Connect
Debilitating condition for 2 years now in 26-28 aged male
Hello,
I will try to keep this as brief as possible while still covering everything and range of symptoms. I’ve had many tests and am relatively at a dead end while my life has been ruined due to what’s happening.
To start I an otherwise healthy mid/late twenties male. No obesity.
Starting 2 years ago I started to experience dry heaving. I had assumed at time this was stomach ulcer. Well the dry heaving passed but I am constantly nauseous, as well as experiencing a pain in my left side right under ribs to down next to my hip bone (I imagine this is colon pain). I have pain that can radiate to the lower left side of my back and numbness even in the same area but in my backside. I experience intense gas, and stomach groaning. Most days I wake up to a gurgling stomach. Half of days my stomach won’t stop gurgling as well as a pain in the center of my abdomen/lower bowels. I’ve noticed more the last 16 months my stool is quite unhealthy. For one it’s always yellow-ish vs brown, I have a large amount of undigested plant matter when eating vegetables whether greens or tomatoes. My stool is formed but often will take on a fuzzy looking appearance, or very jagged like broken shale rock. Sometimes it will be very slender. Sometimes when yellowish it will even look waxy/shiny. But almost never is healthy shape/color.
I can have heartburn, which I was diagnosed with moderate gastroparesis 20 months ago through a GI emptying exam.
I’ve had many blood tests done and ultrasounds as well. Everything was normal from including things like Sed rate, amalyse, and all the normal blood work (aside from high bilirubin which I was told I may have always had something known as Gilbert’s Syndrome).
I’ve had 2 CT scans 18 months apart which showed borderline enlarged spleen, and a distended bladder. I also have some stones/polyps sludge in my gallbladder and I have Aunts that have had their gallbladders removed. My most recent CT showed some possible wall thickening in my proximial Jejunum (small intestines I believe), which my doctor wants me now to get a colonoscopy to check it out, though he doesn’t believe it to be anything too substantial.
I’ve also had X-rays and ultrasounds done but these showed little. I had a Hida Scan and this was normal.
I had an upper endoscopy which showed nothing abnormal.
I met with a hollistic doctor and had a stool test and it showed high inflammatory to gluten and a decent lack of good bacteria. I have been gluten free for most this year and have been on probiotics. I feel like the nausea got a bit better but that’s it. I had no blood in my stool.
I’ve tried constipation medicines like miralax and heartburn medicines to no avail. One medicine I was recommended was reglan, though I felt like holding off on it due to side effects and I’m not sure if it addresses the overlying issue rather than treating a symptom.
My MAIN issues I’ve described but to reiterate is my left side pain to the point of numbness. And intense constant gurgling/feeling the need to burp. To put in perspective I woke up from a quick nap and it’s been 4 and a half hours and my stomach is still gurgling like as if i have a stomach flu. This is almost every day and you can hear it let alone me feeling it. Both the gurgling and the pain I believe causes then the nausea I experience.
Other than this colonoscopy saying anything significant that many CT scans could not see (which I hope is not to the tune of something like cancer which I have family history of different cancers), I am at a relative dead end.
I drank a lot in my 20s (probably averaged like 20 drinks a week) but had stopped at such a frequency to months before this began, I am not sure if is related. I also did not exercise intensively through my 20s at the most a brief walk once or twice a week and lived quite sedentary. I am not sure if this could have lead to this.
I have had bouts of anxiety and depression in my life but I have a very good control and understanding to recognize what they feel like. Aside from what I’ve been dealing with I’ve actually been in one of the lowest stress environments I’ve been in for years, thanks to my families willingness to help. Which I mention cause I understand the stomach/brain link. One thing I do feel as well is more fatigued than normal for someone in their twenties. However I attribute some of this to getting older and I think may be due to feeling stress from my stomach being constantly aggravated is exhausting.
Any and all suggestions are welcomed. My life has been relatively ruined/put on hold due to this as I’m always feeling nauseous and the pain is impossible to ignore. When it’s really bad which is far too often I feel like I can’t stand for long like I need to keel over. It often feels like someone is squeezing my belly, that it’s tight or hard, or that I’ve been punched in my left side.
Thank you for reading.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Connect
One thing I didn't hear is whether you have considered whether you have IBS or if you have tried a low FODMAP diet or some other type of restricted diet. I too have a gurgling gut if I eat wrong or even too much. I cannot eat any raw produce and my gut only works by eating very carefully -- 15 things.
