Mystery Illness - gastro issues

[jennipurrr]

I wanted to post as I thought you all might have good suggestions or see something regular medicine wouldn't...my DH (37) is the kind of person to push through most any pain and is usually healthy as a horse.

However, for about a month and a half he has been sidelined with severe gastro issues. One night while we were sitting down to dinner he had such an attack he thought he could be having a heart attack. A week before that he had severe vomiting/diareaha. A couple of other different nights he had vomited up bile type stuff. Nearly every day he has heartburn now (all day) and some days he has an intense pain near his right rib cage. The heartburn comes no matter what he eats or drinks...even water seems to make it worse.

The emergency room found nothing in an ultrasound, then he saw a general practitioner. All the bloodwork was normal except slightly high liver number. At first the Dr. was concerned but the last time he went to a dr several years ago that number was the same. He did have hepatitis A as a teenager when he worked in fast food. No signs of a bleeding ulcer. Then he got a gall bladder test which showed good functioning, no blockage but did produce a slight pain (same area) when it was done. Then the dr tested him for h pylori bacteria since we have traveled internationally, and he didn't have that. Now he is just taking some prescription acid refulx medicine which is having no effect. After 30 days if its not working he is supposed to come back for a scope down his throat.

Earlier in the fall DH did start a new job and he does have a lot of stress on him. I think this has something to do with it, however he says it is much to awful to just be stress related. Maybe an ulcer that is not bleeding? I wonder if there is more to the gallbladder issue. His mother, aunt, and grandfather have had theirs removed.

Anyone experienced anything like this or have any ideas?

[SteveinMN]

Not all of those symptoms, no. My ex-wife and I both have had our gall bladders removed over the years. Her symptoms were very much of the pseudo-heart-attack variety. Mine were more of the right-side pain variety. Neither of us ever had the vomiting/diarrhea.

When you first mentioned the symptoms, I thought "gall bladder". The other stuff thrown in -- I don't know enough about the condition to say more than I experienced. It does seem likely to me, though, that it may be a combination of problems -- some stress, maybe a developing allergy, maybe an impending gall bladder problem. I would suggest if the acid-reflux meds are not making any difference at all, DH should contact his doctor and report that now rather than wait 30 days. But then, I'm no doctor, I never played one on TV, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. :)

Good luck....

[Rosemary]

Did he receive dietary recommendations to reduce the heartburn? The meds won't do the work on their own - usually it is recommended to avoid the typical foods (acidic and greasy foods, mostly) and eat small meals, more often, to calm an extended heartburn episode.

[redfox]

Strongly recommend seeing a Naturopath.

[Rosemary]

One other thought - kidney stones?

[jennipurrr]

Thank you all for the replies. Steve, I agree, I think he should call the Dr. now and let him know the meds aren't having any effect. He has been on them almost two weeks now.

Rosemary...he has changed his diet per the doctor's recommendations. He is no longer drinking any carbonated beverages. He has been drinking mostly water and some tea (dr. said tea is ok) since the first attack. He has cut out (most) fatty foods and is not eating large meals at once. The last attack of vomiting came after he ate a vegetable plate...salad, green beans, mashed potatoes. I do believe the green beans probably were cooked with pork, but it was a reasonably portioned meal that seemed suprising it affected him so much. I do think he could be more careful...but its at the point where he says he can't eat broth and nothing forever and so I have kind of given up any nagging.

Redfox, I almost replied that I doubt we have a Naturopath in town...but I was wrong. We do have one. She looks very interesting and something to consider.

Rosemary, I will have him look more into kidney stones. Thanks.

[JaneV2.0]

I suspect gall bladder issues, and one thing that really exacerbates those is a low-fat or fat-free diet--kind of the "use it or lose it" principle. Regular meals including natural fats will at least not make the problem any worse, if indeed that's what's going on.

[Bartleby]

Did they check for a hiatus hernia?

[Float On]

I thought gallbladder too. My husband was tested and mid-diagnosed for about 6 months before it finally became an emergency surgery where they chipped out the rock hard gallbladder. We looked back at photos over that 6 month time frame and you could see how yellow his skin became. He had the heart-attack feelings, pain, heartburn, vomit/diareaha. Our family Dr kept trying to call it stress related and would tell him to just have a glass of wine everynight. Wine is very painful on the gallbladder issue.

Sure hope you find some answers.

[Mrs-M]

Has there been any changes in the colour of his BM? How about bloating? I would recommend an ultrasound be performed to check his pancreas.

[CathyA]

With my IBS and GERD, I've had all sorts of pains. Some would stay quite awhile, and others just a little while.
For me, I've noticed that if I cut back on carbs, this one pain I have goes away. I don't know what the connection is though.
With IBS, you can have certain little areas of your intestines that spasm very easily. Or you can have little pockets of gas that can cause a spasm. Or you can have areas that just don't move like they should, and areas that suddenly put out alot of water. Both of these conditions can cause constipation and diarrhea.
As Mrs M. asked........what do his stools look like? Do they float? What color are they?
Here's another possibility........gastroparesis. I develop that intermittently, especially if I've been eating too much. Everything just shuts down.....which can cause vomiting and pain.

GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) can cause alot of nausea and diarrhea too. I would be hesitant to go on a reflux med, without first trying to decrease carbs. Carbs can cause alot of gas/fermentation/pain.
I hope he can find some relief soon.

[JaneV2.0]

With my IBS and GERD, I've had all sorts of pains. Some would stay quite awhile, and others just a little while. ... For me, I've noticed that if I cut back on carbs, this one pain I have goes away.

Starchy or sugary carbohydrates can be hard on the liver, contributing to fatty liver disease. In susceptible individuals, they contribute to all kinds of maladies (GERD, NIDDM). Even kidney problems are known to respond to a controlled-carbohydrate diet:
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/23

[jennipurrr]

Thank you for all the replies. DH is doing somewhat better than before with a different prescription heartburn medicine and being very careful with his diet, but still not back to normal. He is going to have a scope to see if they see anything they can see there.