Going to get the tests done
#1815 - 03/03/03 03:44 AM
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ecmmbm
Reged: 02/23/03
Posts: 1622
Loc: North Carolina
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Going back to the Dr to tell him it's time to get all the "tests" done. When he prescribed me the zelnorm, he asked if I'd ever been officially dx'd with IBS. I said, Yeah, by my mom! No, I really do have all the classic symptoms and do believe I have IBS. But I don't think IBS alone explains all the recent things I've been going through. For one thing, when he first wrote the rx for the zelnorm, he said, You haven't had unexplained weight loss or are anemic, are you? I said no. But if he asked me that today I'd have to say YES and Probably (I've been anemic before and I feel that way now, just dragging). And the zelnorm and citrucel and diet and water and exercise STILL are not making me go the bathroom. And I'm still having periods of a lot of pain even though most of the day I am better. So with all that said I guess I need to go rule out other stuff. Mom suspects gall bladder, I don't know what I think it is. Probably nothing, but should know that for sure I guess! Going to call him today, but still doing the diet and everything else the same because I do believe it is beneficial. Thanks for listening!
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Take care,
Michelle
...the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Cor 13)
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Just wanted to say hang in there. I myself just finished up a few months worth of poking, prodding, and examines. I kept putting them off and once I finally got them done, it was a relief to rule out the other stuff. 
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Hi Michelle - I think this is a really good idea - at the very least, it will put your mind at ease that there is nothing else going on. And I think it's especially important to have things like inflammatory bowel diseases and celiac ruled out before trying Zelnorm, which is such a brand new drug there may be undiscovered risks to it.
There was an earlier link about something called Hirschprung's Disease - info is at web page There's a link within that link that takes you to a site about the disorder - it's something that can be ruled out with a colonoscopy.
I saw your earlier post that you were feeling better in every way but still waiting for a bm - how frustrating! Please stick with what you're doing - it may just be that your body is taking a while to resume its normal function, especially if in the past you'd use a laxative when you reached this point. Chronic constipation can really set into a pattern in the GI tract, and it takes a lot of patience and persistence to get the bowel back into functioning, regular motility. Keep steady with your dietary changes and fiber supplement, all the water you're drinking and the treadmill activity. It really will help, even though it's taking so long.
Please let us know how things go and what you find out.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Hi, Good luck with all that!
Can you ask for a gluten allergy test too? It would be nice to rule that out.
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Hi Michelle - I had my gall bladder out about 4 years ago and I don't know what the pain associated with IBS feels like, but the pain from a gall stone trying to pass thru the duct to the liver is excruciating--it actually feels like you're having a heart attack. The pain is between the breasts and you have a hard time breathing. I seemed to feel it more in my right arm (than in my left as in a heart attack). You sweat a lot too and get very hot. Don't know if that happens to everyone, but it did to me. It seems to be triggered by foods (like IBS). They can tell if it's your gall bladder with an ultrasound (it shows up the stones).
Get it checked out, sweetie. Good Luck.
Sharon
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Sharon
"Anything Chocolate"...that is all!
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Thanks, while that is a possibility most of my pain is down low and the DR thinks it is either something within my colon that is "screwed up" or maybe even something "female" related. If I do have pain up high like that it is rare and I think due to the gas build up of being constipated for so long. So, after seeing him today, and finding that I've lost 15 pounds since December, he said get off the zelnorm and let's get the tests done to rule out more serious colon issues or female issues. So we'll get those done later this month and see what they say. Thanks!
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Take care,
Michelle
...the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Cor 13)
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Michelle - In our local newspaper the other night, there was a questions posed of "Ask Dr. Donohue" which I shall relate to you now:
...I became so tired that I could barely drag myself around....
Answer...Chronic thyroiditis is another example of an illness caused by an immune system out of control. This usually halts the production of thyroid hormone. That explains the loss of pep. Without the hormone, the skin dries, the hair becomes brittle, constipation reigns and menstrual periods come at irregular times...
If your neck enlarges, it could be the thyroid. Just a thought.
Dr. Donohue has a good column. It's in our paper every day and I read it every day because you never know what you'll find.
Sharon
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Sharon
"Anything Chocolate"...that is all!
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