I am having very bad gastrointestinal symptoms since being off anitbiotics for about six months.
It feels like someone punched me in the stomach. Along with this I have pain on both sides of my waist that wrap around the front. It feels like something is there all the time. To top it off I feel like I always have to run to the bathroom.
Stool cultures turned up nothing. A yeastculture showed Penicillium growth but the doctor who ordered the test said it wasn't significant. To top it off when these symptoms occur I get a menthol taste in my mouth that almost tastes like mouthwash.
When on anitbiotics these symptoms would come and go but now that I am not on anything they are not going. I try to chew gum during the day because the taste is so disgusting and I don't know what to do. My primary doctor is sending me to a gastro doctor but I know they are not going to find anything. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Also, I am taking loads of probiotics.Thanks!
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Were you ever treated with high-dose Doxy for at least 3 months?? My IBS was HME Ehrlichiosis. Ehrlichiosis can be seronegative-
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
I was on IV Doxy in 2002 for five months and with all the Biaxin I had this year I don't think it is H. Pylori. It feels like it is muscular inflammation but somehow it is affecting my stomach and intestinal tract.
Just in time for Christmas.
Posted by tailz (Member # 10014) on :
quote:A yeastculture showed Penicillium growth but the doctor who ordered the test said it wasn't significant.
Don't believe him. My liver lesion wasn't significant either, nor was my vocal chord polyp, my aortic sclerosis, my hair loss, my early menopause, etc...
If it's h-pylori, you can try mastic gum. That will kill it.
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
Good point but what kills Penicillium? An antifungal?
Guess I will play my own doctor.
Posted by pmerv (Member # 1504) on :
there's an old saying:
He who has self for doctor has fool for patient.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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While you wait for your GI appt., can you try a gluten, corn and diary free diet to see if that helps (unless you aldready do that) ?
I cannot tell you how much (GI and whole body) pain cleared up by my avoiding gluten and corn . . . and avoiding dairy has done wonders to clear most of the ear and throat phelgm. Potato and soy might be others to consider - or chicken and eggs.
I hope you can see the GI specialist soon, but eliminating some things in your diet may save a lot of time and offer some information if you can do that before the appt.
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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Gallbladder??
Hope you find the answer soon!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by Keebler: While you wait for your GI appt., can you try a gluten, corn and diary free diet to see if that helps ? I cannot tell you how much pain cleared up by my avoiding gluten and corn . . .
Ditto on that one!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
^
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
I am already on a gluten and dairy free diet so that is not it. I think it maye be the Lyme since I am not on treatment.
Not sure what "he who is self for doctor is fool for patient" means. I think it is the other way around.
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
I agree with Phyllis.
Did you know partial seizures can cause taste and smell sensations? All of my GI issues have been neuro. Good luck finding a decent neuro to discuss this possibility with, or discuss it with your LLMD.
Best wishes for a pain free day for all,
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
I have run this by primary doctor and LLMD-both don't seem to have any explanation especially for the taste.
That is why I feel I must try and be my own doctor because the "professionals" never seem to help and that is why I posted here to see if anyone had similar symptoms. If trying to figure out what is wrong yourself when medicine has failed then there must be a lot of fools here.
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
I see what is being said as actually quite profound, though on the surface it might appear as off the cuff.
In my opinion, you need a more experienced LLMD. It doesn't matter how far, or inconvenient, because it's false economy to stay close to home with a doctor who doesn't recognize your symptoms, because you may risk a more prolonged disability.
I suggest going to "Seeking a Doctor" and call around to a few doctor's offices, and ask reception to ask the LLMD whether they are familiar with your more esoteric symptoms, and if so, whether they have resolved them in the patients they have seen.
Of course, I have no crystal ball; I am speaking from personal barking up a tree experience.
Best wishes to all for a pain free day,
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by amkdiaries: If trying to figure out what is wrong yourself when medicine has failed then there must be a lot of fools here.
True!
Been checked for c.diff? Any comments on the gallbladder? Could it be that?
Pancreas?
Another GI dr??
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Regarding the taste of menthol- I would read this page on taste disorders at:
Abnormalities in chemosensory function may accompany and even signal the existence of several diseases or unhealthy conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition, and some degenerative diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Korsakoff's psychosis.
NOTE from Sarah: Korsakoffs is alcocol related-
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
Yes I was checked three times for C. Diffile and all negative. I had an ultrasound of the gall bladder a short time ago and everything was O.K.
