore.
6. Lots of neck and eyeball pain - weird!!!!!
7. Strange dizzy sensation throughout the day
8. I've had some strange joint pain on my fingers

After a sigmoidoscopy, CT scan w/ and w/out contrast, ultrasound...my doc has said that I have some fatty liver and that it's probably all IBS related.

I've had mildly elevated liver enzymes. He says it's probably my fatty liver and not a huge concern.

However, because my symptoms seem to not be relieved no matter how I modify my diet...I've gone to a GI and will have a colonoscopy on Thursday!!!

Any thoughts? Anybody have similar symptoms? My GI will do a biopsy while he's doing the colonoscopy to see if he can find any inflammation w/ the microscope.

 

[RachLG]

Hey Manito (that's the name of a little park where I grew up I can't be much help because I'm over 2 years now without a diagnosis, but you're symptoms are almost exactly like mine! I actually got a little teary-eyed when I read your post because I have yet to find someone with such close symptoms to my own. I have the swollen feeling on my left side - it's always VERY tender and sometimes I even feel a lump...you? I can't even have my kitty on my tummy it's just too tender I have lots of mucous, but I feel like docs dismiss me sometimes because I hardly ever get diarrhea...I also have a lot of pain under my ribs, and the ribs/chest wall are painful too - to the touch and with breathing. What's your dizziness like? I call it my "shivers" - periods of dizziness that happen sometimes without notice and other times when I move too quickly or divert my eyes...super weird. Do you get any nausea? Mine's pretty bad but it comes and goes. Almost all of my testing has come back normal and even though I don't wish for abnormal results, I find myself hoping something will come back to at least give me some answers. I hope you find the answers you're looking for and keep me posted!

 

[manito2000]

Oh my RachLG...wow...I felt so relieved as well to reach your post.

My chest pain is exactly as you described and my dizziness is exactly as you describe...

I'm usually nauseaous in the mornings... yuck...

Have you also had a colonoscopy...?

My docs seem somewhat unconcerned because they don't see any diarrhea, weight loss, or blood in my stool... I'm just greatful they'll do the colonoscopy and hopefully be able to determine the cause of these symptoms...

Take care and hope we both have a breakthrough...

 

[Jer's Girl]

Welcome Manito! I hope you get the answers you seek soon! A diagnosis, no matter what it ends up being, is such a relief because it gives you a place to start. It also is so vindicating because you almost feel like people don't take you seriously until you can say, "hey I feel bad, and my feeling bad has a name!" Good luck!

 

[acg101]

Welcome Manito to our forum. Your symptoms are consistant with IBD and you should find a real good GI, a doctor you can trust AND listen to you in order to diagnose exactly the situation.
Take control over the process and dont let people brush you off.
I hope you start feeling better soon.

 

[RachLG]

Hi again! I'm so sorry you're going through all of this - I just read your thread about normal results and I know just how you feel! Docs not seeming to listen because you don't have the "red flag" symptoms like D, weight loss, and/or blood in the stool...not that I want any of those things because I see how aweful it can be just reading other threads, but I also don't want docs to think I'm not sick. That's funny you should say your nausea is mostly in the morning because I'm actually the same way - when I first started getting sick, I thought I could be pregnant, but I'm pretty sure after 2+ years of this, that's not the case

I did have a colonoscopy and endoscopy, both showing nothing (except a benign polyp and some irritation in my stomach). I then had a capsule endoscopy, or "pill cam," because I guess there is a section of the intestines that's out of reach of the colonoscopy/endoscopy scopes. This procedure showed some more inflammation and what I thought looked like cobble stone texture when I saw the pics, but my GI said there's nothing there that jumped out at him. This procedure was good to cover all grounds - however! insurance companies are super stingy about covering it so if you ever have it done, make sure you get WRITTEN confirmation that it's covered....learned that the hard way and that spoken confirmation is not good enough. I also got what's called a HIDA scan, checking for galbladder issues.

It sounds like you still have many tests that they can try, so don't give up! I've found it helpful to find little things that make me feel better - emotionally and/or physically - because the waiting around for answers is horried and made worse by feeling terrible. I use a heating pad on my tummy for instance or these little patches called Salon Pas, which are like more intense and directed Icy Hot....it doesn't take away the pain, but it almost changes the feeling of it. I really hope you get your answers and remember to keep pushing those docs - find another if one is not taking you seriously

 

[DustyKat]

Hi manito and :welcome:

Good to see you here. My daughter had some similar symptoms to yours in the lead up to her diagnosis...........
joint pain (knees), sore eyes, pain high up just under her ribs and constipation. She also had normal test results right up until the day prior to surgery. It turned out that her pain was referred from her ileum. Good luck with your colonoscopy and I hope it gives you the answers you seek. I guess the thing is, if it comes back normal........remember it can only reach so far.............and you know something isn't right keep fighting! Keep us posted on how you go.

