Upset stomach, losing weight for months

Posted by emmyk314 @emmyk314, Apr 20 10:03am

I am a 45f who has been dealing with diarrhea, dry heaving, burping, nausea, lost appetite, and significant weight loss (13 lbs) since Feb with no answers. It is taking over my life and I feel horrible.

I also have weird symptoms like waking up daily at 430 for no reason, and the palms of my hands often get red and hot. I’ve had breast and armpit tenderness on and off, but doctors don’t feel anything when they examine me. I do have a mammogram scheduled this week to rule that out. I wake up having to use the bathroom first thing in the morning. The afternoons can go a little better for me, but I’m forcing myself to get through the day. I have had a colonoscopy and endoscopy with nothing significant coming up. Blood tests have shown that I’m anemic so I’m taking iron supplements. This may be masking diarrhea as it’s supposed to be constipating, but I’m still having diarrhea at times anyway. I went to my gynecologist as well and he ruled out menopause (said I have the ovaries did an 25 year old) and did an ultrasound which was normal. Blood work has been unremarkable (cbc, testing for celiacs, Lyme, mono). RDW is high. I’ve done a round of doxycycline which showed minimal improvement in diarrhea.

I consulted with a naturopath because l am willing to try anything and she thought I had parasites and recommended supplements that I took once but made me feel worse.

Anyone have these difficulties or any suggestions? I’m feeling lost and don’t know what to do.

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Apr 20 11:02am

@emmyk314 It sounds like a significant amount of testing has shown nothing, so you turned to a naturopath. When the naturopath suggested parasites, did she do a stool exam or culture? If not, this could be ordered by your doctor to rule it out. Hyperthyroid (Graves Disease) can cause many of the symptoms you describe, so a full thyroid panel might tell something. H. Pylori can live in the stomach or intestines and cause a lot of the symptoms as well.
Another thing that comes to mind with your description is that you may have developed a food sensitivity. Has anyone suggested that you try either an elimination diet or a FODMAP diet to rule out something you eat or drink as the cause?
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/lifestyle-and-diet-in-inflammatory-bowel-disease
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/elimination-diet
Have you tried adapting your diet (including all beverages) to see if you can improve things?

emmyk314 | @emmyk314 | Apr 20 11:55am

Thank you for your response and ideas! Yes I forgot ton include a full thyroid panel was normals. My GI doctor did a stool sample to check for common parasites which turned up negative as well.
The naturopath did no testing, but recommended Paracid Forte and a Z binder to clear out toxins and parasites. I felt terrible after taking these once so I discontinued.
My diet is pretty bland right now. I eat mostly meats/eggs with very limited carbs. I am drinking boost to try and maintain my weight but this past week, I lost another 3 lbs. I am very discouraged and scared.
I will ask about H Pylori which I believe would show up on the biopsy from my endoscopy, right?

katreilly | @katreilly | Apr 20 1:32pm

Dyspepsia is what I have. Daily nausea and diarrhea.

emmyk314 | @emmyk314 | Apr 20 1:44pm

In reply to @katreilly "Dyspepsia is what I have. Daily nausea and diarrhea." + (show)

If you don’t mind sharing, how were you diagnosed and how do you manage?

dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Apr 21 6:49am

@emmyk314
What blood tests/panels have been done? Did they do a full iron and thyroid panel (not just CBC and TSH)? Does anything else show up as abnormal beside RDW?

What type of iron supplement are you taking? Certain ones can upset your stomach and not be absorbed as well. Also, did they recommend anything else for your chronic diarrhea (to help stop it and replace lost fluids and nutrients from dehydration)?

dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Apr 21 8:00am

@emmyk314
Have you been tested for allergies, autoimmune disease or vitamin deficiencies/toxicities? You may want to see a nutritionist/dietitian to suggest additional tests, review diet/supplements, and make recommendations.

Does your bloodwork show signs of inflammation?

How much water do you drink? My understanding is you should have a minimum of 50% of your body weight in ounces of water. You may want to consider adding electrolytes like LMNT to help restore fluids.

If you eat a high protein diet, that may be taxing your kidneys. Do you take any medications? Taking antibiotics can worsen diarrhea. Have you taken a probiotic? Do you eat any fiber?

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8143080/
2. https://www.genesislifestylemedicine.com/blog/why-am-i-losing-weight-and-experiencing-diarrhea-potential-causes-explained/

emmyk314 | @emmyk314 | Apr 21 12:18pm

In reply to @dlydailyhope "@emmyk314 What blood tests/panels have been done? Did they do a full iron and thyroid panel..." + (show)

Thank you for your insights! Yes they did a full thyroid panel, cbc with differential, and metabolic. Iron is low and RDW is high. I just did a repeat blood test today to see if iron supplements worked.
Now my dr wants to do an ultrasound to look at my gallbladder.
I usually only have diarrhea first thing in the morning, but I’m still losing weight. No one has recommended anything to stop it as of yet. The weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue and anxiety have been difficult to endure. I wish we could find what the problem is.

emmyk314 | @emmyk314 | Apr 21 12:20pm

In reply to @dlydailyhope "@emmyk314 Have you been tested for allergies, autoimmune disease or vitamin deficiencies/toxicities? You may want to..." + (show)

Thank you for your reply!
Mini haven’t been tested for allergies other than celiacs. Also the inflammation marker was not elevated in my bloodwork. No one seems to know why I feel so terrible.
I will ask about meeting with a dietician! Thank you!

dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Apr 21 12:55pm

In reply to @emmyk314 "Thank you for your reply! Mini haven’t been tested for allergies other than celiacs. Also the..." + (show)

@emmyk314
If they check your gallbladder, they need to do a HYDA scan to also check function. I saw a gastroenterologist and they did endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound and blood work but nothing flagged for my gallbladder until they did the HYDA scan. It showed my gallbladder was only ejecting 7% bile when it should be a minimum of 35%-40%.