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ACUTE AND CHRONIC ABDOMINAL PAIN

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 10/25/2006 11:30 PM (GMT 0)

I am new to this forum....so here I go...

 

I was diagnosed with IBS  many years ago....I have put up with it as best I can.  I also have (GERD) Acid Reflux disease and Endometriosis.... for which I take medication.

I have been told in July that I have a 3 cm in length narrowing

of my Sigmoid colon..but other than that....everything is ok according to the radiologist.  On a previous Barium enema in the 90's they told me i had diverticulosis...now it's

2006 and they say I don't have it..  I wish they'd make up their minds!

 

I was in the hospital ER twice this past week....they put me on antibiotics just in case it was an infection...  that only made me more sick. 

I ended up back in ER Oct 21 with Diarrhea, and vomiting, and intense abdominal pain.  They did a CT scan with Contrast Dye...

This proved to be negative....So at my request we stopped the antibiotics and they gave me narcotic and gravol for the pain and nausea and sent me home.

 

Today I had a scheduled appointment for a pelvic ultrasound...to see if the narrowing is due to female problems...... the Gyne Dr. ...she said it too was negative...except  for a small cyst on my right ovary, which she said would most likely resolve itself.  She also said it most likely isn't my endometriosis.  She wanted to induce menopause, as an experiment to see if it's the endometriosis, but that would make me feel lousy with hot flashes..  I told her no.  I'm on alot of different meds and I take blood thinner for my heart, so I didn't need anymore problems.

 

SO here I am....still in alot of abdominal pain.

I have a long list of medical problems on top of this

including Heart issues...I have a dual chamber pace maker.

and I experience frequent angina. Degenerative Disc Disease, Spinal Stenosis..Fibromyalgia oh....and I musn't forget Migraines.

I found the internal ultrasound increased my abdominal pain+++ when the tech pressed the wand against my bowels..

shot the pain up to a 9+

 

I think I am going crazy....  I have chronic depression which i take antidepressants for.... and wonder...where do I go from here....at this point My GP has me on narcotics for the skeletal and fibromyalgia pain...now it's been increased for the abdominal pain.

 

IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING A MEDICAL PROBLEM....THAT YOU JUST AREN'T GETTING CONCLUSIVE ANSWERS TO?...

THE MEDICAL DRS SAY  "PAIN IS PAIN"...  BUT I GET THE FEELING THEY DON'T BELIEVE ME....

 

TKS

 

FUNNEL

 

 

Posted 10/26/2006 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have heard that fibromylagia can cause gut problems. Is is possible you are having a flare of that? My mother has it too and one of her doctors' recommendations was to go organic because some of the chemicals in foods seem to trigger flares.

Can your gyno not put you on continous birth control to keep you from developing the endometreosis? That would be less harsh than inducing menopause.
Posted 10/26/2006 4:12 PM (GMT 0)

Dear Keriamon,

 

Thanks for your reply,

The Gyne Dr.  had offered to induce menopause, but she said it would cause large amount of hot flashes...

I told her no thanks...as when I get the hot flashes now...it affects my heart and I go into Atrial Fibrillation...

 

I like the idea of organic, unfortunately...i don't have that kind of money....I am on fixed disability income which is very low.

 

Thanks so much for your kind input.

 

god bless

funnel

Posted 10/26/2006 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Do some searching online and see if there's not some sort of program to give organic produce, dairy and meats to low income or disabled people. If you live in large enough city, you might can find a co-op where you buy straight from the farmers and thus get stuff at closer to normal prices. And some people organize an exchange or something where they buy a lot in bulk and trade or sell the rest at cost--meaning everyone gets to enjoy the bulk discount. If there's any sort of community program for low-income and/or disabled folks (also look at groups that help seniors since they are used to serving low-income and disabled), ask them if they know of an organic food program that you could try. I think if you tell people that you have a lot of medical problems and were looking to try organic in the hopes of helping some of those problems, you'll find someone or some group that will help you out.

As best you can, stick to cooking from scratch as you will at least get fewer dyes and preservatives that way; that may help. (Sometimes IBS is caused by an allergic reaction or intolerence to dyes, preservatives and/or chemicals, so even if it doesn't help your fibro, it may help your bowels.)
Posted 10/29/2006 3:05 AM (GMT 0)
DEAR KERIAMON,

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind....
I try to make things from scratch...in this last year...I have been in so much pain....and also heart problems....causing exhaustion, I've been eating more canned foods than I normally woule have... I
hope I get this pain under control so I can go back to baking...etc.

God bless,
funnelcloud
Posted 10/30/2006 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
If I were you, I would see if you could find an osteopathic physician in your area (and I'm not suggesting this just because I'm going to be an osteopath myself!).  They are medical doctors but have an added tool in their arsenal - osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), a non-invasive technique that can really work wonders for pain.  Check out this post:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=26&m=620801

The key paragraph in here is this: "One key concept osteopathic medical students learn is that structure influences function. Thus, if there is a problem in one part of the body’s structure, function in that area, and possibly in other areas, may be affected. For example, restriction of motion in the lower ribs, lumbar spine and abdomen can cause stomach pain with symptoms that mimic irritable bowel syndrome. By using osteopathic manipulative medicine techniques, D.O.s can help restore motion to these areas of the body thus improving gastrointestinal function, oftentimes restoring it to normal."

Posted 11/2/2006 6:31 AM (GMT 0)
Sarita, I agree with you. Unfortunately in CA osteopaths can use just the MD designation if they want so it is hard to find one. They dont do much in manipulation anymore it seems. I guess it is good for them that CA accepts them as regular Drs. but it sure makes it hard to find one. Don't you live in CA? I have had 2 but neither did the osteopathic part anymore.
Posted 11/2/2006 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Canyon,
I didn't know that osteopaths could us MD in CA. No wonder I'd never heard of one, or seen one. It would take doing some research to find one around here. Hmmmm.... I wonder if my medical group website lists that type of info.

Oh, by the way, Sarita is in Alaska.
Posted 11/2/2006 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, it's kind of stupid...a few years back they allowed all osteopaths in California to transfer their title from DO to MD (since they are equivalent); I'm not sure why.  There surely are still plenty of DOs but it can be hard to find someone who maintains a practice in manipulative medicine.  What part of Cali do you live in?
Posted 11/2/2006 8:07 PM (GMT 0)
The other thing I was going to say is that both DOs and MDs are licensed physicians, so it doesn't really matter what the initials are.  The only difference is that DOs can do manipulative medicine in addition to prescribing medication, doing surgery, etc. - everything that MDs do.

Posted 11/2/2006 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
Sarita,
Canyon and I are both in the SF Bay Area. My health website doesn't list any DO's. I'm going to have to figure something else out. Thanks!
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