Take care,
Dusty

 

[TMos]

Hang in there Manito. It appears it can take years to get a diagnosis, unfortunately. Plus the doc's really think everybody has IBS for some reason.

 

[StarGirrrrl]

Even with red flag symptoms and abnormal bloods I got told I had IBS after a normal flexible sig. 3 years later I have never been so ill in my life but a WBC scan found inflammation in my bowel so even though it's clear now it's IBD, the GI is still on about IBS, consequently finding it hard to get help!

Here's hoping the colonoscopy (which I am also waiting for) gives you some answers

 

[manito2000]

Colonoscopy all done!!!!!!

Wow...those were the shortest 20 minutes ever.

I had the sedative and pain med...and can barely remember anything.

Doc says that it looks normal. They did some biopsies so that they can send to pathology and see if there's any inflammation in the tissue.

Can't believe why so many men (50+ y/o) put off this procedure where it could save their lives and detect any colon issues...

Looking forward to some news at some point.

 

[Astra]

Hi Manito
and welcome

Good Luck with your results, I hope you haven't got Crohn's, but I also hope you get something sorted soon, and if it is Crohn's, then at least you know what you're dealing with, and we're here for you, no matter what!!
lotsa luv
Joan xxx

 

[manito2000]

Got my results back from the colonoscopy!!!!!!!!!!

No abnormalities. Also, they did some biopsies and they came back w/ no abnormalities.

My GI things it's just really bad IBS...very spastic colon.

Anyway, I've had back pain all this week but will try and do some stress relieving exercises...

Darn...I was so hoping they would pinpoint what is wrong w/ me. At least I feel same now that it's something seriously wrong w/ my colon...other than it acting up all the time

 

[RachLG]

Sorry you didn't get any answers yet! But it's great you have such a good outlook on the results - no news is better than seriously bad news. Get a second opinion if you don't think it's IBS and the docs not willing to keep investigating. It never hurts to hear from more than one doc. Good luck! And I hope you just start feeling better overall!

 

[sharon330]

Maybe Celiac's disease?

 

[Fuzzy_griffon_cheeks]

Hi Manito and welcome. ^_^ (((hugs)))

I know the whole battle of trying to find a diagnosis and how maddening it is. -__- I can offer some advice though in that it's from my own experience: find a GOOD homeopathic doctor. I have both a homeopathic doctor and a regular doctor. What one can see and/or find the other can't and vice versa but yet they work very well together. The homeopathic doctor might be able to find more of an definitive answer to your troubles being their methods of diagnosis are so much different. I wish you lived next door because I'd take you to see my homeopathic doc. She's really cool. =D

I've never tried metamucil before as me and fiber don't mix, oddly enough. Stupid crohn's, does some weird stuff to people. -__- I instead to combat the not so much constipation factor but the "my intestines just won't work to go, their switch is off" problem, I take a teaspoon full of magnesium citrate everyday in cranberry/ginger/orange tea. Course sometimes I don't even go with the magnesium citrate but if I don't take it, I really won't go. =P Pretty much ever since being diagnosed with the Crohn's back in '01, mny intestines have just stopped working. -__- So I know that discomfort. I too have IBS on top of the Crohn's as well as Celiac so it's a right peachy day at the park for me most the time. XD lol

(((hugs)))

 

[Fuzzy_griffon_cheeks]

[...] I guess there is a section of the intestines that's out of reach of the colonoscopy/endoscopy scopes. [...]

I read this and about had an aneurysm of joy. :biggrin: LOL THIS!? has got to be the missing clue and puzzle piece to my current flare-up with Crohn's. I did not know about this little tidbit of knowledge about our bodies but now that I do, oh.....it explains so much! @_@ It explains my clean report from September, the beyond violent gut pain and radiating stomach pain, everything! Yay I feel even less crazy than I did before! :emot-q: Without going into agonizing detail,:yfaint: my current ordeal is with a drug called Pentasa that didn't work out so well for me back in Jan/Feb. >,O You should be able to find a link to the thread through my profile. The pills are supposed to medicate you as they pass through your system, well.....they never passed through me. >_< I knew they had to be in there somewhere as their capsule contents keep coming up.