I'm a 24 year old male, diagnosed with acid reflux a couple years ago. I take Protonix for acid control (used to take Nexium but lost my insurance and can't afford it, Prevacid and Prilosec don't really help). Over the past year or so I've had occasional diarrhea and vomiting, which my doctor initially said was because of the reflux. But it's gotten much worse over the past few months (while my heartburn and other symptoms haven't). It used to only happen once or twice a month but now I find myself with severe stomach cramps two or three times a week and vomiting/diarrhea at least once a week. I avoid fatty/fried/spicy foods and have tracked my diet but can't find a dietary cause for the stomach issues. I've missed 4 days of work in the past 2 months and I need to get this under control.
Any ideas on what this might be??? Sometimes it's just a few hours of nausea or diarrhea, other times it lasts 24 hours or more. I haven't lost any weight but I do have a hard time sleeping some nights because of the nausea and cramps.
I was tested for gastritis a few months ago and the test came back negative, don't know if that's what H. Pylori causes. As for gallbladder, my mother and grandmother both have had severe gallbladder problems and have had them removed because of it. So if that's heriditary then I guess it's a possibility. What would the doctor have to do to see if it's my gallbladder? I don't have insurance right now, it'll be another 2 months before my policy kicks in.
Also I noticed once last night and twice so far today that I've had bloody streaks in my bowel movements. But the blood is bright red, which means it's most likely an intestinal issue rather than a stomach ulcer, right? There isn't that much and I haven't been lightheaded or abnormally tired so I don't think I should be too worried about it at the moment, or should I? I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, that was the earliest I could get when I called last week.
When they checked my gallbladder at the ER they did an ultrasound and a blood test.
You could possibly go to some sort of clinic or teaching hospital to get the services at a lower price. You could also alter your diet to be gallbladder friendly, low fat, no fried foods,etc you can google gallbladder diet and see if that helps.
No idea on the bloody stools. I think bright red is better than black and tarry....but other than that i'm clueless.
