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Gastro issues??

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blwn350
blwn350

Hello.. I NEED help.. Please bear with me, this is a little long... 3 weeks ago (on a Monday) I felt sick, I went to my doctor and he diagnosed me with a sinus infection, he proscribed Cipro (my first time ever having Cipro), after a few days I felt better. The fallowing Sunday I woke up with a pain in my chest, I assumed it was a pulled muscle from laughing the week before. By Wednesday it hadn't gotten any better so I got nervous and went to the ER. I was there for 6 hours, I had an EKG, blood work, chest X-Ray and was on a heart monitor. My heart was deemed good, no issues. It seemed to calm me down and I felt a little better. A few days later I felt like I had acid reflux, again I went to my doctor, he prescribed me Pantoprazole 40mg, the acid reflux seemed to calm down but I was getting a pain directly below my sternum, not a bad pain, more of a discomfort, and also seemed to have a little stomach ache. I then made an appointment with a Gastroenterologist, they couldn't get me in till this week, so I started to do my own research and read a lot of info that I wish I hadn't. By this passed Sunday I had myself so worked up, I didn't feel like eating or doing anything. On Monday morning i told my wife that I couldn't wait till Wednesday and that I wanted to go to the ER again, so we went. Again I had an EKG and bloodwork, both perfect (except my glucose was a little high, 200) and they also gave me an ultrasound because by then I felt a little worse. The ultrasound also came back good, everything was fine. The ER doctor prescribed me Pepcid 20mg. I then called the gastroenterologist to see if he had any cancellations, they did, so I went in. He asked me a bunch of questions asked about my pain and suggested I have an Endoscopy, so I set that up. I had the Endoscopy yesterday. Again, no serious issues were found, no cancer, gall bladder good, no ulcers. He did say that there was very minimal inflammation on the bottom of my esophagus and a little swelling in my stomach, but couldn't give me a diagnosis till the biopsy comes back (a week and a half). I was happy that nothing serious was found. When I got home from the Endoscopy I felt ok, I had lunch and I got a little discomfort it feels like towards the bottom of my esophagus, I also felt a little bloated. Today I feel the same except my chest is bothering me again, I feel like I have a little reflux, I don't feel like eating. I'm a nervous wreck. How is nothing found but I have issues??? I just want to know whats wrong with me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • lily65668
    lily65668 blwn350

    Posted

    Sorry Mike, but I'm afraid you said it yourself: "I'm a nervous wreck".wink

    Don't you think you might be worrying about yourself just a bit too much? Speaking as a former nurse, I'm a bit concerned about all these visits to your doctor, the ER and the gastrologist. The problem with doctors is that if you keep going back to them demanding more and more investigations and treatment they tend to feel cornered and will keep prescribing more and more tests and medications. They're only human after all! This is how people end up going from one illness to another, most of which are the result of various treatments.

    There's clearly nothing seriously wrong if nothing has been found. The current discomfort and bloating is almost certainly a result of the gastroscopy. Passage of the gastroscope and the act of taking a biopsy always does some minor, temporary damage, especially if it's done under light sedation (though I think I've heard that they don't use sedation in the US).

    Apart from that, most of your symptoms could almost certainly be caused by anxiety. You've had all the tests, nothing was found, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Just take it easy for a couple of weeks, eat what you feel like eating, be kind to yourself, and I'm sure you'll find your symptoms will clear up.

    • blwn350
      blwn350 lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you and I do agree, I may just be worrying too much. I've never had any issues like this so it has me nervous. I was put under sedation for the endoscopy. Thanks, Mike
    • lily65668
      lily65668 blwn350

      Posted

      Most people struggle, sometimes quite violently, during gastroscopy if it's done under sedation (as opposed to general anaesthesia) and have to be restrained. This tends to slightly exacerbate the normal amount of damage done by the procedure and is almost certainly accounting for a lot of your current symptoms. I'd like to stress that the damage done is never serious and has no permanent repercussions. However, it can leave you feeling like you've just gone a couple of rounds in the boxing ring for a week or so. Just give yourself a couple of weeks to recover and I'm sure you'll be fine again. You'll also have the reassurance of knowing that all your tests were negative.
  • chardier110507
    chardier110507 blwn350

    Posted

    Hey blwn350

    i have the same symptoms as you and man its horrible i also suffer from anxiety all because im worried of whats going on in my stomach i have the endoscopy next monday ive have thousand of blood work done and eckgs and everything come back great like nothing at all i also had an echocardiogram and it comes back good they just tell me is acid reflux. But i feel your desperation its just a horrible feeling man . So everything came back good in your endoscopy?

    • blwn350
      blwn350 chardier110507

      Posted

      The doctor said my esphogas is clean, slight inflammation towards the bottom of it and slight swelling in my stomach. I get my biopsy results next Wednesday. He said acid reflux or gastritis. I've been taking my medication for almost 2 weeks now and I'm starting to feel a little better. The anxiety was what was hurting me more (Dr. put me on Xanax for now). Hang in there, I know it sucks but worrying will do u no good (easier said then done, I know).
    • lily65668
      lily65668 blwn350

      Posted

      Glad to hear you're feeling better now, and thanks for keeping us all up to date.

      But don't stay on the Xanax too long, will you? Withdrawal from that stuff can be hell on earth if you've been on it for more than a few weeks. Here in Europe they rarely prescribe it for younger people these days, and only for short periods if they have to.

    • blwn350
      blwn350 lily65668

      Posted

      The doctor gave me a 15 day supply, with no refills, so thats it, lol...
    • blwn350
      blwn350 lily65668

      Posted

      Not to be graphic and i'm sorry if I am but the only thing that makes me nervous now is my stool. Its solid, but its a very very light brown almost tan. It was never like that till I got this issue, it was always dark brown. Is this cause for alarm?
    • lily65668
      lily65668 blwn350

      Posted

      Stool colour changes regularly, according to what we've eaten, what meds we've taken, how fast it's gone through etc. This has probably happened before, but you've never noticed it till now.

      You only need to see a doctor if it's bright yellow and liquid, very light - normally referred to as clay-coloured - or if you have black, sticky, foul-smelling diarrhoea - often called tarry stools. The first could indicate coeliac disease, but only if it persists, the second is always a sign of liver or bile-duct problems (often just a mild case of hepatitis), the third is digested blood from further up the digestive tract and is a medical emergency - though you'd probably know about this one before you got as far as the tarry stools!

    • blwn350
      blwn350 lily65668

      Posted

      I wish I knew exact colors so I can compare. It sont seem yellow to me, seems more of a light brown/tan. It isn't liquid, its solid but kind of rough edges and floats... Thanks, Mike
    • lily65668
      lily65668 blwn350

      Posted

      No, the yellow of coeliac disease is canary yellow. Looks (and smells) like the stools of a breast-fed baby. Trust me - I'm the veteran of several years of caring for a friend who was suffering from both dementia and coeliac disease and was often incontinent in inconvenient places! You'll be fine.
    • blwn350
      blwn350 lily65668

      Posted

      I'm just nervous that it may be a pancreas issue.... But all my blood work did come back normal.

       

    • lily65668
      lily65668 blwn350

      Posted

      It's unlikely to be pancreas-related if your blood work was normal. Wait a few weeks and see what happens. With your symptoms, nothing terrible is going to happen overnight.
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