What to Do

[mwolf451]

My wife has been suffering with intestinal issues for 5 years now, and we can not seem to get any answers. She has had an Upper GI, Colonoscopy, Barium X-Ray, blood tests. No one is telling us anything but she always has cramps, usually diarhea and when she doesn't she can only go in little droplets. We are both Lactose intolerant so we avoid those foods, she has stopped sugar and uses stevia. She had a real bad bout of pneumonia 5 years ago and was in ICU for 14 days. They said that they had to completely kill off all of the good and bad bacteria in her body because they could not identify the cause or the whether it was a virus or bacteria. Since that time she has had nothing but problems. When she get her blood work done she is told that they can not find a reason for her problem. I have been reading up on the Crohn's and IBD issues and they sound all to familiar. She had one Doctor that told her she MIGHT have IBS. Well let me tell you, these guesses and MIGHT are costing alot of money and no results.

Sorry for the babbling, but I am at my wits end, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:sign0085:

 

[Angrybird]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately it seems to be a common occurance with docs not being very proactive in trying to help. Have they said anything at all about what the tests showed? It may be worth trying to get all of the results for the tests done so far and then going for a 2nd opinion to another GI, perhaps even ask for a referral to a dietician in case other foods now need to be looked at. Do not worry about needing to vent, that is what we are here for

 

[Jessi]

:welcome: mwolf!

O boy. I'm sorry that your wife has gone for so long without an answer. And, yes, it is very expensive to do all of these tests. We know about that all too well. Here's another expensive one: Has she done the Pill Cam? Sometimes that will find the problem.

In the meantime, it's good that she knows that milk and sugar are some of her triggers. It's a very good idea to keep a food journal to find out what her others may be. I record things like food eaten, how it's prepared (believe me... it makes a difference whether it's broiled or baked), how I feel, how many runs to the loo, and the quality of the bowel movement. I use the Bristol Stool Scale.

We have a great group of people here who can offer lots of support and ideas on where to go next. This is where the "professional" undiagnosed people chat. Please join us. I really hope you can find answers soon and get her started on a treatment plan. :hug:

 

[xJillx]

Hi and welcome! I am sorry about your wife's GI issues. She did have all the appropriate tests done to diagnose IBD. I assume they were all normal?

You comment about her illness years ago and "killing off good bacteria" got me thinking. Has you wife tried probiotics? People with IBS & IBD both have seen an improvement with probiotics, which help restore good bacteria in the bowel.