# Got my endoscopy results back... was prescribed a medication... But my Dr. is so frustrating... Any ideas?



## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

I got my results back and they came back showing no Celiac, no H. Pylori... nothing like that. All he said he found was stomach inflammation and excess acid. In the past he prescribed me Prevacid, which did nothing for my digestion, and if I took it consistently for a few days gave me a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and esophagus. But the thing is I NEVER have heartburn.

When I got my results he prescribed me Carafate, which apparently coats everything and binds to bile acid. I am supposed to take it 3 times a day before meals. I have taken it for 3 days so far and almost feel worse. No change, still soft stools, still numerous stools, urgency, pain, etc... But my pain is almost worse. Last night I was having pain on my lower abdomen, not like those cramps that lead to D but just soreness, sore to the touch almost. And my rectum/low colon area hurts. It's so uncomfortable and feels sore and like I still have to go to the bathroom. Ive never had that sensation before, it's so uncomfortable.

I tried to talk to my doctor about the possibility of SIBO or Candida and testing for it and possibly even getting a HIDA scan for my gallbladder and he pretty much just snubbed me off. Said I'm too young to even have those problems and that it's probably just IBS... so I said nom there always has to be a reason IBS is just the give up diagnosis, I'm willing to do any tests. And again he says no you're too young. Young people don't get that. I felt like saying YEAH! I'm too young to be this miserable and suffering! Freaking help me!

So now I'm considering finding a different Dr... or a nutritionist... even though my last nutritionist thought I was anorexic... Even though Im not at all underweight, actually maybe 10lbs extra because I just had a baby... she didn't understand that I eat so little and so bland because of my fear of having D attacks. I wish I could find an "IBS" specialist.

Any idea what could cause the stomach inflammation?

And if you think the stomach inflammation and acid have anything to do with how my intestines are working? Or just coincidence? I know stress can cause things like that... and the terrible thing is I have a lot of stress but its FROM MY BOWEL PROBLEMS. Not the other way around.


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## Brownish72 (Aug 26, 2012)

Hey

You should really pursue further testing, especially Candida or SIBO

Also; ironically, one thinks that we always need to take something like Prevacid to fix Acid reflux, or other problems associated with GERD. However, there is an entire other side saying we should be taking HCL supplements to raise the acidity in our stomach. You should look into HCL if you are getting loose stool, undigested foods in stool ,  and any weary feeling after eating meat. Low stomach acid can lead to SIBO, and is a classic culprit of Candida (lets pray you don't have either, I have / had SIBO, but again, I really encourage to you continue to ask for the testing. If not, you can order a hydrogen breath test yourself from Genova and send it in to them to have it analyzed)

Too low of stomach acid can cause inflammation in theory because the PH of the stomach is too neutral (especially from PPI drugs like Prevacid) and the two sphincter valves, one leading to the small bowel, the other to the throat, can relax, and actually cause burning. There's quite a bit of research into this, and its worth exploring ! Also, of course there is a connection b/t stomach acid and intestines. Proper stomach PH is necessary for proper signals to be sent to the pancreas and gall bladder to start producing enzymes and bile.

Hope that helps

Best of luck


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Well there is no harm in seeking another Dr's opinion.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Your body doesn't care why you are stressed. Physical stress is still stress even when it may be "good stress" like not getting enough sleep when you have an infant.

No matter what causes the stress, good, bad, physical, emotional, the results on the body are the same.

Generally all medical tests have some risk. They are not completely harmless. So there are reasons not to just test everything in everyone all the time. You can do more harm than good with tests so sometimes it is better medicine to not do the test rather than just do a test for the heck of it even when you are completely sure it will be normal. Most of the things you want testing for cause more symptoms than IBS so usually they won't do them unless you have those indicator symptoms.

If the meds you are taking aren't working call the office and see if they could try something else. There is more than one treatment for most everything and it takes some trial and error to find the right ones.

I think there may be some functional GI doctors in the New York area. I know there is a functional GI clinic down here at UNC in chapel hill and Dr. Drossman has a private practice and he studies IBS.

You can have stomach issues from acid and irritation and not have any of that acid refluxing into your esophagus (what causes most of the heartburn). Gastritis may need to be treated even when you don't have GERD.


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## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

Brownish72 said:


> Hey
> 
> You should really pursue further testing, especially Candida or SIBO
> 
> ...


How is Candida tested? My doctor had no idea what it even was.

And for SIBO, it's breath testing right? I was looking in the Genova site and by the looks of it you need a doctor to order the test? How could I convince my doctor to do so? And what is the treatment if you have it? Are you cured? I've always really suspected SIBO because I get extremely gassy and have to avoid beans, ,any vegetables, oatmeal, whole what and whole grain, nuts, etc... as they cause me SO much gas, gurgling, and bloating. I even get massively bloated if I go too long without eating. So bloated that it hurts. Ive tried probiotics and some help A LITTLE and don't cause side effects but others make me so gassy and miserable. I have noticed that certain antibiotics seem to make my digestion better... and others cause me horrid D. Why would that happen?

