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| Mon, 04-09-2007 - 2:13pm |
I think it all started out with one bad meal. I remember it very well- an open faced turkey sandwich with lots of gravy. Right after I was done eating I had to RUN to the bathroom and had an explosion (haha). I knew right off that I must have eaten something bad because I never had anything like that happen. So I never really thought much of it afterwards. But in the days afterwards I kept having issues, and they got worse through out the month (December). I was having BAD diarrhea, BAD cramping, and BAD gas pains and I was also VERY tired. I thought I had gotten food poisoning. But then after having this for about 3 weeks I decided to call the doctors office. Well, they couldn’t fit me in till January, so was told that I probably had the stomach bug and to call after the holidays if I wasn’t feeling any better. Well, I definitely wasn’t feeling any better, other than the fatigue part. I was still having diarrhea all the time, accompanied by awful gas, bloating and pain. I had a 9 month old baby, so I couldn’t tell if my weight loss was part of that, or what. I wasn’t trying to lose any weight, I just felt full so fast after starting to eat. I also started having a lot of mucus in my stool. I finally got into the doc’s office in January. I was told it could be IBS, but just in case he did blood tests and a stool test. I got a call about the results and they said everything looked fine. Don’t really know what conditions these test ruled out- I wish I would have asked more questions. He told me to eliminate milk products. So, I was told to come back in a month if I didn’t feel any better, and I did. He gave me this medication –Bentyl. I didn’t want to start eliminating the milk AND taking the meds at once- then I wouldn’t know which was working. So I tried to eliminate lactose. But I did at one point take one of those tablets to see if it would work- omg I got so dizzy and loopy! I never want to take another one of those unless I have no need to function! Anyways, I have tried to be lactose free but its very difficult- it is hidden in so many foods. I try as hard as I can, but then I always eat something and then look at the ingredients and go “whoopsâ€. Either that or I get fed up and eat something anyways. I haven’t eaten any cheese in 6 months. Nor have I had any milk. Sometimes I feel great- then sometimes there is no reason that I can think of why I am having the D again. I have it everyday, at least a few times a day. At LEAST. I have not had a solid BM in 6 months. I still have bad bloating and gas pains almost every day. It seems like eliminating lactose is not working very well. I am also taking Bacid, a probiotic twice a day. It seems to help a little bit, but not much. I have tried the Lactase pills, but I get a funny feeling when I take it. Don’t know what else to do here. I have seen the doc 3 times now. He told me that if I don’t feel better in a month, call him and he will want to do a colonoscopy. That just sounds scary. I don’t know what else the problem could be, since they did all those tests in the beginning.
Any suggestions, insight, comments? I am just so sick of all of this!
Thanks,
Kendra

Welcome Kendra!
Here is a link to info about Bentyl...
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/dicyc_cp.htm
It is possible that you didn't give the medication a chance to work, but I probably would have stopped it quickly too, after the side effects you had.
Have you been back to your Dr., to explore other possible causes? Are you still trying to eliminate lactose? I take a generic brand of lactose enzyme and have never had a reaction to taking it. You might want to try a food diary, to see if you can pinpoint certain foods causing any issues.
Anyways, I have tried to be lactose free but its very difficult- it is hidden in so many foods. I try as hard as I can, but then I always eat something and then look at the ingredients and go “whoops”. Either that or I get fed up and eat something anyways. I haven’t eaten any cheese in 6 months. Nor have I had any milk.
I use the lactose free milk and am able to eat certain cheeses. For me, the worst cheese is Parmesan, which makes going to Italian restaurants a challenge, since many dishes contain it. Mozzarella is mild enough for me to tolerate.
I still have bad bloating and gas pains almost every day. It seems like eliminating lactose is not working very well. I am also taking Bacid, a probiotic twice a day. It seems to help a little bit, but not much. I have tried the Lactase pills, but I get a funny feeling when I take it.
I take acidophilus tabs three times a day and that seems to help me. If I chew 4-5-6 lactose enzyme tabs before eating something that might contain lactose, it does help and I've never experienced any odd feelings. Not sure what might be causing the 'funny feeling' you get.
Personally, I doubt that the turkey sandwich actually was the cause, but possibly a combination of just having a baby, a hectic holiday schedule and whatever was already brewing in your tummy all came together at that time. Something was already 'off' in your stomach and eating that sandwich was a catalyst to get things moving along. A sandwich could not get digested and move through your digestive system that quickly, but it did move everything else that was already in your stomach out and that is what you are remembering.
I have seen the doc 3 times now. He told me that if I don’t feel better in a month, call him and he will want to do a colonoscopy. That just sounds scary. I don’t know what else the problem could be, since they did all those tests in the beginning.
Do you know what the results of any of those tests are? Have you considered making an appointment to sit down with your doctor to discuss the results and what options are next?
A colonoscopy is something that most people try to avoid, but it can be a very helpful test. Here is some info about it, in case you are interested...
http://digestive.health.ivillage.com/digestiveimagingtest/colonoscopy.cfm
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