- CASE FILE
SUMMARY
Chronic mid-epigastric pain, 70lb weight loss. Excruciating b.m.'s. Chronic nausea. Chronic pelvic and bladder pain.
MULTIMEDIA
ABOUT THIS CASE FILE
I have had health issues for as long as I can remember but I was always able to just deal with them and continue my life. Until about 5 years ago. I was going to college and working at my local hospital. I had just had a total hysterectomy due to severe endometriosis, after having two previous laparoscopies with endometrial laser removal and an IUD placement in the previous 3 years. I felt as good as one would expect in the month after my surgery and even started to work out again. That's when it all came crashing down. Everytime I did anything face down on the floor I'd start to get severe mid-epigastric pain and nausea that would last anywhere from several minutes to several hours later. Then, certain things I would eat or drink would do the same thing, severe mid-epigastric pain, nausea, and light headedness, it would double me over it was so painful and I felt so faint I needed to lay down. After several gastroenterologist reviews and gynecologist reviews, I was sent to the MAYO clinic in Arizona. After more gastrointestinal reviews (lots of colonoscopies and endoscopies, and cat scans and MRI's and ultrasounds and labs) I was told it was because I needed to lose weight and follow a better diet and I would feel better. I have done the elimination diet now twice, the fodmap diet now twice, the anticandida diet, the interstitial cystitis diet and other tricks to try help the IBS. It has gotten so painful to eat, drink and use the restroom that I am scared to eat or drink anything. I had my gallbladder removed in the hopes it would stop the pain after eating and drinking but it did not. I lost 70 pounds, I have followed every diet to the T and did not, and have not, felt any better for it. I am currently following the interstitial cystitis diet and somewhat of a low fodmap diet to try to keep things happy but it's not working. My gastroenterologist thinks I have adhesions from my previous surgeries that is causing all this pain, he may be absolutely right, but then why does it hurt to eat and drink? Why does the thought of even eating or drinking cause the pain and nausea? The smell of some else's food or drink even causes it. As if pain and nausea everytime you eat or drink wasn't unfair enough, everytime my bowels fill, starting just to the left of my belly button, I can feel it, I can feel it filling and moving its way through my intestines, it's like my intestines are being ripped apart as the material travels. It doubles me over, it keeps me from falling asleep and it wakes me up, all night, every night. I have managed to gain a small amount of weight back because I refuse to starve too death, but every pound has been excruciatingly gained and kept on. I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, amongst all the abdominal pain, my pelvic pain was also wreaking havoc, I am unable to take any form of estrogen for it quickly insights constant unbearable painful cramping. I have an interstim device implanted in my back and on my S2-S3 nerve bundles bilaterally to try to help with the bladder and pelvic pain. I saw an internal medicine specialist for about a year and he diagnosed me with ehlers-danlos syndrome hypermobile type, occipital neuralgia, allodynia and polyneuropathy. I am allergic to my entire home state of Montana and I get frequent severe migraines. My skin on my scalp often goes numb, a couple fingers on each hand will randomly go numb and my toes will also randomly go numb. The allodynia is constant on my thighs, my 4lb Chihuahua can't even sit on them without it causing burning pain. I can also get so bloated in my abdomen that the whole thing feels like a giant bruise for 2-3 days afterwards. I have a fever that waxes and wanes every day, it sits anywhere from 99-101 degrees. I have a constant productive cough that produces worm-like tubes of thick gel mucus mixed with air bubbles. I have a constant ringing in my ears and they often lose hearing for small amounts of time. I have a pea sized swollen lymphnode in my neck, and get other swollen nodes in my neck and arm pits.
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