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Chris25

Guest
Hey all. I am 25 and from Australia. I have been having some problems for a while now but I am still lost as to how to treat them.

I have been reading around and I am quite confused about what is wrong with me. For the last 2 years I have had problems with nausea and vomiting. Even went through a 6 week period were I vomited about 3-6 times per day. I was suppose to have an endoscopy done but I pulled out because of family pressures to do so (they think I am a hypochondriac. I have no idea why though). Was so bad at one time that when I was on my way to university I almost made it but then vomited all over the interior of the car and continued to do so every 5 minutes or so until I got home and laid down.

Over the last 7 months I have had constant diarrhoea. I have also had vomiting and nausea. The vomiting stopped but the nausea has not.

I have diarrhoea initially about 6-8 times a day but now it has settled a bit and I have it around 1-3 times a day. When my GP comes back from her holidays I am planning to see her but I don't really know what to say.

I am kind of arguing with family members at the moment. They think I am being a hypochondriac and they say what I have is normal but I do not think so much diarrhoea is normal. I have also lost 20kg of weight in the last 7 months, with no diet change or exercise. I do eat less now though but that is not by choice.

I have had some blood work done and stool samples and all that and they did not find anything. I am not lactose intolerant but I do not eat dairy often anyway.

I am not trying to make a post to see if anyone could diagnose me it was just that I stumbled across this forum and It seemed to relate partially to my situation. Just wondering what I should tell the GP and specialist.

My joints ache too and I don't feel too good. I rarely leave the house because I am scared I won't find a toilet and I am always tired. I actually went to the shops today for about 10 minutes and I was quite exhausted after I came home and slept for 2 hours. But I did not sleep well last night.

Any advice, help or direction would be great.

Thanks everyone and take care.
 
hi chris & welcome :)

no - its not normal to vomit and have diarrhoea so much and for so long... and its no wonder you are losing weight & feeling tired.

whether or not it is crohns, is another matter, but certainly you have enough history there to get your self checked out by a physician and have the relevant diagnostic tests.

without wanting to sound disrespective to your family, i would urge you to put yourself first. i would not class this as hypochondria, you are not moaning about a slight itch or scratch.. this is a debilitating situation and needs assessing and treating, and you need to be given some support & understanding.

please - follow your instincts. i wasted many years undiagnosed and untreated because of poor and misguided opinions..


dingbat
 
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jessev

Guest
Hey Mate,

It sounds to me like there is something up with your family, where abouts in Australia are you located? I can recommend some good gastro drs around sydney and newcastle, you will need a letter from your GP stating your problems but other then that you should get a consultation with an experienced gastroenterologist, it wont cost much (i.e $80) and shouldn't take too long .. I was diagnosed after a colonoscopy and I was immediately put on prednisone and before I knew it I was back to normal.

Good luck, I know what it feels like to be terribly sick and it can be pretty depressing.
Jesse
 
Hello Chris and welcome to the forum.

I can assure you what you are describing is far from normal.
Please please get yourself to a doctor!

Can't say for sure if it is Crohns, as there are so many gastrointestinal related conditions which show these same symptoms.

But you should have a thorough checkup by your doctor.

Again welcome,

Healing hugs~Nancy
 

Kev

Senior Member
Hi Chris.. welcome to the forum. sorry to hear the troubles you are under going. I would echo the sentiments of the others posters. You need to get this checked out. you are not a hypochondriac, this is not a pyschosomatic illness. You have a real AND potentially serious issue going on. diarhea aside for the moment, but if you continually suffer nausea and vomiting, you can do irreparable damage to your esophgaus (sp?). Your family/friends ARE NOT, I REPEAT NOT, qualified to offer a diagnosis or a medical opinion. You have to be your own advocate... you have to take charge.. Afterall, it is your life! Get into a specialist, get a proper diagnosis... then get started on treatment for whatever the problem is. Once that's underway, I'd suggest counseling to deal with the horrendous lack of support from your family, and to prevent you in future from letting them make these decisions for you, cause I think you'll need help there.

Why? simply because by letting them make these calls for you, you very well might have ended up being 'dead' wrong. and that is no exxageration, okay?
 
Hi Chris. I know how it feels to have your family not believe you are ill. My family didn't believe me because some of my tests were misread and the doctor told them I was fine. It was a very difficult time for me. In the end, I had more tests done that did indicate I had Crohn's disease and my family was behind me and very supportive after that.
 
Chris,
I'm going to echo the sentiment that you should get this checked out as soon as you can. I had similar symptoms and let them go on for about a year before going to the doctor. By that time my crohns had progressed so far the surgery was my only option.

Maybe you are a hypochondriac, but hypochondriacs can also get sick for real.

-Greg
 
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Chris25

Guest
Thanks everyone. I am in Sydney.

Some background on me. I was seeing a psychiatrist for many years and the medications really messed with my bowels too. I was on clomipramine and It made me so constipated that I would not go to the toilet for a week. Then on lithium i had diarrhea. The thing is though, I have not been on medication now for about 7 months and I am still the same.