This isn't the first time that this has happened. On antibiotics it will come and only last a day or two but off antibiotics it is more constant.
I will make an appointment with a GI doctor next week. Thanks for the advice"Can Brave Lyme." I don't know if other LLMD's offices will accommodate a request like this but I will try.
Merry Christmas!
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
AMK,
I am so pleased you are going to try this! I waited far too long with the LLMD? (in my case) that I was seeing once I'd gotten to the point you have. As I got worse and worse, it became a humiliating and non-productive experience.
Finally, once my lines of credit were all extended, I'd sold my house and old sports car, and was completely unable to work, and had to be in a wheelchair for any distance, I realized I had to go to the US for help.
I picked 3 well-known doctors to check out. One wasn't seeing new patients, and his NP was, but in the state I was in, I needed to see "a wizard" him/herself.
Then I called the other 2 offices, and explained my more esoteric symptoms, and reception spoke with the LLMDs (this is apparently quite common practice). The reception got back to me and BOTH LLMDs had seen these symptoms and resolved them. Then I picked intuitively between the 2, and I've been improving since.
I continue to do research like the rest of us, so that I am responsible for my health, and can ask educated questions, but I am no longer deteriorating while a "doctor" looks on.
Many many good wishes to you all, and blessings,
Posted by Peacesoul (Member # 13709) on :
Do u drink diet soda and is there aspartame in your gum?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Good questions, peacesoul!
amk...You may also want to consider a Hida Scan to see if your gallbladder is functioning.
An ultrasound will only show if it contains stones or sludge....not if it's diseased or non-functional.
Good luck and keep us posted!! Posted by sunnymalibu (Member # 9586) on :
even if your gall bladder ultrasound showed everything was alright you may have sludge in the gall bladder.
I had the same symptoms. Pain that started under my right rib cage, pain all around my stomach and back. It hurt so much that I literally couldn't walk. My food felt like it was just sitting in my stomach and not digesting. This all happened when I stopped doxy. I kept complaining to the doctor. Finally the pain got so bad that they did another ultrasound. That one shoed gall stones.
My doctor told me that I should have my gall bladder out and sent me to a surgeon and he agreed.
I started on a REALLY low fat diet and it has gotten so much better. I had a blood test at the time that ultrasound shoed the stones and I had elevated liver enzymes. It turned out that when you pass a gall stone it can "mick" the liver as it passes by and the liver enzymes elevate but then go back to normal, which is what happened with me.
I found out that the 4-5 gall stones that I had were 2 mm.each. They can pass into the intestine and cause all kinds of problems.
Try a very low fat diet and see if that helps.
Good luck!
Posted by amkdiaries (Member # 7035) on :
Thanks for your responses and no I only drink seltzer water. I can't go near aspartame-my neuro symptoms get very severe.
I thought that perhaps this whole thing was a yeast problem and that the perverted taste was alcohol sotoday I started taking Nystatin and I will see what happens.
The weird thing about these symptoms is that they started in 1999 after two months of IV Zithromax and have come and gone since. If it was my gallbladder I would have thought it would not have lasted this long. In addition when on antibiotics I rarely get this to the extent I have it now so that is why I am suspecting a co-infection if not yeast.
I will pursue this further next week but would have felt a lot better if someone out there had similar symptoms related to yeast or co-infection.
I will keep you posted. Thanks!
Posted by Peacesoul (Member # 13709) on :
hi, yeah keep us posted, would be interesting to see if it's yeast. Yeast is a killer in the body. You can check out The Yeast Connections msg board. Maybe they know more about your symptoms over there
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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Sometimes appendix pain is not the typical. So, that is to be considered as well.
As you await a medical eval. about this, in addition to probiotics, you might try a very small amount of L-Glutamine in water to coat and help repair the GI tissues. Not too much, though as it may convert to glutamic acid and can be too excitatory for the brain.
The DGL would also help heal tissue and it has antimicrobial properties against h. pylori, too.
Slippery Elm is very nice, too, to coat. Shake or stir a little in with cold water and add warm water for a "tea" -
Ginger tea may help, too.
Seltzer water really hurts my stomach, even just all by itself. It may help unstick a burp, but if I try drinking it on an empty stomach it seems caustic, but I have a very sensitive stomach. Can you try a few days without that and see if it makes a difference to you?
good luck.
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[ 23. December 2007, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
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