I’ve seen multiple docs and ER staff but still don’t have an official diagnosis. For 3+ weeks I’ve had diarrhea. It started as loose stools (which I attributed to a high dose Vit C that I was taking at the time… not anymore), but then progressed to diarrhea about 5 times daily. It didn’t seem to bother me much at first, just a little bit of discomfort, slight nausea before I had to "go".
Then 13 days ago it got much worse. Any solid food I eat gives me nausea, and uncomfortable bloating. Then I started getting what felt like blood pressure changes, dizziness, light-headedness, and discomfort which would precipitate a complete emptying of my bowels ->right now I only feel decent when my stomach is totally empty. It’s gotten so bad that it awoke my panic disorder (I had been unmedicated and effectively cured of panic for the last 8 years). So on top of everything else, when I start getting that nausea/bloated feel, my heart starts pounding and my fight or flight chemicals go mad.
The ER gave me a CT scan and only found an inconsequential cyst on my liver. They gave me bentyl for nausea… and it helps, but it’s been 10 days since I was there and I still need it. They also took a fair amount of blood but I didn’t ask what they tested at the time… but it was all normal they said.
My primary doc found the beginning of an ear infection and put me on antibiotics exactly a week ago (this did help with the nausea I was getting whenever I turned my head). She took blood to test for celiac and other things, and also stool samples, but so far I have no results from that yet. She also put me back on anti-anxiety meds (I’m back to seeing my cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with the panic and eventually plan to wean the anti-anxiety meds).
So for the most part I am keeping the panic sensations away, but still I absolutely cannot eat solid food. It starts with basic acid indigestion, but then turns to bloat and nausea, and then a trip to the bathroom where my bowels empty.
Pretty sure I’m starting to get a little dehydrated (throat feels dry), but if I drink too much at once my stomach gets really uncomfortable. I’ve been mostly living on whey powder drinks which usually don’t bother me much.
And I am taking a probiotic 6hrs after each antibiotic. Especially since I suspect all this diarrhea just destroyed all the bacteria in my gut.
So does anyone have thoughts on what this could be? Part of me kinda likes the fact that I dropped 6 pounds in a week, and I feel totally normal when I’m empty. But I’m starting to get a little scared that it’s been 2 weeks of this inability to comfortably eat (3 of diarrhea) and while I can manage my symptoms, I don’t appear to be getting better. And since I can’t eat properly I think I’m getting weaker.
Any help is appreciated.
Nice thought, but the hospital already tested me for that. No babies here (unless there’s gross medical incompetence going on).