With my parents, I guess its the whole "the boy who cried wolf" situation but its not really my fault. I have to see an ophthalmologist every two years and the last time I went he changed my glasses when they did not need to be changed as it was his error and I had to pay $180 for new glasses that I did not need. No refund either just a "sorry" from the doc. Anyway there are lots of things but I really do think that it was my fault and being called a hypochondriac is a bit over the top.

I have also had weird comments from GP's. I have seen two GPs. The reason I went to the second one was because my first GP was busy and I could not get an appointment at all.

One GP says they think I am being re-infected with gastro over and over again. The other says I need to see a specialist and have an endoscopy. I really do not believe that I have had gastro infections over and over. She did not even take my temperature or anything like that. It was quite odd.

Thanks everyone. You guys have kind of really scared me lol. I will see if my GP is open next week as I think she is still on holidays for christmas this week. I just won't tell my parents.

Also, my Mum's big beef with this is that she had similar problems and had an endoscopy herself and she thinks it was unnecessary .etc. I don't understand my dad though, I think he is just being an a hole.

I am not sure if this is true but I feel as if when I have diarrhea It is as if I am not emptying my bowel fully? I took a very small dose of metamucil and the next day when I woke up I had gone to the toilet, normally though except for the last time, 6 times in half an hour. I never new ones body could hold that much, um, crap! I really don't know what this means though.

Thanks and take care,

Chris.
 
Chris25 said:
Thanks everyone. You guys have kind of really scared me lol. I will see if my GP is open next week as I think she is still on holidays for christmas this week. I just won't tell my parents.

hey there chris :) sorry if our responses scared you - to be honest, i would be more scared having the symptoms you described and not knowing what they were, nor having any medically qualified person helping me to overcome them.

whatever the cause is, thats no way to live, you deserve quality of life and peace of mind as much as anyone. go for it - and let us know how you get on. please :)
 
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Chris25

Guest
Thanks dingbat. I will defiantly go to the doctor next week when she is back.

I've also been having other pains in my stomach and throat when I sleep and it wakes me up. It feels like hunger pains but I am not hungry. I don't know how to describe it. Drinking a lot of water usually helps with it.

Take care,

Chris.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Another thing, in response to one of these latest symptoms youv'e mentioned, is it's quite common for most of us to become familiar/accustomed to going to the bathroom..., think we've finished up, then immediately have to go back for round 2

think most of us are sooo familiar with this, we've got into the habit of 'waiting' for this secondary episode... knowing we aren't finished till we are really thru..

now, this could be common with lots of other illnesses/complaints, what have you... so it really isn't a diagnostic tool per se. but I think, regardless of what your mothers experiences with endoscopy are, IF a doctor suggests it, then its worth pursuing. doctor isn't going to impose this on anyone w/o good reason.

And regardless of past emotional ills, or whatever reasons you had for seeing pschiatrist or whoever... it doesn't really have any bearing on what's going on now. the drugs you've taken could've messed up your digestive system; those issues that had you seeing this doc, taking those drugs, may have played into the pressure/stress that triggered it... but right now, the important thing is to get a 'CORRECT' diagnosis... so you can begin the proper treatment regimen.

You used the story about the 'boy who cried wolf'.. Bear in mind, at the end, the wolf was all too real. That is the part you need to concentrate on, not the past.
 
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Chris25

Guest
Thanks Kev. Honestly, that has made me feel a lot better just from what you have said. I will be going to the doctor next week.

The strange thing is, I did not eat any meat or dairy yesterday and today I don't have diarrhea but I have a lot of pain in my stomach still even though I have eaten, those hunger pains. I don't feel hungry but I have the pain that you get when you have not eaten for a long time.

I hope the woof doesn't eat me :( hehe.

I'll go back to the doctor and see what she says. Thanks everyone.

Take care,

Chris.
 
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jessev

Guest
Chris25 said:
Thanks everyone. I am in Sydney.
Which part of Sydney are you from? I can point you in the right direction of some really good gastroenterologists and good support groups

Chris25 said:
I am not sure if this is true but I feel as if when I have diarrhea It is as if I am not emptying my bowel fully? I took a very small dose of metamucil and the next day when I woke up I had gone to the toilet, normally though except for the last time, 6 times in half an hour. I never new ones body could hold that much, um, crap! I really don't know what this means though.
As mentioned above that could be the symptom of something else but is bares a very strong characteristic with Crohns/U.C

And trust me there is always something to come out when you have to go the toilet, even if it is just blood and mucus :(
 
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Chris25

Guest
Thanks Jessev. I'm at Fairfield but I do drive so I can travel.

Oh wow that is really bad in regard to the blood and mucus comment. You poor thing, that must be really awful to experience.

I went to the GP on Wednesday. Yesterday I had an x-ray done. They found that I have scoliosis (they said it was only mild but the x-ray scared me lol! I really don't want to see what a bad case of scolliosis looks like!!!) but my bowels are empty. Also found the clip they put on when I had an appendectomy. That is about it. I guess that explains why my legs hurt and I have so much back pain lol. Going to the GP again today (they have a massive wait and I wont be going there for another few hours) and I am going to talk to the GP again some more. She wants me to see a specialist and have a colonoscopy.

