← Return to Dry heaving & abdominal pain for 2 months, Dr has no answers.

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@hopeful33250

Hello @steve74 and welcome to the Digestive Health support group on Mayo Connect. Probably the most difficult health issue for any patient is one that is not easily diagnosed. I'm sure that you are relieved that many of the serious diagnoses that you have been tested for are negative, but it is still frustrating that an answer hasn't been found for these symptoms which most likely limit your daily activities.

I'm glad to hear that you are looking for a second opinion. My suggestion would be that this second opinion comes from a multi-disciplinary health care system such as a Mayo facility or a university medical school. These types of institutions are research-oriented and see health issues that are not typically seen in a regular physician's practice.

I'm sure that your doctor has looked at any other health conditions and/or medications which might be contributing to this problem. I'm wondering if by keeping a food/activity journal, you might be able to track any triggers that might worsen these symptoms. If you have not done this, it might be a good first step, especially before you see another doctor for a second opinion.

On Mayo Connect, we are not medical professionals, so we can't accurately guess what might be going on with you. However, we have a number of members who have had hard-to-diagnose digestive tract issues. Here are links to some of the diagnoses that were discovered after many years of looking for answers. As many of these are rare diagnoses, many members have searched for the answer for a long time. I'm going to provide you with links to some of these discussions. Feel free to read the posts and see if any of these seem to be similar to what you are experiencing. If so, please feel free to comment and/or ask questions by hitting "Reply" under the post that interests you.
--Collagenous Gastritis
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/collagenous-gastritis/
--Gastritis That Won't Go Away/Fasciculations/Extreme Sweating
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gastritis-wont-go-away-fasciculations-extremity-sweating/
--Medium Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS)
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/median-arcuate-ligament-syndrome-mals/
These are just a few hard-to-diagnose digestive tract problems. By looking through the Digestive Health group, you may find others.

I hope that you will read the posts in these groups and also consider keeping an activity/eating journal to see what might be triggering these problems. In this journal, remember to also list any exercise and/or stressors that might occur during the day.

I look forward to hearing from you again. Will you continue to post about your progress as you look for an answer?

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Replies to "Hello @steve74 and welcome to the Digestive Health support group on Mayo Connect. Probably the most..."

Thank you for the detailed response. I have read through the posts you shared. Good information. I would love to visit a Mayo Clinic, unfortunately I don't think there are any locations near Philly. I tried to get an appointment at Penn Medicine but it would be months just to get a consultation. I will have to keep looking.

I have been keeping a journal of all my symptoms, Dr visits, meds and tests with dates and times of each symptom. I have also been logging everything I eat and at what time, plus tracking weight loss. So far, I have not noticed any obvious trigger.

My Dr. has now asked me to start taking 10mg of Amitriptyline each night. I just started it last night so we will see if it helps but even so, I'm afraid we are just masking the symptoms and not addressing the real issue.