Pancreas, hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes, celiac?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello all,
I'm 27 and in relatively good health and have never had any major medical issues. I can drink my fair share and used to socially smoke quite a bit, but I rarely have the opportunity these days with a small child who keeps me active.
Around October I began experiencing nausea (no vomiting) every evening which then began occurring after every meal and eventually bled into most of the day. It quickly became accompanied by headaches, lightheadedness, and fatigue. The symptoms varied in intensity from mild to impairing my ability to function, but it's never been anywhere near bad enough to send me to the hospital. I first began by eliminating gluten at the suggestion of a friend which seemed to do the trick for a couple of weeks until the symptoms returned. I incorporated wheat back into my diet here and there and I started feeling better for the most part. A few weeks ago the symptoms returned and I have since then cut gluten out entirely but this time nothing changed. The nausea is not so bad anymore as long as I eat well, but the headaches are unpredictable (though typically when I'm hungry or after I eat) and I am now fatigued for most of the day.
I went to the doctor last week who issued a full blood count, an abdominal X-ray, and a urine sample, all of which came out fine. She said I'm pretty backed up (which, between that and diarrhea, I feel has been my default state of existence for most of my life--the only time I have ever had regular healthy bowel movements I think is the first time I cut gluten out) and that she still wants me to see a GI to figure out what's going on. She said she believed it may be dietary or due to some sort of food sensitivity, which I suspected this whole time, but what happened next threw a wrench in that theory.
I visited with the GI she referred me to yesterday and he ordered testing for a comprehensive metabolic panel, amylase, and lipase. The idea that I might have something going on with my pancreas never even entered my mind but now it's all I can think about. Even one of my husband's coworkers who is hypoglycemic mentioned my symptoms sound similar to his. I did not reschedule with this doctor (for unrelated reasons) and have an appointment with a different GI who I've told about the tests this one ordered but it's not for another three weeks and I'm already having severe anxiety about the wait.
I've had minor stomach issues for most of my life and I'm not sure if this is the culmination of getting older, not taking care of myself when I was younger, being hypersensitive to my symptoms, or if I have something serious going on. Side note: I also had what I believe may have been a brain zap when I first began changing my diet and it was pretty terrifying but I have no idea if it's related.
These may or may not be relevant but: At 21 and 25 I had two episodes where I experienced the absolute worst abdominal pain of my life made worse when just trying to breathe. I was unable to have a bowel movement for about three days and the second time when I finally did, I had the worst diarrhea of my life for the following four days. The episode at 21 we'd just returned from getting engaged on vacation and there was verifiably more tequila in my body than food or water for the whole week. At 25 I was pregnant and very healthy--my OB informally diagnosed me over the phone as just having irritable bowels which doctors I've spoken to now have scoffed at. Then twice this past year at 26-27 I had what I wasn't sure were similar episodes or just food poisoning, but I was left with severe nausea, abdominal pain, and headaches for several days with either incident. I have also always had issues with reflux and heartburn which I did not realize that's what they were until a year or two ago. These days I will randomly have stomach acid suddenly infiltrate my mouth which is new and awful.
I don't have any first degree relatives with serious health issues but just about every single person in the older generation of my family is diabetic and my grandmother is lactose intolerant which I believe I may have inherited.
I guess I'm posting to get everything out so I can stop obsessing over the nebulous details in my head but I would greatly appreciate insight from anyone who has dealt with these issues or has the same symptoms. Also, please let me know if this might be better suited for a different forum. I was a little alarmed that the specialist ordered tests for my pancreas so that's what I'm most concerned with at this time.
Thanks xx
1 like, 3 replies
elizabeth_76861 lunarose
Posted
hello lunarose, I'm sorry it feeling unwell! try to relax until ur test r done u may not have needed them, but it's always best to do the test the Dr recommend, each type of DR have rutine exams n maybe for the GI those r it. if ur worried about ur pank, please STAY away from alcohol at all cost n eat a low fat diet.... jist untill u see ur Dr n see how u feel. no alcohol n a low fat diet is key for any pancreas sufferer!
Good luck sending 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 ur way!
greg10651 lunarose
Posted
Hi, I'm twice your age and over the past year I have gone through exactly what you have. The symptoms are so very similar it's rather amazing. As it turned out, all my stomach aches and bowel issues were due to Colitis. The colon got so imflamed that it practically destroyed my pancreas. (Although thanks be to God, my pancreas is still producing insulin and I'm not diabetic...yet anyway) It is possible that my earlier years of drinking heavily contributed to this. I would cover up the severe stomach pain with my wifes' opiads (bad boy). This must have gone on for a couple of years. But even if it is your pancreas Lunarose, there are medications to help your digestive problems. I am pretty much okay now, although because I do have a very small pancreas, i need to have an ultrasound a couple times a year to check for cancer. So my advice agrees with one of the repliers---stay away from alcohol. I also found that the stomach aches went away once i consumed Miralax a few times a week. They have improved so much now that i probably only take it once a week or so. Feel free to ask anymore questions lunarose. God Bless
lunarose
Posted
Thank you both for the responses!
I forgot to mention that there have been instances in the past three or four years in which I will find myself halfway through a beer experiencing mild nausea. I have only been drinking wine since I cut back on gluten and haven't had it happen again. In fact, the night I wrote this I was having a glass of rosé and felt fine the next day. But that's not at all to discount the advice because I definitely appreciate it and will take it seriously.
After putting my symptoms in the context of possibly having low blood sugar, I paid closer attention (as if I hadn't already!) to the period of time passing between meals and snacks. I realized that I had almost no symptoms as long as I kept some juice or plantain chips on me when I didn't have access to food, but the fatigue persisted, although it noticeably improved and even responded to small amounts of caffeine. Something else I noticed: halfway through a meal I found myself getting full (I'm quite thin and petite so I've been told my entire life that this is just because I'm so small) but then within half an hour I was hungry again. An hour later I felt like I was starving. It happened again just now with lunch. This time I have a headache because I waited too long to eat.