HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Scary Stomach Symptoms

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/19/2017 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
I've been having some scary symptoms the past 2 weeks that feel different from my normal Lyme flares and herxes, and I'm starting to become concerned that it could be ovarian cancer, since most of the symptoms match those of OC.

The symptoms I'm having are

Horrible Pain and tightness/pressure in my mid upper abdomen. It makes me double over and have to stay in bed.

Gnawing pain in my mid upper abdomen

Bloating

Acid reflux after every meal and drink, no matter how healthy I'm eating.

Lower back pain

Belching

Constant dizziness (I think that's a Lyme symptom since I've had it so much with Lyme)


I have been having these symptoms near constantly, with no specific trigger that I can identify. It's to the point that I'm scared to eat or drink anything. Whenever I've had a similar episode in the past, it's gone away within 24 hours using heat, ginger tea, etc. this time it's not going away.

I have no insurance right now but am considering going to the ER and dealing with the costs later.

If anyone can think of what these symptoms could be please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Post Edited (DisneyLove) : 9/18/2017 7:42:32 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/19/2017 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
What antibiotics/herbs/supplements are you taking?
Posted 9/19/2017 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
I am on the Zhang Protocol for Lyme and Babesia but have taken the last week off hoping to see these symptoms improve, but nothing has happened.
Posted 9/19/2017 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
What a coincidence, I am too. What were you taking and for how long did you take it?
Posted 9/19/2017 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
I've been taking Allicin (2 pills 3x per day), Artemisia (1 pill 3x per day), Circulation P (1 pill 3x per day), and AI #3 as needed. This is the protocol that helped me get well in 2009 after being sick for a few years. I did antibiotics too which did more harm than good, unfortunately. I started taking it again after consulting with Dr. Z. about a relapse.

The stomach symptoms I'm having have happened in the past, to a much less degree. Usually, I could get this upper abdominal pain under control within 24 hours of using heat or drinking ginger tea, so I always thought it was a digestive issue. Now, I'm worried about gallbladder, pancreas, ovarian issues.
Posted 9/19/2017 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
I'm going through the same thing too with the stomach symptoms.

I've been 3 months on Coptis (2x3), Artemisiae (1x3), Circulation P (1x3), and AI#3 (1X3), I even was taking 733B (Rhubard & Mirabilitum) for regularity.

The cramps, pain between lower ribcages, acid reflux after eating started around a month ago. The 733B was the first thing I stopped because I was suspicious about it.

My diet is so incredibly restricted that I do not think it was caused by anything I was eating.

I called him today and he suggested to stop the AI#3 (which I was taking everyday), for a couple of weeks, because he said it caused gastric irritation to some people. So I'm stopping that too.

But my theory is that it was caused by Artemisiae. Because I was switched to Artemisiae-2, I took it only 2 times, and it made the cramps really bad, then I switched back to the regular one. So my theory is that perhaps this was an accumulative effect from it. Tomorrow I'm stopping Artemisiae for some days to see what happens.

Also, if I were you I'd be aware of the Allicin, something tells me that's very hard on the stomach. I never took it because I'm highly sensitive to garlic, so I was automatically put on Coptis.

Either way you have to remember that even though the aggressor element has been removed, the gastric tissue is still inflamed and needs to recover.

I took note from other post of some things that were recommended for these kind of issues:
-Colostrum
-Licorice DGL
-Marshmallow root (seems popular)
-Slippery elm
-D-Limonine (careful, antifungal)

I started with Colostrum since I already had bought a bottle of it. Something tells me I should try marshmallow root though, we'll see.

Meanwhile until I recover, I've been eating small meals (avoiding feeling full), everything plain (yes, even more plain, insanity). Nothing oily, spicy or cold. Dr. Zhang recommended clockwise stomach rubs (100 times), slow and deep. It's a TCM technique.

It's somehow normal that you're developing all of these theories, I think most of us are in constant fear of "what's next". Perhaps you should try modifying your diet and taking a supplement for the GI issues until things normalize. I've experienced really bad pain, then it disappears.

.
Posted 9/19/2017 3:45 AM (GMT 0)
Do you feel your lyme symptoms are improving on Zhang?
Posted 9/19/2017 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
I picked up some Slippery Elm today and I am going to try that. I should get some Marshmallow root. I'll definitely try the stomach rubs that Dr. Zhang recommended, too.

It seems like everything I eat is causing such bad bloating and pain. Even the most plain foods are suddenly an issue, it's so confusing.
Posted 9/19/2017 1:44 PM (GMT 0)

Evanston1 said...
Do you feel your lyme symptoms are improving on Zhang?

