[rwoytsek]

I'm not really here looking to be diagnosed. I'm going through the processes right now with my physician. I'm just curious if anyone else has ever had the same problems because my physician is kind of at a loss as to what's wrong with me.

It began last Thanksgiving. A few days after, during an argument, I started feeling light-headed, couldn't breathe, and my chest hurt. My brother-in-law called 911 (even though I told him to refrain from doing so because I do have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and am not unknown to have panic attacks... just never had one that badly), I went to the hospital, and they said it was probably a panic attack. A few nights after this, I went to bed, laid on my left side, and pain shot up and down my body. I thought my appendix had ruptured or something because I was running a fever and having the chills. After arguing with my husband, I went to the hospital again. This time, they did some tests (MRI, CAT scan, etc.) to rule out a tubal pregnancy and other stuff, and after an ultrasound, they told me that my problem was my gall bladder. Saw a surgeon after returning home, and without doing any sort of testing that I've read about, the guy just decided that it needed to come out, so out it came on December 12th of last year. I guess it was the right thing to do, in the end, because he told my husband that my gall bladder was the 3x the size of a baseball, and if it had burst, I'd be dead.

In any case, I thought the worst was over. I was wrong.

A few days later, I got the normal problems associated with gall bladder removal: diarrhea, too scared to eat food, painful gas, etc. I even learned that I was allergic to some of the medicine they put me on during the recovery. Big shock. In any case, I thought I was on the road to better health, but around the end of January, something changed. I started feeling constipated all of the time. See, diarrhea was normal for me. I'd been dealing with it all of my life as sort of a side effect to being lactose intolerant (and still drinking/eating milk-based stuff). So to suddenly change like this was more than shocking, to say the least. Because it's not constipation as you know it. I take bisacodyl (two 5mg tablets a day), and I've been taking it since this started... every frigging day because otherwise I can't use the bathroom. It feels like constipation, but it still comes out diarrhea. It's like those muscles in my intestinal walls have stopped wanting to push out the waste. Then this god-awful pain started in my back. I still had gall bladder-like attacks, too, where my stomach and chest would feel hot, and my stomach would be tender to the touch. I kept going back to the ER because the pain would make me feel faint. The doctors couldn't figure it out. They did all of these MRIs and CAT scans to make sure nothing else was flaring up, but other than the pocket of fluid where my gall bladder used to be (which I've been told is normal), they couldn't find anything else.

I saw a new surgeon recently (because my new physician thought my pain might be related to the pocket of fluid leftover from surgery), and the guy told me that the fluid is normal (again), and that it should go away on its own. However, he wanted to do another CAT scan to make sure it's going away, and he wanted to do blood work to make sure my liver is OK. Which of course, my new physician knows about, but she hasn't done anything about it. He also mentioned that he thinks that whatever is wrong with me wasn't related to the gall bladder. He mentioned IBS and Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (which I had done my own research and had thought that one of these might be my problem... or worse, both).

I've got an EGD (the old scope down the throat thing) scheduled because my physician now thinks my pain might be ulcer-related (considering it's in my stomach, around the surgery site, and spreading to my lower back). I guess this shouldn't shock me because my dad was hospitalized for bleeding ulcers when I was a kid. However, I don't have any bleeding. Just this tremendous pain in my lower rights side to middle of my back, the loss of appetite (because it hurts to eat anything at all... and even drink liquids), the loss of weight (I've shed over 60 pounds in a few months time), the fever that comes and goes along with the chills, sweating/clamminess, and sometimes headaches and shortness of breath (got an inhaler for this now). The EGD doesn't take place until September 7th. I guess if that doesn't find anything (though I'm sure it might considering that I've dealt with acid reflux disease for years), then I'm off to do a colonscopy (which I may be doing anyway since I still can't use the bathroom properly without taking medication).

I'm a little scared to have more things shoved into me (I've been through ankle reconstructive surgery and 3 c-sections, too, in the past), but if it finds out what's literally killing me, then I'll do it. I can't die right now... I've got three little kids (one who's disabled) to take care of and a husband who wouldn't know what to do.

Anyone else had pain like this?

[rankrank55]

Here is a post on another site of someone that had severe diarrhea and constipation at the same time. I wish I could help more! Good luck!

Stomach, Ulcers, Gastric Bypass, and Colon Disorders Forum - ~severa Diarrhea Plus Constipation At Same Time~

[J_9]

I'm interested to know if you have had a stool culture done. The antibiotics can sometimes cause something called Antibiotic Associated Colitits.

Symptoms of antibiotic-associated colitis usually begin four to ten days after antibiotic treatment has begun. The early signs and symptoms of this disease include lower abdominal cramps, an increased need to pass stool, and watery diarrhea. As the disease progresses, the patient may experience a general ill feeling, fatigue, abdominal pain, and fever. If the disease proceeds to pseudomembranous enterocolitis, the patient may also experience nausea, vomiting, large amounts of watery diarrhea, and a very high fever (104-105°F/40-40.5°C). Complications of antibiotic-associated colitis include severe dehydration, imbalances in blood minerals, low blood pressure, fluid accumulation in deep skin (edema), enlargement of the large intestine (toxic megacolon), and the formation of a tear (perforation) in the wall of the large intestine.

[rwoytsek]

No, I haven't, actually. It seems that my physician wants to either put me in the hospital (which I can't do because I have little ones) or she wants to take her dear sweet time with ordering up tests. Colonscopy is next on the list if the EGD doesn't find anything.

I'm really afraid. My pain is getting worse. It's not like I can keep going to the ER (especially considering that my husband isn't too fond of going there), but I'm feeling worse as the days go on. I'm trying to be patient with all of these tests, but I really don't want to die waiting for an answer, and I'm afraid this may happen.

[J_9]

Did you read the post above?

You need to ask why they are not doing a stool sample prior to these invasive procedures.

[rwoytsek]

Yes, I did read it. I live in Cincinnati, am disabled, and on HMO insurance (via Medicaid). I can ask my physician, but really, I can't tell her to do these tests. I'm already a thorn in her side, I'm sure, for calling her on a regular basis to find out what I'm doing next and to complain about the pain. I've already been through several doctors who won't do anything to figure out why I'm in so much pain. They either want to stick me on pain meds for the rest of my life (however long that is) or they want me to find another doctor. My hands are kind of tied here.

When I started seeing this doctor, I made sure to mention that I cannot use the bathroom properly and perhaps should have a colonscopy/stool sample/something in that area done first (I'm not an idiot... I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger, but I don't have the time to put into becoming one... I do know how to do my own research though, and any doctor I get seems to hate that), but my physician didn't think it was necessary yet.

I'm feeling so poorly right now that I may end up at the ER today anyway. I'm in so much pain when I eat, drink, go to the bathroom (even though it's still diarrhea when it comes out... it just doesn't want to come out), and stand up to walk. So I guess I'll be mentioning it to them (only to get told how I shouldn't tell them how to do their job).

[J_9]

You see, I feel your pain. I went through something similar 10 years ago after my mastectomy. I went through the EGD, the colonoscopy, then finally it was the stool sample. Found out if the stool sample was taken first I would not have had to go through those procedures.

There is never any harm in asking why they are doing what they are doing. No harm in asking why they feel a stool sample is not necessary at this point in time.

I am also wondering if this could possibly be Crohn's as you mentioned IBS.

[dmar]

Did you ever find out what was happening... have similar experience with a family member