mystery illness? can't eat

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2005
mystery illness? can't eat
4
Thu, 11-03-2005 - 4:19pm

hello ladies. here is my issue... and i'm hoping someone else out there recognizes these symptoms and can tell me what it was for them.

For almost a year I've been having increasing difficulty eating. In the last 6 months, I've lost about 16 pounds. In the past few months, I cannot possibly eat without preceeding or immediately following with medications.

A while back I was stung by a bee for the first time, which my allergist is telling me may be responsible for alot of my new food realted allergies. I had a semi-anaphylactic reaction to avacado probably just over 6 months ago. my extremely panicky nature plus the threat of anaphylaxis have sent me to the ER almost 10 times since then.

the past year has been very stressful with regard to work, money, and a new marriage. it has been the most incredibley frustrating and stressful year of my life. i know that stress does play a part here.

but it soon evolved past just worrying about food allergies. after getting skin tests for many different foods and keeping those foods out of my diet or at a minimal intake level, i still couldn't eat.

it almost didn't matter what i ate anymore. i would immiediately feel like i needed to rush to the bathroom, i would get shaky, weak, my heart would pound loudly, most of the time racing because of the panic. sometimes i would get itchy and have hives, sometimes i wouldn't. sometimes i was having pain from my stomach and on up through my chest to my throat.

it's been agonizing and scary. so far i have been to 2 general doctors, and allergist/internal medicine specialist, many ER doctors, an accupuncturist, and now a gastroenterologist. i have had ultrasounds, 2 rounds of blood work, additional allergy tests, an endoscopy, and a colonoscopy. i am taking a daily proton pump inhibitor, an allegra and a pepcid before i eat. i'll also have a benadryl if it comes to that, and have an epi pen and prednisone on stand by.

what i do know is that i have a .40 level of helicobacter. it's not supposed to be dangerous at that level, but i am suspect that it may be considering that i weigh about 100 pounds and seem more sensitive than the average person to foreign things in my system. i also know that my symptoms indicate IBS and acid reflux/GERD. from my blood work i know that i have higher than normal immunoglobulins. i don't actually know what that means at all.

however, i do NOT know why i have these crazy reactions every time i eat. it's cutting into my job, my life and unfortunately my sanity. i have been so overly emotional and sensitive. and every time these things happen again after i see some progress, i break down.

my GI doc does not think it's anything to do with the gal bladder because i have not been pregnant before. all my tests show that i don't have any cancer or ulcers in my esophagus, stomach, intestines or colon. i have been panicking less and dealing with everything much better, so that can't be held to blame anymore either.

i am still wondering about the pancreas and gal bladder functions, and what role they play. i'm also wondering if a hernia could be to blame, although nothing like that was seen in my scopes. the other things i was wondering about were viruses and parasites.

does anyone recognize any of these symptoms? i can't get straight answers from doctors. i have an appointment as a follow up of my scopes on tuesday, where i will have MANY questions... but i need to do as much research as i can in communities like this as well. i am feeling very desperate. i'm wasting away here and it's putting so much stress on me it's unbelievable.

i appreciate any input you have. thank you. :)

Community Leader
Registered: 10-01-2002
Thu, 11-03-2005 - 6:42pm

2 cents here


I am just an average person here. Seem to me that you are very worried and this is one problem

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Avatar for lucky30605
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 11-08-2005 - 8:38am

You sound just like me about 5 years ago. You think WAY too much about your body and how it's reacting to everything.

Go to a psychologist and get treated for anxiety disorder. You'll be a little better almost immediately and probably 90% better in a year. You'll learn to cope with the panic and learn to not be afraid of your body.

I still see a psychologist because I tend to forget how to cope with my bodily functions like a normal person. Where as most people with a case of, say, diarreah don't have a panic attack on the toilet.......I will! That's not normal. And therapy could help. I, too, couldn't eat for a few years. And the lack of food was making me feel worse. Another thing you could do is drink Ensure throughout the day. It will give you the vitimins and other nutrients you need to start feeling better.