Yes, slowly but steadily.
Posted 9/19/2017 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Had you done any other herbal protocols before Zhang? I'm doing Cowden right now. Can't see any changes yet.
Posted 9/19/2017 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi DisneyLove. I understand your concern. When I first started having symptoms like these, OC did enter my mind and yes, it's very scary. You really should have a pelvic exam just in case, to ease your mind.

Some of my very first (really noticeable and debilitating) symptoms were stomach related and it was like you said, reflux no matter what I ate. Pain in stomach, bloating, etc. I tried so many things, like slippery elm, marshmallow tea (yes, they helped but did not resolve the issues).

I did have a pelvic exam early on and it was normal. I've also had an upper GI, endoscopy and colonoscopy, and esophogeal manometry. Nothing could be found except some irritation in my stomach lining (gastritis).

My LLMD said the stomach issues could be from Bartonella. Have you been tested for Bartonella? My Bartonella test was equivocal but my LLMD thinks I have it. I read somewhere that next to h-pylori (which you might want to test for), Bartonella was the second most common cause of persistent gastritis. Google around and you will probably find something about Bartonella and GI issues (maybe even from this forum.) But I would definitely get a pelvic exam to rule out the scary stuff.

Post Edited (Manzanita2) : 9/19/2017 9:22:59 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/19/2017 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
I have these issues and do have bart. The pain usually subsides though within 30 minutes. It often happens to me after I've been lying down. I used to drink 7up or gingerale, but now I'm trying to avoid sugar, so if I can lay down and try to relax, take deeper and deeper breaths, it goes away.

I also sometimes will take a pepcid before bed, but you have to make sure it won't interfere with anything else.

My LLMD did say these are signs of bart, including some rib pain I've mentioned to him.
Posted 9/19/2017 4:07 PM (GMT 0)

Evanston1 said...
Had you done any other herbal protocols before Zhang? I'm doing Cowden right now. Can't see any changes yet.

I have not, this is my first herbal protocol and treatment for lyme.

If you believe in the protocol be patient, and just keep track of the improvements, even if they're very small. For instance, I still have some of the symptoms I had before I started treatment but they go away faster, they're lower in intensity and overall, which I can't exactly explain what it is, I feel better. Sometimes I get impatient and frustrated and don't see the positive changes. So I have to keep reminding myself to be more objective and less emotional at the time of judging the effectiveness of the treatment.
Posted 9/19/2017 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
As far as I know, I don't have Bart. But that may just be inaccurate testing.

The thing that scares me is that the stomach issues seem to be constant. It's mostly in my upper middle abdomen, but it does move lower and feel like someone is squeezing me inside. I used to be able to get relief quickly from this but not anymore.

Aside from the stomach issues, my main, most debilitating symptom, has been dizziness. I constantly feel like I'm on a boat, the sense of motion is constant, and feels like it's coming from my eyes in some cases because it gets worse when I move my head or eyes and make sudden movements.

I took 2 Slippery Elm last night and felt like it calmed me a little bit, but made no difference in my stomach pain itself.
Posted 9/19/2017 6:35 PM (GMT 0)

DisneyLove said...
As far as I know, I don't have Bart. But that may just be inaccurate testing.

The thing that scares me is that the stomach issues seem to be constant. It's mostly in my upper middle abdomen, but it does move lower and feel like someone is squeezing me inside. I used to be able to get relief quickly from this but not anymore.

Aside from the stomach issues, my main, most debilitating symptom, has been dizziness. I constantly feel like I'm on a boat, the sense of motion is constant, and feels like it's coming from my eyes in some cases because it gets worse when I move my head or eyes and make sudden movements.

I took 2 Slippery Elm last night and felt like it calmed me a little bit, but made no difference in my stomach pain itself.


It could be the Bartonela. It also could be that 2 things are going on, a herx (dizziness) because your body is overloaded with toxins and a gastritis, that you'd get either way even without an infection.

I know the pain is bad, just be careful with getting too anxious about it because that will only make it worse. So try to be patient and distract yourself when you're having an episode. Watch a movie, play a game, something where you have to concentrate so you can move away your focus from it a bit. Being always 100% aware of the symptom without thinking about anything else physically and psychologically aggravates you.
Posted 9/22/2017 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
So yesterday I got slippery elm in powder form, and today was my first time taking it.

The thing is so good I added a few drops of stevia and ate it like a dessert haha.

I think this shows how limited my diet it and how desperate I am turn
Posted 9/26/2017 8:57 PM (GMT 0)
DisneyLove - How's your stomach doing!
Posted 9/26/2017 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi hope everyone here reads this - might save you some time, agony and money:

I suffered greatly from these strange GI attacks - they were a little different than as described by others here but quite a few similarities ---upper GI, sever pains, no known food triggers and other correlations.

