New here! Need advice, please!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-02-2004
New here! Need advice, please!!
4
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 1:41pm

Hello everyone!

My name is Liz and I could use some advice on this. I've been feeling awful lately and I think I'm starting to get depress over this. Okay, let me try and explain while I'm sitting here trying to hold my tears back. It all started after my last pregnancy, my baby was born in July 2003 and in Sept I was still bleeding so I had an ultrasound and they found I still had some tissue from the placenta, so I had to have a D&C. Afer the procedure, like about 3 days later I started to bleed non-stop so I was admitted in the hospital overnight, then I spent several months with anemia and I was also breastfeeding so it was not a very good experience for me. I mention all this because I think that's when everything started to change.

In September 2003 I had notice that my bowel habits were changing, sometimes for no reason at all I would have diarrhea and a feeling of urgency to go, but it would happened once in a while. Months went by and I notice that it would happened more often, so by July or Aug. 2004 I started to get worried about my symptoms. Any time I went out I always got the pain, for example, one time I went to a casino with my sister and I was fine while we were there, but on our 2 hrs drive home it was an agony for me, we had to stop constantly for me to use the bathroom, I had the pain, my stomach was very upset that I could actually hear it and the urgency and anxiety that I was feeling was horrible, because I felt like I was going to have an accident. Now, that's what I feel every day, there's not a day that goes by that I don't have this symptoms.

I went to see my DR and explained everything to her. She said that it could be IBS, but she sent me for some test. I had an Upper GI and a Barrium Enema, the upper GI showed mild gastritis so she put me on protonix and citrucel because she thought it was a combination of gastritis and IBS. Two weeks went by and nothing so she refer me to a GI Dr. I went to see him and he send me for an endoscopy and an ultrasound, the endo was fine so he discontinue the protonix. The ultrasound showed that I had numerous gallstones and he recomended that I have surgery because the only way that we could find out if it's the gallbladder it's by removing it. So, I went to see the surgeon and after she examined me she told me that the pain in the right side of my abs could be the gallbladder but the pain on the left side had to be something else, she gave me NULEV, an IBS med to try for 2 weeks to see if I feel better and then we could talk about the surgery.

My major problem is that I feel helpless and this DRs don't even have a clue of what's wrong with me. I'm taking the med. and it's not helping at all. I can't even go out because I'm afraid that I'll get the pains and the urgency to go. I was going to go back to work after I had the baby but that was impossible, because of the way I felt. I have a hard time just going to the bus stop in the morning with my son, today I drove him, it's only to the end of my street, I usually can deal with the pain but today I had to leave him with one of the parents there because I had to go back home to use the bathroom. All those things it's what makes me feel so useless and especially that my husband is the only one working. I feel at fault for our financial situation, I feel angry that I can't do things with my kids. I have 4 children and a wonderful husband that I love very much and I feel like I'm missing out on the things that we are supposed to do as a family, I'm only 32 y.o. and I can't even leave the house. I'm so sorry that this is so long, but I really needed to get this out and to find out if there is anyone out there that might be experiencing the same thing. Thanks

These are my symptoms:
Abdominal pain from top to bottom on the left side (and the right side because of the Gallbladder)my stomach feels upset all the time
indigestion
cramps on left side of abs
alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea
anxiety (only when I get the pain and I'm not in the house)
sometimes I have 3+ BM
gas
bloating
ect....

Thanks to all, again

Liz

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 5:56pm

Hi Liz and welcome


Well

thflowers-hahd23222.gif picture by Wren53B

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Sat, 02-19-2005 - 6:28pm

Hi Liz!


Welcome to the board!
 
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-21-2004
Sun, 02-20-2005 - 11:21pm

Liz -
Hang in there. It's not your fault. And as you can see by all the folks on this board, you are not alone, whatever this turns out to be. It could be anything from 'simple' IBS to any of the various Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) - Ulcerative Colitis, diverticulitis, Crohns, etc. They vary in degrees of severity, so some folks here are worse-off than others, don't let it scare you.

Get back to the GI doc and tell him you want more conclusive testing. Definitely keep a food diary and record when you have BMs (how often, consistancy, any pain before/during). It's a bit humbling to tell the doctor at first, but believe me he would rather hear it up front - graphic and all - than to waste your time and his with unnecessary testing. If he isn't willing to listen to your concerns, find another doctor. I was my own WORST advocate until I got 'sick'. I thought you had to do what they said, but I realized you've got to be 100% comfortable with your doctor. I was lucky and my mother-in-law got me into the GI doctor she and my sister-in-law have been seeing for 20 (and 15) years. If you know anyone in your area (hello - any Massachusetts folks out there for Liz?), get a reference - those are worth their weight in gold!

IBD is not age discriminate. It doesn't care how old you are, it's all in how your body is wired to handle things. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 31 (apparently had my first 'episode' in my early twenties though misdiagnosed as stomach flu), my sister-in-law was diagnosed with Crohns when she was 8 years old. It's nowhere in my known family history, and rampant through my husband's - mom, sister, maternal grandfather, paternal grandmother - but he is fine, as is his dad, and his paternal grandfather - good genes I guess!

Let us know what happens... and yes, feel free to vent anytime! :-)

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Mon, 02-21-2005 - 8:53am
I couldn't of said it any better than you did.. thanks

~~Wren, ~~

thflowers-hahd23222.gif picture by Wren53B