# New symptoms, never had GERD or IBS before



## MarkB2015 (Apr 7, 2015)

Hello, new here. Found the forum while looking at what I can do to help make my life better facing all this stomach pain and weight loss.

I'm 34, father of two very young beautiful children. I work full-time. In the last month I have been to the hospital, family doctor and multiple "walk-in" doctors.

My symptoms started with increased heart rate, breathlessness, chest pain and palpatations. I went to emergency as I thought I was having a heart attack. They told me I was not, and that it was anxiety causing my symptoms. I asked to have tests done with a specialist, 2 weeks later I met with him and did the tests that turned out negative. This put my mind at ease but not my chest pain. He suggested I try a PPI to rule out GERD. I was on a drug called tecta for 2 weeks which actually helped lower the pain I had at night and helped me sleep.

I read about GERD and decided to help eliminate the rest of the systems by switching to a modified diet rich in low-acid foods. I dropped coffee, chocolate, fatty foods etc cold turkey. I use to LOVE having some chocolate after every meal and I especially liked coffee.

This seemed to help my heartburn/chest pain until I started feeling full longer. Food just didn't seem to digest quickly enough and I began to realize my bowl movements were few and far between. They also changed colour (yellow) as in I was not absorbing fats properly. I talked to my family doctor and he figured it was just a change in diet and that things would level out eventually and to keep taking the TECTA PPI. I then started having stomach pains, bloating and lack of appetite. I felt full all the time.

After a week of this I said enough and came off the TECTA, the chest pains returned slightly at night and started to disrupt my sleep again... but I figured it was better than this stomach pain I was having.

It has been just over a week off the medication and things seem unchanged. I have introduced probiotics and digestive enzymes, as well as using Iberogast at the recommendation of a doctor.

To help with the constipation I tried eating more fibre as the doc recommended... but that lead to more pain and a feeling of being full longer. I have still not even considered taking the metamucile he suggested I take.

Over the last month with all of this going on I have been less interested in eating and I have reduced my portions to tolerate the gas and bloating feeling, but as a concequence I have loss 13 pounds. It appears I am losing approximately 0.5 pounds a day. I attempted to measure my chalorie intake yesterday and it appears even when I am trying to eat more i'm only taking in 1700 calories when I should be taking in 2700 to maintain my current weight of 189 pounds... my BMI is still good as I was slightly over weight at 203 pounds.

Historically I have always had a quick metabolisim... I would eat and almost immediately go to the bathroom. I would always eat quickly and never really chew very well.. first to finish... and sometimes when I ate a big meal I would have to run to the bathroom.. but this pain is all new to me.

I feel like the doctors don't understand what I'm going through, I feel alone because everyone thinks its in my head and I should just eat more... but it hurts so much.

The most recent change to my ordeal has been switching back and forth between a day long constipation and waking up to have 4 rapid loose bowl movements. Not sure why the change... I meet with my family doctor yet again this week.. I feel like he always rushes me out the door and dismisses my issues.... but I don't know what else to do.

It's starting to affect my relationship with my wife and my ability to play with my kids... not to mention all the time off from work to go to doctors all the time.


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## add4sons (Apr 8, 2015)

Hello MarkB2015,

I just found this site and created an account so I could respond to you. I'm Add4sons, A single mother of four wonderful (not always) sons. I started my symtoms similar to yours 6 years ago. The first time I felt ill, I went to ER and they diagnosed me with costocontrius. (an inflamation of the muscles around the chest cavity) but I thought I was having a heart attack. A scary feeling. About 2 or 3 weeks later I got server stomach pain that felt like I was punched in the stomach. The doctor figured out I had the start of an ulcer and H.Polory bacteria. Most people do have H.Polory and it remains inactive unless we get so stress that our immune system can't control it. H. Polory causes ulcers but only when it gets out of control. -- That's why we say stress causes ulcers. Stress actually causes weakened immune system that allows H.Polory to grow or attack. I was giving medicine that cured the H.Polory and have been miserable since. Because my symtoms didn't go away the doctors said H.Polory was not the cause of the problem and basically the symtoms are all in my head. Like you, I have spent so much time in ER, missing a lot of work for doctor appointments, and my children are suffering the most. I can't keep up with my daily activities and feel my whole world crumbling around me. I used to be very active and always happy. Now I struggle to get out of bed. I have been diagnosed now with IBS and GERD but I don't believe this could be the only thing that is wrong when I'm in so much pain. I find doctors not wanting to listen, blowing me off and yes pushing me out the door. I hate going to the doctor because I know I'll get very angry and cry. If I could find a doctor who would listen and really hear my symtoms - that would make me feel better. I'm so sick of hearing that my symtoms are caused by depression or anxiety. I don't believe depression is causing IBS - I do believe that the IBS is causing depression. Anyways - I just wanted to respond to you because it sounds like you are struggling with the same discouragement as I am.

