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Help me figure this out, I am lost and stumped…

Posted , 10 users are following.

david12137
david12137

47-year old male

Symptoms:

Excessive gas. Belch after drinking water even. Wind is excessive and over the 25 times per day average.

More of a pinch type of pain in the back upper right between spine and shoulder blade.

Wake up at like 3 am every night to sounds of my intestines “running” -just seem to rumble

Cramping but not real bad pain just feels kind of full

Alternate weeks between loose stool and more solid stool. It used to be textbook brown and now it is a lighter brown. Sometimes undigested food bits when the stool is loose.

In the last few months I woke up like two times with acid reflux in my throat

Physical exam that doctor did of my abdomen was normal no pain when they pushed and no lumps

Tests they have run already:

Upper endoscopy: H Pylori negative, minor reflux, mild inflammation, nothing major

Ultrasound: clear

Blood tests: Liapase normal, amylase normal, comprehensive blood panel normal (with the liver blood tests), CBC/Diff blood panel normal, an extra liver enzyme test called L GGT blood test normal, L Celiac Ab blood panel normal no celiac, TSH3 blood test for thyroid normal.

Urine test: normal

Fecal tests: Pancreatic Elastase stool normal, 4 different test for parasites infections: Cryptosporidium; Stool culture for Sal, Shig, Campy, and Shiga; stool ova and parasite exam; and stool C difficile toxins A+B, EIA all negative

On Tuesday of this week they are doing colonoscopy and while there they will sample tissue for microscopic colitis.

Any thoughts on what this could be? I just want thoughts based on your own experiences I appreciate that no one can diagnose me from a distance.

What other tests would you request?

0 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • Courtney1110
    Courtney1110 david12137

    Posted

    Have you had an upper endoscopy? I've been having almost these exact symptoms and have had all of these tests plus the upper endoscopy. Usually they do the upper endoscopy as part of the testing to rule out conditions such as Crohn's Disease. Also, does your doctor think you might have microscopic colitis? Because that's what my doctor was thinking I might have and wants to go through with a colonoscopy as well to sample the tissue.

    • david12137
      david12137 Courtney1110

      Posted

      Hi Courtney,

      They did an upper endoscopy and it was normal. I do the colonoscopy tomorrow. That should be able to rule in or out microscopic colitis. I wish you the very best figuring out your symptoms this has absolutely ruined my once very happy life. Just not knowing what is causing all of this is driving me crazy...

      Does your doctor have any other theories about what is causing your symptoms?

    • Courtney1110
      Courtney1110 david12137

      Posted

      Thank you, I wish you the very best figuring out your symptoms as well! My doctor is leaning towards microscopic colitis based on my symptoms, so I am going to try tested for that as well at some point. I've been to two other doctors who thought it was IBS D, but I wanted to get another opinion. Maybe consider asking your doctor about a video capsule test and also a test for SIBO. SIBO symptoms are very similar to the symptoms you have described.

    • david12137
      david12137 Courtney1110

      Posted

      Dear Courtney,

      i just got the results back from the colonoscopy.

      the two polyps were benign.

      The biopsy they took for microscopic colitis came back negative.

      i did the CT scan today and am waiting on the results.

      Have you received any updates since we spoke last?

      best wishes,

      david

    • Courtney1110
      Courtney1110 david12137

      Posted

      Hi David,

      Thank you for updating me! That is good that the colonoscopy was normal! The CT scan is pretty much the only testing I haven't had, so I am curious to see what the results will be for you. I have to get repeat labs of my lipase and amylase to see where I'm at, since both of those have been elevated since I have been having stomach problems. Once I do those, I'll go from there. The next step might be the colonoscopy to check for microscopic colitis, but I really don't want to have another one because my last colonoscopy was in 2018.

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 david12137

    Posted

    Sounds like IBS. I think you have had many tests and all of them are negative. When all tests are negative, IBS can be diagnosed. Has IBS been mentioned by your doctors?

    • david12137
      david12137 pippa58442

      Posted

      Hi Pippa,

      One of them mentioned it, I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't something more sinister that I ignored...

      I am struggling with IBS because there are so many symptoms yet they can't find anything technically wrong...Does that make sense?

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 david12137

      Posted

      With IBS, if that's what you have, nothing will show up as technically wrong. I think your doctor had covered everything.

    • david12137
      david12137 pippa58442

      Posted

      Thank you for your replies Pippa! It helps to hear from others somehow going through this mess...Were these symptoms anything like what you experienced? I just went from feeling great everyday to feeling not right!

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 david12137

      Posted

      My symptoms started with persistent constipation and constant, daily, generalized abdominal pain that moved about followed by nausea and loose, urgent stools. I had four different types of pain: stabbing, deep grinding, dull and sore to touch. It was sore on both sides and the middle when the doctor felt my abdomen.I had a strange taste in my mouth and it felt like a bug. One day I was fine, but the next day I awoke with raging stomach pain. I also had lower back pain. It took three and a half months to diagnose it as IBS. Everyone's symptoms are different which makes it difficult to identify. All my tests were negative. However, I never lost my appetite and I had no problem foods. The only trigger was stress.

  • david12137
    david12137

    Posted

    Does anyone know how they test for SIBO?

    For anyone that has had SIBO, do the symptoms I have sound like SIBO maybe?

    • Courtney1110
      Courtney1110 david12137

      Posted

      There's a SIBO breath test, and there is also a blood test! I was tested via the blood test. Your symptoms do sound like SIBO. Both tests can show either a false positive or a false negative result, so just be aware of that! You should consider getting tested for that! If you have any questions about SIBO, please feel free to ask! I was tested for it and the nutritionist i was seeing thought I had it, so i learned quite a bit about it.

    • david12137
      david12137 Courtney1110

      Posted

      Hey Courtney,

      Thank you so much for the SiBO test information. I am going to ask to get tested!

      Do my symptoms sound a lot like SIBO or just somewhat?

      I have my colonoscopy tomorrow so if i find out anything useful I will share. Because we have some similar symptoms, if they find something tomorrow, it may help you to know which test to try next...Maybe hopefully save you some time and/or misery.

      All the best,

      David

    • Courtney1110
      Courtney1110 david12137

      Posted

      Hey David,

      Of course! Yes definitely ask to get tested for SIBO because your symptoms sound a lot like it. Do you feel tired all the time?Because that's another common symptom of SIBO. Yes, please keep us updated on the colonoscopy goes, because that would be very helpful for me as well! Thank you for your help as well! It is nice to talk to someone who is going through something similar. I have been struggling to find answers to my stomach problems for 2 years now, so I really appreciate any insight you or anyone else has!

  • mary19068
    mary19068 david12137

    Posted

    Hi david12137

    Have you changed your eating habits or diet?have you had a change of lifestyle in anyway?Do you drink alcohol or eat close to bedtime?

    • david12137
      david12137 mary19068

      Posted

      Hi Mary,

      I used to have an occasional beer or two before this all started. When I started feeling bad I quit even that. I do not eat close to bedtime after I had reflux a couple of times. I drank more when I was college aged, but that was a long time ago lol

      Since my stools were loose I started eating more bananas, toast, oatmeal, stuff like that...The stools on this new softer diet have me switching between regular consistency and loose stools. They are always light brown now. Which worries me. I don't know if it is because I eat a banana every day now and i really didn't before or what...This color change is weird to me though...

      To be honest since all this has started I have been afraid to eat a little. I try to eat small portions and not push it.

      Did you see what they had tested me for so far? Tomorrow they do colonoscopy so I should have a little more information. Can you think of any tests you would recommend?

      Do my symptoms sound like they match any condition?

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