@bentley33 I am not suggesting that your symptoms and diagnosis are similar to mine, just that doctors outside of major medical centers sometimes just haven’t had the variety of conditions that doctors in larger medical centers have had. As I said, it could have been disastrous if I had not been diagnosed when I finally was. I am fairly good at researching things but i didn’t find anything myself that tied my symptoms together.

I really sympathize with your situation though. I am at the point where my husband and I are both retired, my son and daughter are in their 30s and on their own, so I didn’t have the obligations that it sounds as if you have. I hope you have some close friends or family close enough to be able give you the assistance that will allow to seek out medical care elsewhere, being it at Mayo or somewhere closer to where you live. It definitely sounds as if you need a top gastroenterologist. Some very reputable sources regularly do ratings of which hospitals are best for various specialities, you can try to find which are mostly rated in Gastrenology.

Please keep us updated on how you are doing. I am concerned about you.
JK