Whats Wrong With my Stomach?

OMGeeeHorses

Okay, so about 5 years ago I had a bad stomach issues, I had crippling cramps and couldn't keep anything at all down in both areas. My husband came home to find me on the floor unable to get out of the fetal position as the cramps were as if I was in labor . I was rushed to the emergency room and they couldn't find anything wrong with me, I was severely dehydrated and even putting that in me I couldn't keep it down. They did cat scans, MRI and everything else they could think of for me and it wouldn't stop the cramps or show what was wrong with me. This went on for 8 hours straight and then just disappeared. They wrote it off as a bad stomach bug. Well ITS NOT!! I get the stomach cramps every now and then out of the blue, I am told to down electrolytes and just keep the water to me, it seems to help some. But I go throughout the day with the issues bothering me for a while then goes away. What is your guess at what it could be? FYI it happened after I ate ice cream a few days ago, so I am starting to lean towards it could be lactose and tolerant...but I didn't eat anything dairy that day I was rushed to the hospital..so what could it be you think? I know you are not doctors but like to see what it could be

charli_G

Sounds like irritable bowel disease....either crohns or colitis :-(

nataliefamily3

Not a doctor but my guesses are either food allergy or intolerance like lactose or gluten maybe. Or maybe crohns. Try adding a note on your food diary on days you have symptoms and look for a pattern.

5ftnFun

I had symptoms like that when my gallbladder became dysfunctional. I found that my symptoms appeared after eating anything fatty or greasy. I eventually got to the point where I could only eat a very bland diet of toast, rice, soup, etc. and lost a lot of weight. I was a unhealthy & weak at 100 lbs. I did not have gallstones, but rather, my gallbader just wasn't functioning right. They did some kind of test in nuclear medicine (? it's been awhile) and I ended up having my gallbladder removed.

If your symptoms keep up, don't let the doctors blow you off. Keep going, or seek different opinons til you find out what is wrong! I suffered for 1 1/2 years b4 I finally got an answer.

scookiemonster

Could be ibs, Crohn's, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, some other food sensitivity, an ulcer... a lot of things can have that effect. For me, I was never that bad, but I had a lot of upset stomachs along with other symptoms like headaches and chronic fatigue and discovered that cutting out gluten made the problems a lot better. Some of us just can't eat things that are totally fine and healthy for other people. Consult a doctor, have then run blood tests for these things, but if you don't see results, sometimes the only way to find out is to try eliminating a possible problem from your diet and see if it makes a difference. That's how I found out about the gluten intolerance - my Celiac test was negative, but when I tried the elimination diet I noticed a difference.

lilred806

My fater in law has something called diverticulitis that is pretty painful. Maybe?

lithezebra

The ER is not the place to get an accurate diagnosis. You need to see your regular doctor, who may or may not refer you for more tests, or to a specialist.

(Nothing against ER docs. Their job is to save your life, or determine that you are not in immediate danger, not solve longer term problems.)

thisismeraw

I get terrible stomach pains and issues when I consume too much dairy or wheat products. Have you been tested for either a wheat/gluten issue or a dairy issue?

While you might of not consumed actual dairy, dairy products are hidden in a lot of things. Might of been a reason.

Have they checked for any cysts or something like that? Could also be the cause.

If it is still happening now and again I would seek a second opinion.. or third if you have to.

dicoveringwhoIam

gallbladder disease, stomach cancer, pancreatic disease, celiac disease.
keep track of foods you eat and when you have an attack.. Call your dr. make an appt.

JoRumbles

Did they do a colonsocopy? You need that to check for Crohns or colitis. There would be blood and mucous in your stool with that- usually,

DalekBrittany

What do you mean by stomach? Above or below the navel, and on which side?

If you mean above the navel, the first thing I thought of was a gallbladder problem. It flares up especially after eating fatty or greasy foods (the gallbladder is responsible for the bile used to break down such foods.)

If you mean below the navel, the first thing I could think was either Crohn's or diverticulits. Everyone at some point in their lives gets little pockets in their intestines. It just happens. They come and go. But sometimes these can be chronic and/or become inflamed and irritated, which can cause a lot of pain. This happens a lot with things that have seeds, because the seeds can become stuck in the diverticula and irritate it.

Also, don't go to the ER next time. Their job is to make sure you aren't dying and send you on your way. Some hospitals will admit you if they think it could be something life threatening, but need the bed you're occupying. Go to your doctor. Get a referral to a gastroenterologist. Have you had an endoscopy/colonoscopy?

tanashai

It could be an intolerance; lactose and gluten can both sneak in anything. My sister is severely lactose intolerant and she has to be very careful of what she eats because things like whey powder set her off! I agree with what everyone else is saying too; keep track of what you eat and when you feel worst and cross check them and then go see a nutritionist or a specialist to get it confirmed. Good luck; this sounds utterly awful!

DalekBrittany

The ER is not the place to get an accurate diagnosis. You need to see your regular doctor, who may or may not refer you for more tests, or to a specialist.

(Nothing against ER docs. Their job is to save your life, or determine that you are not in immediate danger, not solve longer term problems.)

Well, they give accurate diagnoses when it's something obvious, but you're right. They are there to make sure it's not life threatening or something that needs to be taken care of right away.

That's why they probably told you to follow up with you PCP.

chicagospeechie

I have Crohn's and they were able to pick up multiple signs of the disease on a CT - the confirmation came from tissue biopsy when 1.5 feet of my small intestine was removed. I'd think that if the disease was active enough to cause you to go to the ER, a CAT scan would have found *something* - obviously you should see a GI though.

dmpizza

I rencommend you see a specialist. In ADDITION to that, you might try Align brand probiotic. It was like a wonder drug for me.

Xhell_on_heelsX

My guess would be Crohns, or gullbladder issues. I would definitely start keeping a food log though, if you don't already log on here, that way when the symptoms start you know what you have eaten in the past couple hours. Hope you get it figured out! :flowerforyou:

peachfigs

Does your food fail to digest when you get the cramps? If so, it's likely to be gastroparesis.

misskerouac

I agree with other posters that you need to see your GP and explain the history of the problem and see what he can do.



In the meantime on your own, you can do an "elimination diet" by yourself at home. Cut out dairy (or dairy and gluten) for a few months and if you notice a big change, slowly add back one. If the problem comes back then you know to stay away from it. But don't add both things back in at the same time otherwise you won't know which one it is that you are intolerant to.

There are books online or in the library that better explain the best suggested time frames to do it in.
I had really really bad stomach issues that had me in TERRIBLE pain on a regular basis, doctor just kept giving me ulcer medication. I did an elimination diet suggested by my naturopath and BOOM guess what? This chicky cannot handle dairy.


But DEFINITELY see your GP right away and let them know what you are going through in case it is something serious.

survivor1952

Get checked for diverticulitis, diverticulosis and Irritable Bowel Syndrom. I have IBS and Diverticulosis and I get major abdominal pain just like you are describing. I have started a list of things that flare my diverticulosis up. Bananas is the latest addition to the list. Nuts do it, so does pepperoni. Keep that food diary so you can track which foods it could be.

ShifuYaku

Kidney stone, maybe?

angelahammon

I have IBS and i passed out with the severe stomach cramps, my husband found me on the floor,. i would suggest you go back to the doctors and ask for more tests to be done, i have IBS pills to take when i get the cramps but would not like to advise you to do this incase its not IBS, peppermint tea is very good for the digestion and helps with bloating and keeping my IBS in check, . i have noticed that eggs, spicy foods and wine (unfortunately wine) triggers my IBS. maybe also when you have the cramps write down what you have eaten that day or the day before and you may find a pattern,