Urgent help needed - lower abdominal pain and clear scans

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hey, so I’m currently suffering with severe abdominal pain but there seems to be no cause to it. It started in February with a water infection which I was treated for with trimethoprim for 3 days, but since then it has come back four times. There seemed to be no cause to this, but I presumed the infection had become resistant to that particular antibiotic as I was still having the pain. 

At the start of this week I went back to my GP who said that I had a very slight water infection (5th time), so she treated me for a 7 day course on trimethoprim but after 3 days the pain hadn’t gone and was getting worse and I was feeling constantly sick.

I went to A&E and the doctor said there was no sign of a water infection in my sample but STILL gave me medication for a water infection as a precaution. HOWEVER, the symptoms subside for a while but when I eat they come back in unbareable spasms for around 10 minutes and the pain goes back to being constant and dull. 

Today I had an ultrasound on my kidneys, stomach, bladder and ovaries and all came back clear. I have been given no further advice and I’m worried that the cause is much more serious, but for some reason the scan didn’t bring anything up. 

I’d really love advice on what I could do next or who to speak to as I feel like I’m going in circles with a misdiagnosis each time. My A-levels started yesterday and I was nauseous the whole way through so lost all concentration.

Hope one of you can help! 😩 x

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    My situation was very similar to yours.

    I started off with constipation and shifting abdominal pain.  I was tested for a UTi which was negative.  However,  I was put on the same antibiotic as you for three days but it did nothing for my pain.  I was then put on the same drug for a week, again with no help.  It was then decided I didn’t have a UTI.  An ultrasound of my kidneys, bladder gallbladder, liver and spleen showed norhing and I was negative for celiac, h pylori and fecal calprotectin.as well.  In the end, it was.concluded that I had IBS because I also had nausea, loose stools and back pain. 

    If your stools have changed and your pain moves about, it might be IBS especially since the pain comes on after eating.  Stress can bring it on too. Try a food diary to see what foods could be the culprit.  Go back to your doctor and ask about IBS.

    • Posted

      Thanks for your reply! I have a feeling it might be IBS due to a few other symptoms you mentioned you had too. I’ll make sure I go back to them with my opinion. 

      The food diary sounds like a great plan, I’ll start today, thanks so much for your help and I hope you’re not in the same pain anymore x

    • Posted

      Fortunately, my IBS is in remission just now; hope you get a diagnosis soon.
  • Posted

    My symptoms were very difficult to figure out for my doctors. Back in 1973 most doctors thought my symptoms were stress related. In 2001 I finally found a doctor to treat me with 3 drugs at once. This drug cocktail seemed to help the most. That started me down the correct road to partial help. 

    Bacteria is difficult to kill. So when we stop the meds we get rebound. Many tests come back negative but the tests don't always catch everything. I found a gastroenterologist and brought research paperwork. That lead to a visit to Cedar Sinai in LA for methane hydrogen test. Sure enough I tested positive. After being on Xifaxan for the usual 2 weeks I felt better but killing the bacteria would never last. I can tell right away because I itch. That was years ago. Then my doctor from Encinitas would give me the drug cocktail but switch the drugs around. For 6 months I'd be better and could finally add a few foods to my limited diet. Went from 94 pounds to 106 eating salad. Ate 3 a day. I was thrilled. Life was fun again. At the 6 months mark I'd start to be sick again. Finally a year ago I got an older doctor locally that agreed to give me 3 prescriptions for Xifaxan. At the 7 week mark I felt great. I've now been on Xifaxan for 12 months. During this year I have not had on eye infection. I have not felt like I have a  UTI. I still break out from foods but I'm eating more variety and don't bleed all over from scratching. 

    As time goes on I'm encouraged for the younger generations to have more medicines and natural options. Doctors know more about my situation just in the last 10 years. In 2 years Xifaxan should become generic. This is the best drug I've ever tried because I don't get side effects and I don't miss work. 

    I don't know what your exact issue is but be patient because I know there is help. 

    Try limiting diet to foods that are easy to digest. I can only eat cooked zucchini for now no other vegetables. Rice and saltines. Ground poultry. Butter. High fat vanilla ice cream. Boring but I'm experimenting lately. I want salad but I can't have lemon or vinegar or yogurt or cultured anything to put on the lettuce. I'll keep trying and maybe soon. 

    The other thing I recommend is baking soda in water to neutralize acid. Especially since stress can cause acid production. Chew gum because saliva is alkaline. 

    • Posted

      Thanks for your reply Jen, sounds like you had a tough time for a while but I’m glad you’ve found something that’s helped. 

      I’ll try cutting out certain foods but at the moment everything seems to set it off so I’m not having much luck. I think it might be IBS but I’ll definitely try some of your methods, thanks for the help x

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