Looking for some advice, please

[synthesizer]

looking for some advice, please

my problems (discussed below) began almost 2 weeks ago now, and i thought the cause of the problem was salmonella from eating eggs, but then i realized that 3 other people had eaten the same exact thing that i ate from the same exact place, and they were all OK....

i have been reading for almost a week straight now about all kinds of stomach/intestinal disorders, and people's stories/advice, etc., but nothing had really given me a definitive answer. i don't have health insurance, so i haven't to a doctor yet. plus, i've read that many people go to a doctor, get a bunch of tests done, everything comes back OK, but their symptoms persist. well here's what is going on...

around 9/5, i started getting abdominal bloating and a feeling like i was uncomfortably full after eating. this feeling persisted over the next few days and got worse with time (even though i began eating less and less), until all of a sudden i had crazy diarrhea which started on 9/8. the diarrhea was really bad that day, and i spent probably 3-4 hours on the toilet completely emptying everything in my body. i was even awoken from a dead sleep to go to the bathroom, but it seemed like going to the toilet was the only way to get relief from all the stomach pains i was experiencing

the diarrhea was so bad and the pain in my abdominal region was so severe that it was very difficult for me to do anything, let alone eat or drink. and when i did manage to eat or drink anything, it would be flushed right out of me almost immediately. i got so dehydrated that i needed to be hooked up on IVs (by a doctor friend) to get some fluids back in me.

i started feeling a little better around 9/12, and i went from having diarrhea to extremely soft, yellow stools. it was more like yellow mud that was coming out of me. it wasn't pure liquid, but had a little thickness to it, which to me indicated that maybe the diarrhea is slowing down and i'm starting to absorb more of what i consume. well, the yellow stools lasted until 9/14, which is when the diarrhea started back up again. with the diarrhea also came the abdominal pains. this lasted for another few days, and on 9/16, i almost went to the ER because the pain in my epigastric region was so severe. i fought through it, went to sleep, and the next day, 9/17, i woke up and felt pretty damn good.

so on 9/17, i started eating again, not over-doing it, but just trying to get some food back in me. i felt good, had a pretty much normal, productive day... and then the diarrhea started AGAIN!!! i went to sleep, and was awoken throughout the night by the feeling of having to use the bathroom. then all day yesterday, i had diarrhea. i honestly went to the toilet 30+ times... i was drinking pedialyte and eating bananas and other easy-to-digest foods, but the diarrhea continued. i took some immodium AD to help slow it down, but it hasn't stopped/slowed at all. everything i eat just continues to go right through me.

i am getting really worried as to what the case might be... i'm a 24 y/o male and i am very health conscious and have been on a healthy eating regime for the last 6-7 years. i consume wheat-containing products on a regular basis, and have never had a problem with them in the past, so i don't think it's celiac.

i am torn on what to do here... i am looking at insurance plans, and i can either begin a long term insurance plan with coverage that begins in 2 weeks, and possibly suffer for these next two week, or i can get short-term insurance right now and go to the Dr., but then i will have a problem getting long-term insurance if i am in fact diagnosed with a condition.

is there anything OTC that i can get to soothe my insides? i am a graduate student in the last few weeks of school, ready to get a master's degree, and i haven't even been able to go to school because i can't leave the house for long periods of time. i have so many questions and i am so confused here, and i know that if i go to a walk-in clinic today, nothing will happen, other than some guy telling me i'm OK and to go to a gastro doc if symptoms persist

 

[Astra]

Hi Synth
and welcome

It could be food poisoning, and if it is, you still need to see a doc.
If these symptoms persist, then you really need a referral to see a gastro who can order some tests, like a colonoscopy or endoscopy.
You could try some Immodium, but IMO, you're just prolonging the agony.
Try a low residue diet in the meantime, if there's any inflammation somewhere in your guts, this diet will help to give the bowels a rest. This diet consists of mainly low fibre food, white rice, white bread and white pasta, potatoes, white meat or fish, no veg, no fruit, no alcohol but bananas are ok. Plenty of water too. The diarrhea should ease for a bit whilst you're waiting to see a doc. If you start to vomit however, go to ER.
I'm not familiar with your health care system and insurance tho, so don't know how you'll get on with that. There will be someone here from the US to help you with that.
Crohns is a hard diagnosis, so there will be a lot of tests, and yes, they can come back normal unfortunately. Persist and Insist is all you can do if this happens to you.
hope you stick with us, lots of support here for you
lotsa luv
Joan xxx

 

[Crohn's 35]

:welcome: to the forum. I agree with Joan, you have alot of the symptoms and it can be dangerous if you self medicate, and end up with perontonitis. Colonscopies are your best bet. But even eating wheat can affect Crohns patients, not just celiacs.

If you can stick it out 2 weeks would be good for long term insurance, but if you start to vomit, or severe pains I would go to ER, not a good sign. There really is no easy way to get diagnosed and if it is that you have it, you are going to need insurance.

Eat applesauce, unsweetened. Imodium does help but not long term. Stay away from fibrous food and dairy. Keep us updated.

 

[synthesizer]

thanks for the responses

i just got back from the urgent care clinic, and they did a urine test for a urinary tract infection, and wrote me a prescription for Cipro and Ranitidine (like zantac, for stomach acid)... so basically, that was a complete waste of $100 in my opinion. i was under the impression that they did blood work there too, but they don't.

so i am going to schedule an appt sometime this week hopefully to get blood work done to check if there are any abnormalities there.

i just want to go to sleep, wake up, and be past all of this, and forget about it like it never happened! i seriously give you all a ton of credit for sticking it out with such a terrible condition.

i actually cried a few times in the last few days from feeling so helpless and confused about what's going on with me. then when i was reading how it is possible that i could have something like this for the rest of my life... it was like someone dropped a ton of bricks on my head.

 

[seaofdreams]

In all honesty, it could be one of many, many things that are causing your symptoms so try not to imagine the worst possible scenario at this point.
Stick it out with the medications they gave you and if your symptoms persist, see if you can get a GI referral and follow it on from there.

 

[Dexky]

Hey Synthesizer, if you are in the US, starting this month, you can get back on your parents' insurance until age 26. See the wiki article on the new health care plan here:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/US-Health-Care

Good luck and welcome!!!

 

[DustyKat]

Hi Synthesizer and :welcome:

I think you are right in starting with blood work but I think you should also take a stool sample and have it tested to rule out a parasitic or viral infection. If they return normal results and the symptoms persist move onto further investigations. Good luck and keep us posted!

All the best,
Dusty