Besides the above, I take IBGuard before every main meal. It calms the gut muscles and works better for me than enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules.
The other other thing I can suggest is getting an introductory appointment with Dr. Margaret Gennaro, MD, located in Fairfax, VA. She has helped me with my gut when no one else could and does phone appointments. She has a website.
Hello jimmoran87,
When I read your post I got the chills! I have so much empathy for you, I’ve been dealing with the same mysterious GI symptoms for 2 years as well. Also suffer with anxiety and depression PTSD but this is different. Extreme fatigue even though I’m 38. Same church, different pew if you will-50% blockage in sigmoid colon due to severe endometriosis punching through but Covid in 2021 screwed me up royally. (Did you have covid or another viral infection by any chance?) Showed up on first of two upper/lower endoscopies. Since you’ve had both of those procedures thank god you didn’t have a blockage! My main point being I understand the pain under your left ribcage, that’s what I’ve been experiencing every day for 2 years as well, even after my bowel resection. Like a melon being squeezed under there! Severe severe pain due to gas buildup-splenic flexure sits right under the stomach and pushes against my colon- gas x phazyme nothing touches it..The vomiting, nausea, food sitting in my stomach for HOURS unable to eat without pain, to the point I’ve been afraid to eat. Tried low fodmap (IBguard helps...) but after bowel surgery, 7 CT scans GI emptying scan ultrasounds etc. and everything under the sun the one thing my incompetent GI dr. didn’t check was for low stomach acid! I’ve had the same particles of undigested food in my stool as you describe -its been so infuriating not getting answers. My chiropractor recommended I take this supplement from Standard Process called Zypan, and omg, it has changed my life! I’ve taken digestive enzymes for years (and still do) but this is the game changer. There are other brands, combos you can take but honestly, I trust my chiro (and standard process) better than ANY M.D. I can burp now when eating, instead of feeling the pain radiating across my left shoulder and down descending colon as you describe, and nerve pain to boot. Low stomach acid presents in the same way as too much stomach acid-bingo. Since my surgery and many hours of researching, due diligence, and clues from this wonderful mayo clinic forum and taking HCI supplement, no more unbearable pain and pressure. I sure hope this can help you as much as it has helped me. If you can have someone do it to you, acupressure points on your feet have greatly helped me as well, albeit a temporary day to day can't-take-this solution till i started my new regimen. I’ve also started taking activated charcoal pills 2x/week to help clear out the painful gas and it works! Hope this helps..hate to see someone suffering like I’ve been…esp on top of mental health stuff i get it.. def adds to exhaustion when your gut is having to work soo hard...uploaded the info I was given from standard process hope you can see it...best of luck and healing to you brother 🙂
Is your abdominal pain worse when/after eating?
Did your Gastroenterologist check for EPI Issues? That exocrine pancreatic issues, where your pancreas isn’t t producing enough enzymes to allow you to digest food properly? Also have him/her check for celiac disease, etc. It could also be Crohns or colitis. Find a good doctor who will discuss these things with you(a good gastro is hard to find). Sending you positive vibrations, stay well and be positive, you will kick this!
I hope you have seen a gastroenterologist. Some suggestions: get tested for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency which requires a fecal elastase test on stool. You have many symptoms of that and it’s treatable. The Reglan would help the gastroparesis. The spleen enlargement may be causing the left sided pain. You should be evaluated by a hematologist and have blood tests related to possible anemia, related to the spleen and fatigue. It’s possible to have ulcer symptoms without an actual ulcer showing up which would respond to over the counter omeprazole and famotidine (pepcid). You should NOT feel like this at your age. Bottom line is you need a gastroenterologist and hematologist doing specific tests related to malabsorption and the other GI issues and specific blood tests for the cause of spleen enlargement. I wish you well and hope you get answers soon.
A few other thoughts- EPI and gastroparesis are associated with diabetes so be sure to get a HbA1c blood test just to rule that out. EPI causes you not to digest fats because of lipase enzyme deficiency. With your gallbladder issues and possibly EPI it would be helpful to be on a low fat diet until this is figured out. Your PCP could order the stool elastase test (fecal elastase -1) if GI appointment is far out.