After a great deal of investigation I finally figured out they were likely very strong bart herxes that were triggered --initially from a short course of Levofloxacin to treat sinusitis and bronchitis (I stopped after the first dose due to an anaphalactic response but I didn't know it at the time but I also developed bart herxing which I thought was floxxing--foot pain, tendon pain and limited movement and other sx)

These episodes continued for a few more months and then stopped. And then started again after I began Byron White A-bart. They stopped when I stopped the A-Bart. And then I started A-bart again a year later and had one of the worst episodes - landed in the ER. I was finally able to connect them to the A-bart.

Then I started vancomycin for the bart and haven't had an episode in almost 2 yrs.

Now - I'm using the term 'bart' but my Fry Labs test found something "unidentified" so we've been treating it successfully like bart - the official term is Bart-Like Organism (BLO).

I encourage you to look into a bacterial or microbial component to the SIBO-like symptoms. I suffered for about 4 years - two of them on liquid diets because my GI was such a mess. Not one MD thought to forego all the expensive testing that revealed nothing and just start w/ antiicrobials. While the vanco is a broad spectrum abx and very effective in my case, there are a lot of good herbal protocols out there - proceed cautiously.

HCL
Also, you might want to experiment a little with HCL - MANY people with gut dysbiosis suffer from not enough digestive acids, instead of too much--the sx are nearly the same and include acid reflux, believe it or not. If you don't have normal GI function and the pancreas doesn't send messages to produce enough acids, it's easy for the GI to become imbalanced and overgrowth can occur. The SIBO and chron's and many other GI problems can all stem from a bacterial component.

One thing you can try is to take HCL with meals. It's discussed more in this thread - the acid helps break food down so digestion is more comfortable but also, the acids help eliminate bacteria and other pathogens (like your stomach would do naturally if it were producing enough acids):
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3264858

Here is a great article to share w/ you LLMD on Bell's Palsy of the Gut
www.lymenet.de/literatur/vtsherr_gut.htm

Hope this is helpful -

-p
Posted 9/27/2017 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Pirouette!

Pirouette said...
Hi hope everyone here reads this - might save you some time, agony and money:

I suffered greatly from these strange GI attacks - they were a little different than as described by others here but quite a few similarities ---upper GI, sever pains, no known food triggers and other correlations.

After a great deal of investigation I finally figured out they were likely very strong bart herxes that were triggered --initially from a short course of Levofloxacin to treat sinusitis and bronchitis (I stopped after the first dose due to an anaphalactic response but I didn't know it at the time but I also developed bart herxing which I thought was floxxing--foot pain, tendon pain and limited movement and other sx)

These episodes continued for a few more months and then stopped. And then started again after I began Byron White A-bart. They stopped when I stopped the A-Bart. And then I started A-bart again a year later and had one of the worst episodes - landed in the ER. I was finally able to connect them to the A-bart.

Then I started vancomycin for the bart and haven't had an episode in almost 2 yrs.

Now - I'm using the term 'bart' but my Fry Labs test found something "unidentified" so we've been treating it successfully like bart - the official term is Bart-Like Organism (BLO).

I encourage you to look into a bacterial or microbial component to the SIBO-like symptoms. I suffered for about 4 years - two of them on liquid diets because my GI was such a mess. Not one MD thought to forego all the expensive testing that revealed nothing and just start w/ antiicrobials. While the vanco is a broad spectrum abx and very effective in my case, there are a lot of good herbal protocols out there - proceed cautiously.

HCL
Also, you might want to experiment a little with HCL - MANY people with gut dysbiosis suffer from not enough digestive acids, instead of too much--the sx are nearly the same and include acid reflux, believe it or not. If you don't have normal GI function and the pancreas doesn't send messages to produce enough acids, it's easy for the GI to become imbalanced and overgrowth can occur. The SIBO and chron's and many other GI problems can all stem from a bacterial component.

One thing you can try is to take HCL with meals. It's discussed more in this thread - the acid helps break food down so digestion is more comfortable but also, the acids help eliminate bacteria and other pathogens (like your stomach would do naturally if it were producing enough acids):
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3264858

Here is a great article to share w/ you LLMD on Bell's Palsy of the Gut
www.lymenet.de/literatur/vtsherr_gut.htm

Hope this is helpful -

-p

Posted 9/27/2017 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
I've had some similar symptoms when herxing. I thought my liver was getting ready to pop. And I would always get this sudden fatigue and feeling like I was going to fall over. Didn't feel like any of my normal symptoms. Never found out what it was but titrating my doses slower has helped me avoid it
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply