Strange gas / heartburn

[Brad P]

Hello all

I'll try to give a brief history before my problem. I have had Crohn's for over 20 years. Last Fall I had a small bowel resection to remove a tumor growing on my bowel. The surgeon also removed extra bowel that had bad strictures from Crohn's, for a total of 4ft of bowel removed. For year I had a hard time eating because the strictures slowed the movement of food from my stomach. But after surgery, I could eat like a horse and gained more weight than I had lost due to the cancer and surgery. I never felt better.

Then Dec I started chemo, and agressive chemo that lasted 6 months. I had bad GI problems as a result like heartburn, motility issues, diarrhea, felt sick, no appetite, etc. I finshed chemo early May. June I was coming around and feeling better. But since July, my bowel have become unsettled and once I thing they are settling down and going back to normal, they act up again. Despite taking 80mg of Pantoloc (a PPI), I still get frequent heartburn. I also burp at the oddest times. For example, last night my sleep was interrupted due to late night burping, and this morning I woke up I burped 2-3 times and I hadn't had anything to eat/drink yet. Sometimes the burps sound like I inhaled helium first and then burped. I also have bad rumblings and noise from my bowels. My GI doesn't seem to think this is a big deal. But it is hindering my ability to eat and gain back weight I lost due to chemo. I also often get a film on my tongue but my doctor doesn't think its thrush though.

Is this a bacteria problem? yeast? Can anyone offer a suggestion or ideas as to whats going on? I see a new GI on Nov 17th but its going to be hard to wait that long.

 

[teeny5]

Sounds like a bacteria issue, but I would honestly have no idea. When I am flaring badly my tongue is covered in what always looked like thrush to me, but doctors always seem unconcerned about it. I never had heartburn until the disease. Let me tell you freaked me out the first time I experienced it.

How are you sleeping? You should sleep with your head elevated if you are having heartburn issues. I currently take Prilosec it has kept the heartburn under tabs.

 

[Brad P]

I did some reading on the net and I think its a yeast issue. Especially seeing how back in May my immune system was really weak due to chemo. I may have been having the same problem during my chemo amongst a host of other problems.

On this site of symptoms, I seem to have much of the following:

http://www.stopyeast.com/candida-symptoms.html

incapacitating fatigue (some fatigue, but could be post-chemo related)
concentration/focus problems
short term memory
painful joints (knees especially)
muscle aches
extreme tightness in the neck and shoulders
acid reflux
brown colored mucus in the back of the throat (its not brown but its there)
unrefreshing sleep
sore throat
white coated tongue
chronic sinusitis (I do have some sort of sinus problem)
headaches including migraines (mostly around eyes and forehead)
eye pain
anxiety (stressed out due to this problem and my fight with cancer!)
dizziness and balance problems
numbness/tingling in the face or extremities

I see my physician tomorrow so I'll see what he says.

Thanks for the reply.