stomach problems???

beannie said...
No, I do not have a defenite diagnosis, it is said possible, but I really do believe that's what it is. have had many other test to rule things out, just wondering if other people were having these problems...........thanks......

People with MS who DO have stomach problems generally have problems because their bowel -- a muscle -- stops working properly. It doesn't move in the rhythm that it needs to, to expel waste. And so fecal matter lie there and don't evacuate regularly (daily, or every other day).  While some folks with MS have constipation -- their fecal matter expels in hard rounded balls, with much pain and discomfort --

more often, if they have bowel problems, they're more like this: they won't have a bowel movement for 3-4 days, and then have urgency, and sometimes incontinence.  The stools will be very soft, yet formed, in large volume, (not dry and hard). 

Any time the fecal matter lies in the bowel un-evacuated, it can cause gas. But then, some foods can cause gas (beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, among other things) can cause gas. Adults, and particulary African-American, Asian, American Indian, and some other ethnic groups are particularly susceptible to lactose intolerance -- an inability to digest milk -- and drinking milk or eating a lot of dairy can cause gas.  I'm not in any particular "targeted ethnic group", but I also suffer from lactose intolerance.

Talk to us more about what symptoms you DO have that make you think you have MS..and maybe we can help you figure out where to go to get good treatment.

beannie said...
thanks for getting back to me so quickly...this site is so "GREAT", i love it! Well I do have all of the classic symptoms, numbness in my face, tingling in arm and leg, dizzy, nausea sometimes, pain in different areas of the body. I have had optic neuoritis in my right eye twice. I also have six lesions on my brain from my last MRI. This has been going on with me since I was in my early 20's, I am now 49, will be the BIG 50 in Septemeber, YIKES! My neuro said it sounded like I didnt have the symptoms of MS. I have had so many tests done I just dont know whats left to do. Had the colonoscopy, upper GI, vaginal ultrasound, checked out my kidneys with ultrasound because I had a recent kidney infection out of the blue. Had no symptoms except a sharp pain in my back for 2 days so went to doc's and took a urine test and it was infection. They put me on Cipro for 5 days, took all of it and when i finished the pain came back so she put me on more, and then I had the ultra sound tomake sure everything was okay and it was. So this whole bloating thing is very new, I do have some constipation on and off. Well thats my story, sorry its long......thanks again you guys are great.......

It's unfortunately quite possible that you could have several things going on, unrelated illnesses.

The optic neuritis: was this confirmed by an opthamologist? And when was your last MRI?  If indeed you have optic neuritis, and lesions -- it's not clear to me why your doctor is not considering MS?

Kidney infections are notoriously hard to treat.  Bacteria "hides" in there and can be difficult in getting it taken care of.  Double rounds of Cipro are a common treatment.

The colonoscopy, upper GI, vaginal ultrasound -- all that, have nothing to do with diagnosing MS.  Those are all for other conditions.  The ON and the numbness and tingling are the only things that are typically MS, and the lesions that appear on the MRI.

But you need to know that lesions can appear on an MRI for reasons other than MS.

What you need to say to your neuro now is: "OK, if you don't think this is MS, and I've had all these other tests done, what ELSE could be causing these problems...and who should I see?" A rheumatologist might be a next step.