Is it colitis or IBS?

Since this has started, I have now lost thirty ponds.

Jaime,
Hi. My name is Dorothy and I know exactly what it feels like to be scared of food. I dealt with many intestinal problems for 30 years with the most specific diagonsis being IBS. I did not have colitis problems though, but I have gastroparesis which essentially means that your stomach quits emptying--so then of course food is the last thing you want. In 2007 I had a gastric pacemaker implanted and it makes the stomach empty so eating is possible and enjoyable. I had been to many doctors, clinics, specialists, including Mayo and it is sometimes hard to keep up hope with the medical community. I have been through that and understand it very well. I sincerely hope that soon the right answers and treatment will be found for you.

Jaime, where did you have stomach pacemaker surgery done? That is one option that has been suggested to me. I am not diabetic and no cause of Gastroparesis has been found in my case. The gastroenterologists tell me it is some "type" of Gastroparesis

Hi, my name is Dorothy and that was a response I sent to Jaime. Anyway I am also not diabetic and they said my gastroparesis was due to nerve damage. I had a pretty severe case as my stomach had quit emptuing entirely; so I was on homebound care for 4 months being fed intravenously. My insurance gave us the names of places we could deal with and one of them was Minnesota Gastroenterology(MNGI) in Mpls. They were a terrific help. They knew how to deal with people with GP and told me I was the perfect candidate for gastric pacemaker surgery. At that time the surgery was still considered experimental so we had to do a lot of pushing to get the insurance company to agree to pay for the surgery and all aftercare for llife. Apparently there is some kind of humanitarian clause that got me though. I wrote very specificletters to my insurance company detailing my condition and how it affected my life. I also had doctors submit letters. The surgeon Dr. Eric Johnson in Mpls performed the surgery at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Mpls in 2007. At that time Mayo Clinic was not doing that surgery. At that time he had done about 50 of these procedures. It has absolutely changed my life and I do not ever regret doing it. He put the pacemaker on the right side of my chest because others had complained of too much pain by having it in the abdomen. There are leads from the pacemaker that are sewn into the stomach thus making my stomach empty. I am able to eat normally and lead a normal life. I sometimes have some minor episodes but am able to control them with my nausea meds. The pacemakers run on battery and are supposed to last 5 years before battery change is needed. I would certaily look into the surgery to see if you think it will help you. If you have any other questions please ask. Good luck.

Could it be that you have H pylori ? A stomach virus, urine and stool test will tell. Also Celiac Disease, which is a gluten sensitivty. Stop eating anything that has wheat, rye or barley in it. Go on the gluten free diet you will feel 100% better. Alot of people have this disease or sensitivity and don't know it. The doctors miss diagniose it. You will get acid reflux, constipation, then diareah, stomach cramps and gas pains, bloating of your stomach. If left not dealt with properly it can lead to stomach cancer or esophegal cancer. Also the problems of the colen with the constant diareah and constipation back and forth.
This disease is something you have since birth. It stops your small intestine from absorbing vitamines and minerals from the foods you eat. So therefore your body over the years, becomes run down and susepatible to many negative possibilites. This is a heredirtary disease, so some one or maybe everyone in your imediate family has it to. It does effect everyone differently because therefore we all have different boddies.
The diet is easy, don't eat any breads or cereals unless they are labeled gluten free. No processed foods, just fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and dairy. There is a very large choice in the markets now for gluten free items, such as postas, breads, cookies, cakes, etc. I hope your problem is as easy as this fix.
Chris

Hi Chris,
Thank you so much for your response. I have not eaten anything but white carbs, bananas, activa yougart and gateraide the last 6 months. I found that my all foods my body could tolerate 10-1-2011; has never been tolerated again after 10-2-2011, just one day later my life was filped around. They have tested me for Celiac Disease; heavy metal poisonings, parasites, autoimmune problems, I have had ct scans, MRI's, Colonoscopy's, Endoscopes, Ultrascans and at least 15+ times of multiple blood test and at least 4 thorough stool samples to turn in after collected over days. My friend told me to get copies of all medical records; since I have been seeing so many specialist.

The most recent discovery was from myself, after viewing all copies of my lab reports and medical records. I found I have multiple ovarian cyst and they have only grown larger on the CT scans and ultrasounds. I brougt it to the attention of my OB/Gyn 3 months ago and she seemed unconcerned until my last ultrasound showed a growing large Complex Ovarian cyst on my right; which contains solids and liquids. I find it ironic how the symptoms are so simuliar to aalmost ALL of symtoms; including fever, fatique, blood loss, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, irregular female cycle, bloating, gas and these types of cyst cause problems with the surrounding organs; which happens to be located next to my right large intestine that keeps getting abcessed.

The plan is to remove my gallbladder and do some exploratory surgery on my pelvic region using the robot. I pray whatever switch was turned on 10/2/2011 to make my healthy body fall apart and continue deteriorating the last 6 months finally is turned off, so I can get back to living and quite missing out on life.
Moral: Get copies of all your lab results and medical records for your own clairification.

God Bless,
Jaimie

I was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Because drs say no studies hv been done on elderly (over age 50) they can find, I feel like I am a guinea pig. Started out w 3 Lialda daily (so expensive I had to request free through dr and Shire)...but many flare ups which have kept me from doing the very things I retired to do such as travel (I am former airline employee) and go swimming or even take a long walk. Had colon cancer at age 49 but now 69 and no problems up until the last colonoscopy which discovered the ulcerative colitis. You seem to have a lot of other problems but be sure you are seeing right doctors. Drs. feel that no specific foods are culprits...just a lactose intolerance and of course nuts and seeds which cannot be easily digested and could cause perforation. I am on a BRAT diet for the next few days to see if it will stop the flare up...bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. This is also with a prescription probiotic twice a day to hopefully put nutrients back into my system. But, no one really knows what will work because everyone with this disease (disorder)responds differently. I do not have pains and cramps as some do. Maybe experimenting with this diet for 5 days will help but be sure you are on the proper medication as well.

Hello Jaimie, I am sorry to hear about what you are going through and let me tell you that my husband went through the same thing as well. After many tests, medications and expensive text that the insurance would not covered and visits to the most well known gastroenterologsit in San Diego. We found out that regular medicine don't know anything about the stomach diseases and would tell you that any problem could be IBSyndrome,colitis or gastritis and they are just guessing, giving you medicine for the symptoms. My husband GI tract just shut down after this and we finally found a holistic doctor that run stool test, blood test and allergy test and discovered that my husband had glutten, corn allergies and severe candida cause by all the rounds of anitbiotics that the doctor gave him and damage his intestine wall. with the holistics doctor he began slowly to gain his weight back and he is able to add more foods to his diet. he feels great. Please consider holistic medicine because side effects aren't included.

Jamie,
Hi, ironically my name is Jamie as well. And your symptoms sound very familiar to what ive been and just finished going through for years. Let me tell you, though i have to warn you that my story is most likely the worst case scenario you can imagine.
In 2009 I started having a sharp pain in my abdomen on the right side, i would throw up and have diarrhea on occassion at first. I went to my dr, and at first they gave me medication for my pain until my mother, who was on drugs, an rn and literally getting a physical to go to rehab after being in the psych ward for a month, reported me for abusing them to my dr, despite the fact that i wasnt. Im telling you this so you can understand why everything went so badly for me. Despite the fact they never had proven it, nor checked out if it was accurate, i was labeled and that label has made me leave that hospital system because of what happened afterwards because of it. I went to a gi dr, they did an endoscopy, said nothing was wrong, then after 7 months of vomiting the gi dr stated after an er visit that i was sick because i was pregnant, i wasnt pregnant, at that point im sure that i wouldve gained weight, not lost it. So i went to another dr for a second opinion. For over a year the symptoms worsened, the pain became unbareable and i was in and out of the er because of it. Every scan came back normal, all bloodwork showed nothing wrong. I talked to my father who was a pa at the time in which he asked the dr he worked under to write me scripts for pain medication while i figured out what was going on. After a yr and 1/2 he finally realized that my symptoms, especially the fact that they worsened when i ate fatty foods, sounded like there was something wrong with my gallbladder, so he referred me to a surgeon where i begged the guy to take it out. The surgeon said ok though he didnt think that it was necessary. After he did, he told me that he had never seen a gallbladder so contorted and dead before and that he had no idea how i lived with it for over a year since it was rotting inside me. It was leaking bile as well. 2 days later i was hospitalized for a huge bile leak. They put a stint in the duct so the leak would heal the leak. For 3 weeks i felt normal again, no pain, no stomach issues. Then the pain returned and i started getting sick. I went to the er to be told there was nothing wrong, then my gi dr did and endoscopy where i found out the stint was moving towards my liver and trying to pierce it. After that the pain worsened, my previous symptoms came back with avengance and i lost 30 lbs within a month because of the vomiting and diarrhea. And i mean it was literally projectile vomiting after everything i ate and almost everything i drank. The only thing i was able to hold down was mtn dew and water for over 4 years. It caused my potassium (which helps your heart pump) to become dangerously low and the pain was unbareable, again. I became a what they call "a frequent flier" at the er for potassium and abdominal scans, I went to pain clinics to find out that oxycodone helped with the diarrhea along with the pain, but my mother found out and told them i was a drug seeking and because my scans were normal i was told to seek help. At this point, at 92 lbs, constantly weak and hungry, and having my autistic daughter to take care of, i just kept going to ers to get pumped full of potassium at least weekly so my daughter wouldnt lose me. I slipped into a pretty bad depression and at the 2 year mark convinced my to go to my primary, which was the dr that labeled me as a drug addict to show her there was something wrong. First thing she did was report my dad to the pharmacy board despite the fact he was retired and no longer could write scripts, nor had he for years. She then gave me phenergan, like everyone else and told me to take ibuprofen. Phenergan never worked, didnt even touch it, and i wasnt nauseous, i was just puking. And the ibuprofen almost put me into renal failure, and i was told to stop taking nsaids. On top of that i found out i was allergiv to tylenol. I was hospitalized for a week because of my low potassium and i was given morphine in the hospital. The drs did an mri and found my pancreas was as big as a cucumber, which isnt normal in anyone, especially someone my size. The dr who informed me of the pancreatitis was then thrown of my case and her fellow residents told me i had a drug problem and they were cutting me off. Mind you i didnt take drugs except otc pain meds and phenergan at the time until i was hospitalized. I was thrown out after i asked for a second opinion. My dr decided that it was stress that was causing my symptoms and wrote me a script for clonopin. Ironically my exhusband decided to take my daughter illegally for the summer because of my mother calling him and telling him that i was making myself throw up and was high all of the time, despite the fact she was using. This just made me not eat for weeks, and i started taking clonodine for the pain so i could sleep through it. Two weeks later, and a month after the previous hospital stay, i was rushed to the er because my potassium was dangerously low and i was minutes from a heart attack. I saw my dr afterwards and was put on neurotin for pain control. I stopped taking it and searched for other means of pain control because was fed up with being physically in so much pain. Several months later, i started having seizures, where they found that i was malnurished, but my dr