Good luck and try giving up the testing for a while. Go 6 months without going to the doctor (except the psychologist). It's like you're addicted to the testing (which was kind of the case for me, too).

I hope this didn't offend you but your post struck a chord with me. This is just how I was helped and it may not work for you but I hope it does.

Lucky

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2005
Tue, 11-08-2005 - 11:58am

lucky... i think you might be right on alot of things you said. but regardless, i know there is something physically wrong. it's not 100% about my anxiety problem.

my doctors wanted to do all the testing. but i wouldn't have stopped them for fear of being too neurotic over testing. you have to rule things out like cancer, colitis and ulcers with these symptoms. i think it's dangerous to assume that if someone is a hypochondriact or has panic disorder that you should shrug off their physical symptoms.

i do think there is something to the way i react to my body... it's probably not very healthy. but it's not the only problem. there has to be something to react to first. i can't make up severe allergic reactions in my head. i also can't make up reflux and IBS or immediate pain after eating.

i think it's a good idea to talk to a psychologist and try not seeing doctors, etc. but i have to get answers first. right now i can't let the issue go and the people around me wont let me. my mom, grandma, husband and boss are very concerned, having never seen me this way. if the people who know me best know something is wrong, i have to pay attention to their intuitions.

i know it doesn't seem normal to have a panic attack "on the toilet" as you say. ;) ...but when the same thing happens EVERY day and you can't even rest before the next wierd painful thing happens, you may start feeling helpless and yes... start panicking. i have felt like i have a stomach flu every day for the last 6 months. that starts to affect your life and play tricks on your mind.

did you ever figure out what was happening to you besides the anxiety? did you change your diet or sleep?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2005
Fri, 12-23-2005 - 5:51pm
Hi,
Boy can I relate to these symptoms. In Oct. 2004 I got some kind of intestinal flu bug.
I would wake around 12:00a.m., in a full sweat and heart palipations. Several minutes later I would have to jump out of bed and hope I got to the bathroom in time. I would have severe diarehea and when I got back to bed I had the chills so bad I thought I would shake to death.
One Sunday I got up and felt really sick to my stomach. My husband took my blood pressure and it was 192/106 so we rushed to the hospital. They took blood tests, EKG, chest xrays and could only come up with "possible viral pneumonia.
Then the pains started in my stomach and I couldn't even get a piece of toast down. Went to a gastroenterologist and he ordered an Endocopy, Colonospy, and CAT scan. I told him I would have these weird sensations like an anxiety attack just before I had to go to the bathroom. He gave me Xantax (Tranquilizer) but it didn't seem to help. The Endo. said I had 3 inflamed areas in my stomach and he took a polp from my intestine. I still couldn't eat anything but tea, toast, applesauce and plain boiled chicken.
The CAT scan showed I had an Aortic Anyerisum. THat was the day before Thanskgiving and they didn't operate until March. Everytime I got bad pains in my stomach, belching, and bloated feeling I would walk the floors until I couldn't stand it anymore and go to the Emerg. Room. I've had stool cultures, blood tests, Gastric emptying test, and they still haven't found out what is wrong.
Of course finding not too much out of the ordinary, except the anyerisum, they wanted to send me to a Psyciatrist(spelling wrong. I have always had problems with allergies like different drugs and food. I've had colitis for 25 years and have had flare-ups but nothing like this. I had a sinus infection before they operated on me, but when I took an antibiotic I couldn't breath right so I stopped it. I'm convinced the infection went all through my body from my sinusis to my intestines but once a doctor sees that you are taking a tranquilizer, they think every ache or pain is in your head.
It has been over a year and I am slooowly making progress. I am fine as long as I stay in my own little "box" of allowed foods but once I venture outside, my stomach starts up again and all the weird sensations. I lost 75 lbs since last year and my Dr. thinks it is depression and gave me pills for it which promptly gave me anxiety in the middle of the night, so I had to take the tranquilizer to calm me down. The Xantax is finally working to calm me down, until some kind of stress comes up and then I am sick again. Hang in there and hopefully the body will eventually heal itself of whatever we have.