IBS or something else?

Hi all. I am new to the boards. Sorry for the long first post - I just want to make sure I put in as much info as possible - thanks in advance for reading through.

I have been struggling with some gut issues for a few years now, with it coming and going for long periods of time.

During my last pregnancy I struggled with acid reflux and was on medication for it, but it went away after the birth of my daughter. I almost never get heartburn or any problems from food that way.

Last month I had an episode where my stomach was just feeling off. I had some raw broccoli one night with dinner and I woke up in the middle of the night needing to vomit. My stomach was on fire and was cramping. I threw up over and over and was unable to keep anything down - even a small sip of water. I eventually remembered some medication that I was given at the doctors office for nausea and I took that - it helped me to keep stuff down, but then the diarrhea started. This episode lasted around 4 days.

After the attack my stomach feels uneasy for a few days to up to a week and then things normalize. I even become a little constipated during the other weeks.

This past Saturday I had a party at my home and we served fresh fruit salsa which had a large amount of raw onion, pineapple, kiwi, and cilantro. I also made another part of the dish with more raw onion. Saturday night my stomach started to hurt and I was burping a lot. Later on around 2am I started to vomit again. I again couldn't keep anything down, so I turned to the anti-nausea medication, but this time even taking the medication would lead to throwing up again. I finally called my doc on Sunday night and they told me to go to the ER (which I couldn't do because my husband was at work). On Tuesday I finally was able to be seen by the doctor. He felt that my symptoms could either be IBS or Gallbladder. He prescribed Prilosec and Bentyl. I have been on both medications before. The Bentyl worked great for some general stomach pain I had developed years earlier. I am scared to take the Prilosec, because I don't want to get stuck on something.

I notice a lot of pain after drinking coffee, eating greasy foods, and especially raw vegetables. I always seem to have vomiting first followed by a few days of diarrhea so bad I can barely make it to the bathroom. There is always a pain in my stomach just below my ribcage in the middle, although it does also seem to run across my belly as well. I have a lot of gas, bloating, and belching.
I am also waiting to go in for an ultrasound of my gallbladder. I have to wait for my insurance to authorize the proceedure. I wish I could get it done now as I really feel like it would be helpful to know for sure if it is gallbladder related.

During the one last month I had a severe panic attack one of the days because I was feeling so sick and drained. I do have panic disorder. I find that with all the vomiting and running for the bathroom, I do feel really drained and I will sleep a lot more. I never have a fever with it, but will get chills or feel overly warm.

Thanks again for reading through this - I am anxious to hear if anyone has the same or similar issues.

Inflammation? Why? Would this show problems with IBS or Gallbladder?

Thanks!

Oh, Okay. I will talk to my doctor and see if I can get some blood tests done. Thanks.

Gabby04

BTW... The Gallbladder test .... Not as scary as it sounds. They will put you in a CAT with IV tracer to see how the bile is moving from your liver to the intestinal duct.

They will say things like REMARKABLE,SLOW,DIFUSED, PLUGGED. The first three are pretty normal so don't worry. Everybody says you don't need your gallbladder but ask a simple question first. If I don't need it, Why did God put it there?

I had the gallbladder test today -It was a fasting ultrasound. Should have the results from that in 24-48 hours according to the tech who did the procedure. I am hopeful that I will have the results by Monday at the latest. For the moment all of the pain and discomfort is gone. This is pretty typical for what I have been experiencing. I have it for a few days to a few weeks and then it clears up and seems to go away, only to return full force later on. Sometimes I will have weeks free of any pain or discomfort, other times not as long.

I haven't been taking the medications prescribed because as I stated earlier, I hate to get stuck on a medication that I don't really need. I don't have any issues with the Bentyl, but the Prilosec concerns me.

go slow and be well gabby!

could this be a contributing factor...all the stuff they spray veggies with. i know you guys clean it but remember broccoli does not have a hard covering like a rutabaga or a hard winter squash. maybe cooking it and bringing it to a boil is a good idea. ideal color should be bright green.

just a thought and hope you feel better. when you vomit, this means your stomach is rejecting the food.

i take omeprazole daily 20 minutes before eating and after that i take my heavy duty aspirin based pain pill.