didnt think that it was affiliated with my seizures. She gave me neurotin again where they became worse because i was allergic to that to. After almost another year of this, she referred me to a gi dr. Then i had an endoscopy and colonoscopy as well as a barium study. Everything was normal and the gi dr told me that they were not running anyother tests on me and that i needed to go to a methadone clinic because i told him that i couldnt stop puking and i was in horrible pain. That and the label on my chart from 2009. Never ran a drug test on me. At this point it was 2014, having nothing because of my health i gave up and went to a clinic. For a while the symptoms stopped, when they started coming back, id asked the dr at the clinic what i should do and despite my request to not raise my dosage they kept raising it until i was on a lethal dose. I ended up having a heart attack a year ago to find out that the reason why my symptoms stopped was because my colon died and the spasms from my gut was causing the vomiting. I ended up having a huge hernia and was over 50 lbs heavier than i was when i was on the methadone. I was in a coma for 2 weeks and at first i wasnt vomiting. After a few more weeks i was allowed to eat, a month after i started puking again. Mind you i was still in the hospital and was given a trach after i awoke from the coma. I thought it was the trach so i had it changed and thought if they removed it, the puking would stop. After this my health just became worse, everything started tasting horrible, i tried to eat but couldnt and when i did it came flying up. My father decided to tell my dr at the time about my sister who died from bulimia. So the dr actually told me to stop making myself throw up and he was decreasing my pain meds. I was having diarrhea 18 times a day, i counted. I have never had an eating disorder in my life. Especially before i became sick. And the decrease in pain meds was because he was afraid that my bowels, or what was left of them might be slowing down, i was going 18 times a day. Cant stress this enough. After 2 weeks in this step down hospital, i was sent to a nursing home for physical therapy since i could barely walk. I was 92 lbs again, and i started sleeping all day only to wake up to use the restroom, take my meds and puke. I couldnt go to physical therapy because i was so weak and dizzy. They sent me to the er, where i was pumped full of fluids and released, because i didnt go by ambulance i ended up back in the er. They admitted me, for the 3rd time. (They sent me to the step down facility a week after i woke up to send me back because i was septic) i was put on iv protien and nutrients for several days and the head of the gi department decided to take on my case, and the pa that was taking care of me at the time decided to test my pancreatic enzymes because of the symptoms that i was having then and previously over the years and after the test, it was realized that they were really low, so i was place on an artificial pancreatic enzyme to check if it was chronic pancreatitis, and it was. It was later determined that i have had it since my bile leak in 2010. The dr that i was originally seeing and the gi drs didnt even bother to do the blood test to check despite the fact that they caught it in 2012 in an mri scan. It wasnt drug related at all. Within 11 days of starting the enzyme i was able to eat again and was discharged from the hospital before xmas. The diarrhea stopped within a month and i started going only 3-4 times a day. I just turned 30 in March. My hernia was repaired a month ago, and unfortunately the stomach aches returned recently. I just had to fire my surgeon because he yelled at me for drug seeking when i told him that i thought there was something wrong because i was feeling sicker, having 4xs as many bowel movements and having worse abdominal pain since last week. I just found out, after i went to the er at a different hospital that i have gastritis and colitis yesterday and that means there was something wrong. I am being treated for it as of now. Unfortunately i was unethically treated because of a label and because of a family history of bulimia and drug addiction from my mother. Despite proving that i wasnt taking drugs and when i was given scripts for pain meds that i was able to stop taking them prior to my surgery, i was still treated unethically and very poorly. The surgeon wasnt even aware of my allergies let alone my chronic pancreatitis. I do not wish this upon anyone. If i had just pushed for other tests, or went to more competent drs, and made sure that my parents werent allowed to be involved, im pretty sure that i couldve avoided it since my father was telling whoever would listen that i was oding on hard core street drugs despite my drug tests being negative. Even if i just did more research, it couldve been avoided. Dont give up. There are answers, and sometimes it takes more than just the normal tests to find out the answers. Sometimes basic scans miss the answers as well as blood work and dont leave any stone unturned. Ive been through hell over the years and now im unable to work and need a caregiver when all of this couldve been avoided. Even if i went out and got another opinion. I dont know if my story helps with your problems, but mine started out with your symptoms. Im sorry about my spelling btw.
Jamie

Hi Jamie. My name is Diane. I understand what you are going through and Im getting through it. Would you like to talk?