I was wondering about a cluster of symptoms I continually have and have had had since the spring of 2004, despite doing better

I am currently 46. I am 5'7 and weigh 217. I am still overweight but I was 237 last year at this time. I lost this weight simply due to good discipline and eliminating cheese from my diet. I would pig out on cheese every single night and I simply stopped it. I'm happy about it. I used to have a fatty liver with elevated ALT enzymes. Now they're normal. I have high blood pressure and mild kidney damage (proteinuria) from too much hypertension and I take Diovan, I am pre-diabetic and I take glucophage and I also take Paxil for social phobias and anxiety. I' m very happy on Paxil and I feel it was an excellent choice for me


I was feeling good until the spring of 2004 when I developed this cluster of symptoms that included severe gas and bloating with constant going to the bathroom, sometimes as much as 7-8 times per day, a bad sinus- like headache and severe irritability as well as urinary urgency with little urine passed. This followed me until the end of 2004 when I developed testicular pain and the gas and bloating continued. I was diagnosed with prostatitis and I was treated with antibiotics. I had a colonoscopy which turned out to be normal. The testic pain lingered and in the spring of 2005 I was hospitalized for superficial phlebitis as my varicose leg veins became infected and I needed 5 days of an IV. When I got out of the hospital the testic pain got worse for about 2 months until it slowly subsided, As 2005 went on I slowly started to feel better. However the IBS, headache, irritabiluty and urinary urgency cluster continued and I gained back all the weight I lost in the hospital

In 2006 I was given an IVP test for mild hydronephrosis of the left kidney but the results turned out to be normal. I continued to feel good but the cluster of IBS/urinary symptoms, irritability headache continued.

Actually this cluster of symptoms has been toned down by my cutting out cheese and changing my cookware to cast iron and stainless steel from non-stick(heard there's chemicals that can cause problems). Maybe the Paxil helps with this too but I still have the symptoms sometimes.

So my main question is:

Are all these symptoms (IBS/urinary urgency/headaches/irritability/slightly sore varicose veins) related to something like blood sugar, inflammation or something else? All these symptoms occur together, never separately. Is it possible this is all caused by chewing sugarless gum which contains sorbitol(a laxative)?

My a1c's have been 6.0 which is considered non-diabetic and my fingersticks have always been good. My cholesterol is low but I have high triglycerides. My eyes and feet are excellent(tested last year) and have not been affected by the pre-diabetes and my heart is doing well(had stress and echo tests last year)

Any ideas?

Thanks for reading

Sounds like you're doing pretty well for your age and weight history.

... a couple of questions. Do you have a job? Do you get a lot of exercise through athletics... do you eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Do you have any bad habits?

... a couple of questions. Do you have a job? Do you get a lot of exercise through athletics... do you eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Do you have any bad habits?

**hey, thanks for responding. I have had the same job for the past 17 years, I work sometimes 6 days per week

Not exercise through athletics but through walking, and a lot of it. However I want to get a bicycle because I dislike health clubs

I eat more fruit than veg's, but not as much as 5-6 servings


Bad habits--i eat mega eggs but my cholesterol is good and the HDL's and LDL's are good
Bad coffee addiction(heard it doesn't help insulin resistance and glucose intolerance)
I like home fries with my eggs on weekends
No drinking, no smoking, no drugs, I am not a sweet or dessert eater at all yet I have pre-diabetes

I don't have a lot of social support

Probably focus on joining a couple of groups that do physical activity like a bowling league, a basketball league, a softball team... you have activity and socialization. Take a night school course to get some mental stimulation and meet some interesting people.

You don't have to do everything at once, just get a plan in place and join your first team. :)

Good point. I'm going to post on the city-com site to try to find out (I like bowling and softball)

If you have any ideas as to those cluster of s's let me know what you think

Thanks

Rl

Actually, I have those symptoms, but for me, that is on a good day!

Put your focus outward. :)