I have had off and on again stomach sensitivities my whole life. Constipation as a kid. Trapped gas as a teen. C-diff after having my wisdom teeth pulled. Anal fissure. And occasional D when drinking or eating spicy food. As annoying as it gets, its been mostly tolerable fortunately.
This past November, I was eating gluten and dairy free, and intermittent fasting (going 24-40 simultaneous hours a week with just water) to get into better shape for the winter. Usually my stomach trouble is worse in the winter so I thought this was a good preemptive strike. However, when I would break the fasts on Monday afternoons, I would instantly run to the bathroom with either explosive D or vomiting. So I could that out.
Around mid Dec, I started to experience loud stomach noises and gas breaking down in my lower stomach/pelvis but with trouble exiting. Sometimes my rectum would just open and close and open and close again with this weird sensation that I had defecated. And when I would go to the bathroom, even if it was a standard stool, it would shoot out with lots of trapped gas behind it, always causing a mess and lots of splashback.
After a few days of this, I began to experience a stabbing and excruciating cramp-like pain in my mid to lower right abdomen. Now weird side story, when I was 19 I had this same cramp for a few days (no other symptoms) and drove myself to an ER, where they gave me a muscle relaxant and scheduled me for a Colonoscopy which came back normal. Maybe experienced this cramp a couple times since but I always thought it was a pulled muscle from jogging and never gave it a second thought.
Through this past Jan and Feb my symptoms got worse and went from cramp and trapped gas, to diarrhea with lots of mucus, mucus discharge basically everytime I wiped, something was on the paper.
I also started to have this weird BM where a large amount of greasy yellow stool would come out no problem, but then the last little bit takes me about an extra hour to gradually push out, with lots of mucus. For about 4 hours after I have a BM I still have a sensation that there is more there right on the rectum ready to come out. It leaves me with tons of pain and basically I have been stuck in bed since.
When my insurance kicked in (March 1st) took myself to my PCP. He suspected Crohn's and sent me to a Colonrectal Surgeon who gave me a colonoscopy and MRI which both came back normal. He didn't get into the Terminal ileum with either though. During this whole time I experimented with FODMAPS and restricted diets to no relief.
He basically wrote it off as IBS and gave me Bentyl to help with the cramping, which has given me some relief and basically has allowed me to at least get out of my apartment a couple hours a day, and gain some weight back. However, my BM's haven't changed and the pain hasn't really gone away.
I decided at this point to take matters into my own hands and scheduled an appointment with a GI which took 2 months to get into. Finally got in a week ago, and they took a stool sample and blood which all came back normal. Now I am being scheduled for a CT Scan.
From what I have read, getting a diagnosis with stomach issues can take years, and basically the stomach is a mystery to docs. I have never had to go out of my way so much as I have now to get help. I am in the process of finding a new PCP who doesn't just write me off when things get complicated. And I have had to call daily to make appointments as my GI seemed nice and concerned, but hasn't even set up a follow through.
I guess I am scared, lonely, and frieghtened that this will never resolve itself, and as summer is around the corner, I am scared I will be stuck inside without a job and no hope of finding any answers. The waiting game for appointments is ridiculous. And at this point my family and friends don't want to hear about it, and probably think I am making it up.
I have been going to therapy which helps a lot, bc it feels like she's on my side, but as for everything else, I feel hopeless.
Thank you for reading this. Is there anything I should be asking my GI for? I SIBO test? Or anything I should be looking for maybe they aren't considering. I am so desperate to have some sort of life back.
This past November, I was eating gluten and dairy free, and intermittent fasting (going 24-40 simultaneous hours a week with just water) to get into better shape for the winter. Usually my stomach trouble is worse in the winter so I thought this was a good preemptive strike. However, when I would break the fasts on Monday afternoons, I would instantly run to the bathroom with either explosive D or vomiting. So I could that out.
Around mid Dec, I started to experience loud stomach noises and gas breaking down in my lower stomach/pelvis but with trouble exiting. Sometimes my rectum would just open and close and open and close again with this weird sensation that I had defecated. And when I would go to the bathroom, even if it was a standard stool, it would shoot out with lots of trapped gas behind it, always causing a mess and lots of splashback.
After a few days of this, I began to experience a stabbing and excruciating cramp-like pain in my mid to lower right abdomen. Now weird side story, when I was 19 I had this same cramp for a few days (no other symptoms) and drove myself to an ER, where they gave me a muscle relaxant and scheduled me for a Colonoscopy which came back normal. Maybe experienced this cramp a couple times since but I always thought it was a pulled muscle from jogging and never gave it a second thought.
Through this past Jan and Feb my symptoms got worse and went from cramp and trapped gas, to diarrhea with lots of mucus, mucus discharge basically everytime I wiped, something was on the paper.
I also started to have this weird BM where a large amount of greasy yellow stool would come out no problem, but then the last little bit takes me about an extra hour to gradually push out, with lots of mucus. For about 4 hours after I have a BM I still have a sensation that there is more there right on the rectum ready to come out. It leaves me with tons of pain and basically I have been stuck in bed since.
When my insurance kicked in (March 1st) took myself to my PCP. He suspected Crohn's and sent me to a Colonrectal Surgeon who gave me a colonoscopy and MRI which both came back normal. He didn't get into the Terminal ileum with either though. During this whole time I experimented with FODMAPS and restricted diets to no relief.
He basically wrote it off as IBS and gave me Bentyl to help with the cramping, which has given me some relief and basically has allowed me to at least get out of my apartment a couple hours a day, and gain some weight back. However, my BM's haven't changed and the pain hasn't really gone away.
I decided at this point to take matters into my own hands and scheduled an appointment with a GI which took 2 months to get into. Finally got in a week ago, and they took a stool sample and blood which all came back normal. Now I am being scheduled for a CT Scan.
From what I have read, getting a diagnosis with stomach issues can take years, and basically the stomach is a mystery to docs. I have never had to go out of my way so much as I have now to get help. I am in the process of finding a new PCP who doesn't just write me off when things get complicated. And I have had to call daily to make appointments as my GI seemed nice and concerned, but hasn't even set up a follow through.
I guess I am scared, lonely, and frieghtened that this will never resolve itself, and as summer is around the corner, I am scared I will be stuck inside without a job and no hope of finding any answers. The waiting game for appointments is ridiculous. And at this point my family and friends don't want to hear about it, and probably think I am making it up.
I have been going to therapy which helps a lot, bc it feels like she's on my side, but as for everything else, I feel hopeless.
Thank you for reading this. Is there anything I should be asking my GI for? I SIBO test? Or anything I should be looking for maybe they aren't considering. I am so desperate to have some sort of life back.