Also... my doctor says I have TOO MUCH acid... is there really such thing as too much acid? Especially if I don't experience heart burn? My doctor prescribed me Carafate which made me feel worse a few days but I stuck it out and all it seems to do is make my BM's more formed sometimes but I still have all those D symptoms... Pain, gas, urgency, frequency.. etc..


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Most of the Candida tests are done by alternative medicalcare professionals and often are not scientifically validated (a lot you can do at home, supposedly) so if you want to pursue that you probably will need a naturopath or other type of person like that.

Be warned some people will diagnose almost everyone with Candida and may prescribe some costly treatments for it that again haven't all been scientifically validated. However some of the treatments are in line with things that make sense with IBS (lower carb diets, taking probiotics, etc).

SIBO is usually a breath test, and usually is something a physcian orders. May need to do it at a larger hospital. The treatment is antibiotics, the results generally are not permanent, but may last for several months.

The normal colon bacteria in the normal colon location can cause more than enough gas to cause symptoms. The SIBO are these same bacteria in the small intestine and there will be fewer in there than in your colon even if you have SIBO.

Something is irritating your stomach lining. Usual culprits are either medications or excess acid. Gastritis pain is NOT heartburn. You can have gastritis and not have GERD or reflux. No reflux=no heartburn. The stomach is a different entity from the esophagus and either one can be the source of a problem. It does not have to be both.


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## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

Aren't Candida symptoms very smilar to SIBO? The only "Candida" like things I ever notice is that I get vaginal yeast infections so so easily.

What is a naturopath? How are they different from a nutritionist? Are they easy to find?

Since my last post I actually called Genova, about SIBO testing, they did confirm I needed my Dr. to order the test, looked it up and my Dr. is not a Genova member but they found a Dr. in my area that is! I'm excited to go and finally have some different tests, this Dr. I spoke with seemed very very willing to help. Even when they said my insurance wasn't taken they seemed very willing to work with me in letting me take my time with payments etc... always a good sign when Dr.'s say "Our goal is really to help people, we don't want to crush anyone with bills, you pay at the rate you're comfortable with". So I have my visit in a few days... they said they will order the SIBO breath test for me which I will have to pay but there is also a stool test that is covered by my insurance, so what the heck, i'll do it. But what is the significance in a stool test? Will anything involving SIBO or too much bacteria show?

Also... what would gastritis effect when it comes to IBS? I know inflammation is bad but isn't acid good? I have had these digestive problems for as long as i can remember... back when I was a kid and I didn't even know what stress was. But of course now as an adult I have stress.... but 85% of my stress comes from my digestive problems, really. Could the gastritis and my digestive issues have no link maybe? Maybe just the stress causing the acid and inflammation? (My Dr. didn't actually call it gastritis....)


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well depends on who you talk to, but Candida is blamed for a heck of a lot more symptoms than just a bit of GI bloating. http://www.wholeapproach.com/candida/questionnaire.php

I have seen some people claim every person who has any symptom of any disease from a cold to cancer is suffering from systemic Candida overgrowth.

Usually medical doctors only diagnose Candida in the vagina and Candida in the mouth (thrush) unless you have HIV or some other severe immune disorder and are near the end of that where you can't fight anything off. Usually people thinking SIBO or IBS are doing well enough they aren't in the ICU needing a lot of care.

Naturopaths are NOT the same thing as a nutrionists. Naturopathic doctors must get a degree in that, they are not a registered dietician or a less registered type of nutrition counselor. http://www.naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=2 is the find one page, they also have more information about what they do.

Some acid is good as long as it isn't attacking the stomach lining. If it overpowers the protective layer for any reason it damages the stomach. Gastritis doesn't really have much to do with IBS, but you don't want your stomach lining eroding away to the point you get an ulcer that may start bleeding and perforate (which can be life-threatening).

Gastritis means inflammation in the stomach, so it is a pretty broad term but they may or may not use that specific term with you.

Stool tests do not tell you anything about how many bacteria are in there or where they are in there. They will tell you some of the species that are in there and you may find one you don't want like a chronic giardia infection that needs different treatment than what you treat SIBO with.

Stress generally doesn't cause any disease all by itself with something else doing the damage. Stress does, once there is a problem, make pretty much every disease and disorder and symptom worse than it would be otherwise. Doesn't matter if it is mental stress or physical stress (like being in pain or not sleeping enough). If stress made you healthier and reduced symptoms doctors would prescribe pulling all nighters, skipping meals, eating junk, and finding someone to add a bunch of drama to your life.


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## Aelise (Feb 10, 2012)

Looks like everyone is addressing your other issues but I will weigh in on one thing here: you need to change doctors. First of all, you never write off a patient's symptoms... this is a sign of a bad, unsympathetic doctor. Secondly, you should never dismiss a reasonable theory based on age. Good for you for being your own advocate. Your doctor is wrong. I have biliary dyskinesia, finally diagnosed after many years, and it started when I was only a teenager. You are not too young to have problems with your gallbladder. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! Find a new doctor.


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