I am sorry that you are going through this BS and feel so all alone. I'm with you on this one.

Add4sons


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## MarkB2015 (Apr 7, 2015)

add4sons said:


> Hello MarkB2015,
> 
> I just found this site and created an account so I could respond to you. I'm Add4sons, A single mother of four wonderful (not always) sons. I started my symtoms similar to yours 6 years ago. The first time I felt ill, I went to ER and they diagnosed me with costocontrius. (an inflamation of the muscles around the chest cavity) but I thought I was having a heart attack. A scary feeling. About 2 or 3 weeks later I got server stomach pain that felt like I was punched in the stomach. The doctor figured out I had the start of an ulcer and H.Polory bacteria. Most people do have H.Polory and it remains inactive unless we get so stress that our immune system can't control it. H. Polory causes ulcers but only when it gets out of control. -- That's why we say stress causes ulcers. Stress actually causes weakened immune system that allows H.Polory to grow or attack. I was giving medicine that cured the H.Polory and have been miserable since. Because my symtoms didn't go away the doctors said H.Polory was not the cause of the problem and basically the symtoms are all in my head. Like you, I have spent so much time in ER, missing a lot of work for doctor appointments, and my children are suffering the most. I can't keep up with my daily activities and feel my whole world crumbling around me. I used to be very active and always happy. Now I struggle to get out of bed. I have been diagnosed now with IBS and GERD but I don't believe this could be the only thing that is wrong when I'm in so much pain. I find doctors not wanting to listen, blowing me off and yes pushing me out the door. I hate going to the doctor because I know I'll get very angry and cry. If I could find a doctor who would listen and really hear my symtoms - that would make me feel better. I'm so sick of hearing that my symtoms are caused by depression or anxiety. I don't believe depression is causing IBS - I do believe that the IBS is causing depression. Anyways - I just wanted to respond to you because it sounds like you are struggling with the same discouragement as I am.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your thoughts and situation with me!

On the weekend I had blood tests, stool tests and urine tests... I'm hoping they help eliminate some serious conditions I could have. I found it frustrating cause the paperwork seemed to have a series of generic blood tests when I want them to rule out Crohn's disease, inflamation, infection, and malabsorption.... but i'm not convinced these tests will accomplish this. I have been referred by both my walkin doctor and family doctor to a gastro... they seem to think the first step is to get a colonoscopy... which I find a little strange. I guess they will look for cancer and infalmation to rule out colitis.

I had a short period where my weight leveled off and remained around 190 which was very promising, but in the last 2 days it appears to be back to the 0.5 lb per day loss... I have been trying to incorporate "snacks" in between meals solely for weight gain... as I'm not hungry at all and it feels like work to eat them.

With that said though I have to say it feels like the pain is started to get better... I still have pain in my large intestine a lot... but I have been trying colonic massage and it seems to help move the gas along that's trapped in there.

For now its just a waiting game to have a specialist see me... a week from now I have an ultrasound scheduled and then a GUI xray.

I have never heard of H. Plory I will look into that... I don't personally think I have ulcers as I don't have any visible blood in my stool or fever and that seems to be common with ulcerative coloitis.

I still have hope this will be resolved soon, I can't imagine it lasting for years I can't accept that.


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## MarkB2015 (Apr 7, 2015)

So blood and stool tests came back normal.. but they only tested for bacterial infection and parasites. The blood work confirmed blood count and most other typical generic tests say i'm healthy... but weight loss continues. No H. Polory. Gastro appointment is 2 months away. I want them to test for malabsorption and celiac's disease but they say I have to wait for the specialist... next stool sample will check for blood in the stool.


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