Parents are still totally unsupportive and I am quiet confused as to why they are like this. My dad's reasoning about the scolliosis is that I was not laying on the table right. Maybe that is true? But the radiologist made me lay straight and then said I was not laying flat enough and put my arms to the side. I am pretty sure I was laying flat after he made me lay more flat.

Both parents are also totally against any treatment for the dirrhea. My dad takes medicine for gout and he cannot understand that the reason he has so much diarrhea himself is because of the medicine and that because I am not on medicine it is a different situation. Anyway, yea so I have been having arguments with them. They keep saying the colonosocpy will come back normal (I REALLY WISH THAT IS TRUE!!!) but I think its quite moronic and stupid just to leave this problem especially considering that I cannot live a normal life at the moment and I have no idea how I am going to go back to uni or work with all this diarrhea. I guess I will have to find ways around it. Going to uni there is a 40 minute drive and about 20 minutes of that drive there is no where to pull over and go to the toilet. This is stressing me out a lot especially because of what happened to me when I vomited so many times on the way and back home from uni that one time when I was vomiting for a month or so.

I really do not understand my parents. It is really strange. Anyway, like you guys have said it's my life and I would be an idiot just to ignore these problems. I'm not a kid anymore hehe.

Is there any medicaiton to take before I see a specialist? I cannot stand the stomach pain and diarrhea at the moment. I have not really been to the toilet that much today but it has been quite painful. 3 times this morning since I got up and its only 11:10am. My bum hurts! lol. I have tried imodium but that does not work for me too well. I'm not sure if there is anythign else to take?

Thanks everyone and take care. I will post what the doctor says when I come back :)


jessev said:
Which part of Sydney are you from? I can point you in the right direction of some really good gastroenterologists and good support groups



As mentioned above that could be the symptom of something else but is bares a very strong characteristic with Crohns/U.C

And trust me there is always something to come out when you have to go the toilet, even if it is just blood and mucus :(
 
well done chris on going through with the appointments and tests.. it must be hard for you to be doing this amidst skepticism from your parents. you've mentioned that both your parents have lived with diarrhoea.. i wonder if this is an indication of something? maybe its not your father's meds which are causing it with him, maybe it a genetic thing (a lot of IBD conditions can be familial or hereditary). also, the fact that they've put up with their symptoms does not mean you have to do the same - you need your life back and you have every right to seek the appropriate help to achieve that.

i wouldnt like to recommend any meds for the pain as it may be wrong advice for you - but i'd certainly ask your gp about this when you go today.

good luck with all the results etc - i hope they find whats wrong and get you on some treatment quickly. and you're not alone - we are all here if you need support :)
 
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Chris25

Guest
Thanks.

The doc said the other day that she thinks I might be constipated and the xray was not clear. I'm quite confused.

Anyway, I have had to eat a lot of fibre and I feel as if my stomach is being ripped apart. I cant even sleep it hurts so much.

My mouth has ulcers in it and my whole digestive tract feels really gross.

The throat pain scared me so much that I quit smoking when it happened, I guess that is a good thing.

I really don't know what to do. Suppose to go back to the doctor in 2 weeks but I am in a lot of pain at the moment. It comes and goes.

Take care,

Chris
 
hi chris, it sounds as if you're heading in the right direction now with the referral to a specialist, but at the risk of repeating myself - i wouldnt leave these symptoms you're suffering now until you see your gp again in a fortnight. i really would advise another gp appointment to let her know how you are, & see if she can help alleviate the pain until you see the specialist.

its risky for any of us to give advice when we dont know the full story, but i would just like to say that there is a general opinion that bowel and digestive disorders needs lots of fibre to make them better - but in the case of crohns that is sometimes the worst and most pain-inducing thing we can do. i'm not a doctor, and i dont want to sway you against what you've been advised, but its certainly something for you to be aware of. a high fibre diet in a sore & ulcerated digestive system (which is what active crohns disease creates) will cause a lot of pain, and in fact crohns patients are often advised to do the exact opposite during a flare-up, ie to go on a low-residue diet.

sometimes gps just dont know enough about bowel disease...

my advice to you would be to revisit your gp, and get as much information about bowel disorders and related dietary advice off the internet as you can, before you see her.
 
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Chris25

Guest
That might explain why I am in so much pain but I really do not know what is wrong. I am in agony from the fibre. It feels like I swallowed razor blades or something. I have never had pain like this before. :(

It's too late for me to see the GP today as she would already be booked out but I will go tomorrow and I won't have any more fibre. The weird thing is, I hardly had any fibre anyway.

But yea my stomach feels like it is being ripped apart.

Thanks and take care,

Chris.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Yeah, keep fibre and residue to the absolute minimum whenever you are inflamed.
That's getting harder and harder to do, as food makers are incorporating fibre into more and more foods. You just have to learn to start reading the labels on all of your foods. ALWAYS!
 
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